Moderator Kate Bensen, CEO of The Chicago Network

CHICAGO (PRWEB)
February 24, 2020

There’s been a lot of talk about companies diversifying their leadership teams. But who’s actually doing it? And how?

A panel of local executives will reveal the strides leading Chicago organizations are making at the Association for Corporate Growth Chicago’s 2020 Women’s Luncheon. “Creating a Path to Diversity in Leadership” will take place March 10 at The Metropolitan.

The following speakers will share how they are working to develop women leaders and truly move the needle in creating a more diverse workplace culture.

• 
  Carl Allegretti, Managing Partner, Chicago, Deloitte LLP
• Maria Kim, President & CEO, Cara
• Andrea Zopp, President & CEO, World Business Chicago

Moderating the panel will be Kate Bensen, CEO of The Chicago Network, a group of 500 of the city’s most senior women leaders. In 2019, The Chicago Network launched an Equity Pledge, which aims to achieve 50% representation of women in leadership positions throughout Chicago organizations by 2030.

The groundswell and best practices generated by the Equity Pledge will provide the backdrop for a dynamic discussion.

The ACG Chicago Women’s Luncheon is open to women and men and will run from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10 at The Metropolitan (233 S. Wacker Drive, Chicago). Click https://cvent.me/BN8XEN for additional details and to register.

Visit https://www.acg.org/chicago for more information or call 877-224-6389.

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I can’t imagine a more exciting time to join Driven Brands,” Mason said. “The company has built a powerful platform for growth and has an energetic and talented team. I look forward to leading the finance organization and helping position the company for continued success.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (PRWEB)
February 24, 2020

Driven Brands, North America’s leading group of automotive aftermarket brands, today announced Tiffany Mason is joining the company as its new Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer effective March 2, 2020.

“I am thrilled to welcome Tiffany to the Driven Brands family,” said Jonathan Fitzpatrick, Chief Executive Officer at Driven Brands. “Tiffany is a proven senior financial executive and leader, and will play a vital role in the continued success of Driven Brands as the nation’s largest family of automotive aftermarket service companies.”

In her role, Mason will oversee all finance, accounting and IT functions for Driven Brands while working across the business to drive continued strong performance, further strengthen the Driven shared service platform, and drive its organic and acquisition growth agenda.

“I can’t imagine a more exciting time to join Driven Brands,” Mason said. “The company has built a powerful platform for growth and has an energetic and talented team. I look forward to leading the finance organization and helping position the company for continued success.”

Before Driven Brands, Mason served as interim CFO at Lowe’s, where she also led the Treasury, Investor Relations, Tax, M&A, and Corporate Planning departments. Before joining Lowes, Mason was vice president, SEC reporting at Bank of America. She brings over 20 years of finance experience, from her early career foundation in accounting to roles in treasury, investor relations, and financial planning and analysis.

About Driven Brands

Driven Brands™, headquartered in Charlotte, NC, is the parent company of some of North America’s leading automotive aftermarket brands including Take 5 Oil Change®, Meineke Car Care Centers®, Automotive Training Institute™, Maaco®, CARSTAR®, ABRA®, Uniban™, 1-800-Radiator & A/C® and PH Vitres d’Autos™. Driven Brands has over 3,100 centers across the United States and Canada, and combined, all businesses generate more than $3.1 billion in system sales and service approximately 9 million vehicles annually. For more information, visit drivenbrands.com.

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WIT Welcomes New Advisory Council

“The Advisory Council will play a significant role in WIT’s expansion and growth. As Executive Ambassadors, this impressive group will support WIT’s mission and help increase the community we serve,” said Patti Dismukes, WIT Board President.

ATLANTA (PRWEB)
February 24, 2020

Women in Technology (WIT), an Atlanta-based non-profit organization committed to empowering girls and women to excel in STEAM from the classroom to the boardroom, today announced the addition of 10 new executive professionals to the WIT Technology Advisory Council:

• Marva Bailer, Strategic Advisor: Global Cross Functional Leader – Splunk
• DeWayne Griffin, Enterprise Technology Executive – Data – State Farm
• Vicki Wright-Hamilton, CEO – VWH Consulting
• Julie Talbot Hubbard, General Manager, Global VP Digital Identify and Data Management – Optiv
• Derek Johnson, Managing Director – Slalom Build
• Windy Nicholson, Vice President Planning and Execution – Equifax
• Kitty Chaney-Reed, Vice President of Enterprise Operations – IBM
• Betsy Robinson, Founder & CEO – Tier 4 Group
• Kanyatta C. Walker, Vice President Client Product Support – ADP
• Kim Youngpeter, Managing Director, Application Development – Rollins, Inc.

“The Advisory Council will play a significant role in WIT’s expansion and growth. As Executive Ambassadors, this impressive group will support WIT’s mission and help increase the community we serve. We will also count on this group to help expand and grow our fundraising initiatives. The WIT Board and Staff will work closely with the Advisory Council to continue to validate our mission,” said Patti Dismukes, WIT Board President.

In 2019 alone, nearly 2,500 girls and young women and 14,000 women in careers were inspired, motivated, and supported in their pursuit of a STEAM career by WIT. We donated $180,000 in scholarships, and provided STEAM-based opportunities for girls and women to learn and grow. But with more than 35,000 new STEAM jobs opening each year, and a 4:1 ratio of men to women graduating in STEAM careers, there is still so much opportunity for us to make a difference.

About Women in Technology (WIT)

Women in Technology (WIT) empowers and educates women and girls about opportunities in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) by educating middle and high school girls, and young women in college, and by sharing the stories of successful professional women in STEAM. Our team of more than 300 volunteers delivers professional development and networking opportunities to our more than 3,000 professionals, and programs at no cost to more than 1,500 students. From the classroom to the boardroom, WIT is committed to bringing the best STEAM content and programming to women and girls in Georgia.

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As a son of immigrants who came to the United States with nothing more than a few suitcases, I am a living example that the American dream is alive and well.

WASHINGTON (PRWEB)
February 18, 2020

Washington Business Journal announced Anish Sebastian, CEO and co-founder of Babyscripts, a digital health company delivering virtual care solutions for pregnancy, as a 2020 Minority Business Leader Award honoree. The Minority Business Leader Awards program is an annual event hosted by the Washington Business Journal that recognizes the top minority business owners and leaders in the D.C. community. The event honors the entrepreneurial drive, creativity and success of each of its honorees. Each of the 24 honorees was selected for their outstanding dedication to ethics, giving, and leadership.

“It is an incredible honor to be recognized by the Washington Business Journal and their Minority Business Leaders awards program” said Anish Sebastian, CEO and co-founder of Babyscripts. “As a son of immigrants who came to the United States with nothing more than a few suitcases, I am a living example that the American dream is alive and well. Improving the status quo of pregnancy care means making that dream a reality for mothers and babies all over the U.S. This recognition is a vote of confidence, not just for me as an individual, but for this vision of improving maternal health.”

Anish co-founded Babyscripts in 2014 with the belief that internet-enabled medical devices and big data would transform the delivery of pregnancy care. Since the inception of the company, Anish has received numerous accolades including being named a “Champion of Change” for precision medicine by the White House, one of the Top 40 Transformers in Healthcare by MM&M Magazine, and Healthcare Transformer by the Startup Health Academy in New York. Anish is the architect of the first “Prenatal Care Moonshot,” focused on eliminating maternal mortality by 2030 through mobile/digital technology and Babyscripts. He is an established thought leader in the digital health tech space, and frequently speaks and writes on the future of healthcare.

Anish joins this year’s outstanding honorees and more than 275 alumni in the region, each an example of standout work in his or her field. Honorees were selected from reader nominations by a panel of judges led by Minority Business Leader Award alumni and Washington Business Journal staff. A special glossy magazine will publish in the Washington Business Journal on March 27 featuring profiles and portraits of each of these outstanding leaders.

The 2019 Minority Business Leader Awards are set for 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. March 26 at MGM National Harbor.

Past honorees for the Minority Business Leader Awards include Leslie Hale of RLJ Lodging, Lonnie Bunch of Smithsonian Institution, Timothy Chi of WeddingWire, Sheila Johnson of Salamander Hotels and more.

About Anish Sebastian

Anish is the CEO and co-founder of Babyscripts, a digital health company delivering a virtual model for prenatal and postpartum care. He is deeply passionate about the intersection of the Human Experience & Data Science within healthcare, as well as the integration of cutting edge technology into complex healthcare ecosystems. When not leading Babyscripts, Anish focuses on his other passion, The Quantified Self, a movement aimed to empower citizens to gain self-knowledge through data.

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Scott Sheehan

“I foresee a future where every child can achieve their creative, musical potential and share their voice and place in society through their artistic contributions.” — Scott Sheehan, NAfME 2020-22 National President-Elect

RESTON, Va. (PRWEB)
February 18, 2020

February 13, 2020, the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) announced the 2020–2022 National President-Elect, Scott Sheehan, elected by NAfME members. Scott Sheehan is the Director of Bands and Music Department Chairperson at the Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. He is also a consultant for strategic planning and association development.

“My vision for music education is simple. I look forward to the day when all children study music in every school, in every grade, and in every culture regardless of where they live, their family’s income, their personal identity, or the color of their skin,” stated Sheehan. “I envision the day where music is held in the same regard as STEM and other tested subjects. I foresee a future where every child can achieve their creative, musical potential and share their voice and place in society through their artistic contributions. When this vision is realized, our country will see a more creative and musically literate society where all children have access to a music education that is culturally relevant, sequential and standards-based, and sustainable.”

Every two years, the members of NAfME cast their votes for the next person to lead the association, and thus set the direction for NAfME in carrying out the association’s Strategic Plan. The association values the contributions to music education from all the candidates who take part in this process and looks forward to Scott Sheehan carrying forth its long tradition of leadership in the field of music education.

Learn more about the selected Presidents-Elect:

• 
  NAfME 2020–2022 National President-Elect: Scott Sheehan. As the President of the NAfME Eastern Division from 2015–2017, Sheehan served on the National Executive Band and Executive Committee. He is currently the Program Chair for the NAfME All-National Honors Ensembles. As an active member of the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA), Sheehan has served as State President, as well as a District President and Curriculum and Instruction State Representative. He coordinates the PMEA Leadership Academy, serves on the PMEA Mentoring Program Steering Committee, is chair of the PMEA Model Curriculum Framework project. Sheehan holds a B.S. Degree in Music Education, a B.M. Degree in Music Marketing from Clarion University, and holds a Master’s Degree in Music Education from the Pennsylvania State University. Learn more.
• North Central Division President-Elect: Richard Tengowski. Tengowski is in his thirty-third year as a music teacher for the School District of Kohler in Kohler, Wisconsin. He received his B.M. in Music Education from St. Norbert College and his M.M. from Northwestern University. He teaches middle and high school concert bands, jazz ensemble, pep band, drumline, and secondary general music. He also serves as an Adjunct Instructor in Music at the University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan teaching applied clarinet and saxophone. Tengowski has taken leadership roles in the field of music education. He is the Past-President of the Wisconsin Music Educators Association, Past-President of the Wisconsin Association of Music Supervisors, Coordinators, and Department Chairpersons, and a member of the Wisconsin Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance Project. Currently, he is on the leadership team developing state music standards for Wisconsin on behalf of the Wisconsin Music Educators Association. Learn more.
• Southern Division President-Elect: James G. Daugherty. Daugherty currently serves as the Arts Education and Distance Learning Program Specialist for the Davidson County Schools and is Director of Cannon Music Camp at Appalachian State University. Prior to 2015, he served for 21 years as band director at Central Davidson High School, assisting daily with the instruction at Central Davidson Middle School. With Davidson County Schools, he is responsible for assisting the Assistant Superintendent in developing and implementing all aspects of K–12 arts education. Recently, he has partnered with the Director of Federal Programs with the budgeting, implementation, and assessment of funds applicable to a well-rounded arts education as prescribed by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), specifically funding through Title IV-A. Daugherty’s educational background includes a B.M.E. and M.M.E. from Appalachian State University. He also holds certification in Educational Leadership/Administration from High Point University. Learn more.
• Western Division President-Elect: Scott Hedgecock. Upon completion of his Bachelor of Arts and California Teaching Credential (Life), Hedgecock began his career as a music educator that has spanned nearly four decades and included directing Choral Music ensembles along with teaching voice, piano/keyboard, music theory, musical theatre, and International Baccalaureate Music at the Jr. High/Middle School and High School levels. He earned his Master of Arts degree in 1995 in Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages (Arts emphasis) in order to better facilitate his work in a multicultural and diverse language state. Hedgecock has been in Service Leadership to his colleagues and the students of California for more than 27 years. As a Past President of the Southern California Vocal Association (SCVA), Hedgecock served as the Chairperson for Choral Festivals, the Vocal Solo Festival, as Vice-President, and as President during the 1998–2000 term. Hedgecock has served NAfME and California Music Educators Association (CMEA) for more than sixteen years, and his service has included leadership as Choral Representative, President-Elect, and President for the former Southern Section, and has served on the CMEA Executive Board as Vice President (two terms), President-Elect, President, and is now the Immediate Past President through the 2020 election cycle. Learn more.

Additionally, NAfME members adopted a bylaw amendment to expand the definition of Collegiate membership to include students who are not, or are not yet, enrolled in music teacher education programs.

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National Association for Music Education, among the world’s largest arts education organizations, is the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. NAfME advocates at the local, state, and national levels; provides resources for teachers, parents, and administrators; hosts professional development events; and offers a variety of opportunities for students and teachers. The Association has supported music educators at all teaching levels for more than a century. With more than 60,000 members teaching millions of students nationwide, the organization is the national voice for music education in the United States.

Follow NAfME on Twitter (twitter.com/nafme) and on Facebook (facebook.com/nafme).

For additional information, contact Catherina Hurlburt at catherinah@nafme.org or 703-860-4000.

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Clear, concise, and actionable, Steady Work is a must-read for managers and executives in retail, restaurant, and service industries as well as continuous improvement professionals in any business.

Playbook taught us how to create work with a steady cadence built on standardized routines that could absorb the busiest hours at Starbucks.

BOSTON (PRWEB)
February 19, 2020

Faced with declining profits and sales during the global financial crisis, #Starbucks responded with a variety of improvement efforts that included having thousands of U.S. retail stores share discrete best practices. The “blizzard” of good ideas – too many to fully understand or support – created pockets of unconnected work routines that managers and employees couldn’t sustain.

In 2010, the company began linking the pockets by introducing “Playbook,” a complete operating system based on the #lean management principles of delivering more value to customers, consuming fewer resources, and training frontline people to solve problems.

“Playbook taught us how to create work with a steady cadence built on standardized routines that could absorb the busiest hours at Starbucks,” said Steady Work author Karen Gaudet, Starbucks’ former regional director in New England, where she was responsible for 110 stores. Published by the Lean Enterprise Institute, a management publishing and training nonprofit based in Boston, the book explains the benefits of the system, how it flexed to meet demand at busy times in individual stores, and how it was spread throughout the chain.

During a national tragedy, the Playbook system enabled Gaudet’s team to successfully scale up from 500 espresso beverages daily to 1,500 following a December 2012 mass shooting in Newtown, CT, when people used a local Starbucks as a place to meet and mourn. “In that awful week, standardized work was not a yoke. It was a comfort,” Gaudet wrote. “It gave us breathing room. It guided us to synchronize our efforts and work as one.”

Steady System Handles #Restaurant Demand Fluctuations

Clear, concise, and actionable, Steady Work is a must-read for managers and executives in retail, restaurant, and service industries as well as continuous improvement professionals in any business. It explains in detail how a lean operating system solved a critical problem that every business faces, especially quick-service restaurants (#QSR): How to steadily meet huge fluctuations in customer demand with the right levels of staff and product mix.

Leaders who read #SteadyWork will learn:

• How Starbucks leaders implemented the flexible operating system by becoming immersed in the daily work of frontline partners — baristas, cashiers, and support persons — as they made espresso drinks, brewed coffee, steamed milk, heated sandwiches, restocked food, cleaned, replenished cups and other items, and interacted with customers.
• How managers observed, timed, and mapped the steps required to do the frontline work and broke every task into timed components;
• How point-of-sales data was combined with work components to create standardized routines or “plays” for every job so managers and partners could respond quickly and efficiently to surges in customer demand;
• How task standardization and steady work cadences improved employee productivity and turnover, and customer satisfaction;
• How the operating system supported Starbucks ’ initiative during the financial crisis to get back to its founding principles of people, community, and good coffee.
• How the shift from ad hoc work methods to robust standard work routines allowed managers at some of the busiest stores in New England to take scheduled days off — in a row!

About Steady Work

Editors/Producers/Bloggers: For review copies of Steady Work or to interview the author, contact LEI Communications Director Chet Marchwinski cmarchwinski@lean.org or 617-871-2930.

About Karen Gaudet

Karen Gaudet is a team leader at the nonprofit Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI), where she oversees operations and personnel. As a regional director at Starbucks, she added 20 new stores annually for five years, hitting profit goals while increasing the continuous improvement capabilities of staff. Previously, she held management and executive posts in operations, marketing, and training at large restaurant chains, a retail consulting company, and a technology startup preparing for an initial public offering.

About the Lean Enterprise Institute

Lean Enterprise Institute Inc. (LEI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Cambridge, MA, with a mission to make things better through lean thinking and practice by helping companies create more value and prosperity while consuming the fewest possible resources. Founded in 1997 by management expert James Womack, PhD, LEI conducts research through co-learning partnerships with companies, teaches on-site and public workshops, publishes books and ebooks, organizes conferences, and shares practical information about lean thinking and practice at http://www.lean.org.

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Discovery-as-a-Service

“I take great pride in enabling thoughtful discourse in the ever-changing legal field, and our sponsorship of the Dallas Masters Conference ensures we can continue moving the conversation forward.” – Marc Zamsky

NEW YORK (PRWEB)
February 18, 2020

Compliance Discovery Solutions, an integrated eDiscovery services and managed review provider, as well as the innovator of the Discovery-as-a-Service (DaaS) platform, today announced a sponsorship of The Masters Conference, a seminar that brings together leading experts and professionals from law firms, corporations, and the bench.

Marc Zamsky, Compliance’s COO, will moderate a panel at the Dallas Conference on February 26th. The panel will discuss drafting and negotiating effective ESI agreements, and the speakers will include corporate lawyers from Toyota and Trinity Industries, an attorney from AM Law 100 firm Blank Rome, and a founding partner of Actuate Law.

“We are very excited about Compliance’s participation in our conference,” said Robert E Childress III, Founder of The Masters Conference, “and the expertise they will bring to our events around the country.”

“I’m thrilled at the opportunity to moderate a panel of such distinguished legal minds,” said Marc Zamsky, COO of Compliance. “I take great pride in enabling thoughtful discourse in the ever-changing legal field, and our sponsorship of the Dallas Masters Conference ensures we can continue moving the conversation forward.”

To attend The Masters Conference in Dallas, TX on February 26th, sign up here.

# # #

About Compliance

Compliance Discovery Solutions is an ISO 27001 certified eDiscovery services and managed review provider, as well as the innovator of Discovery-as-a-Service (DaaS). Through a combination of cutting edge technology, secure SSAE 16 SOC certified data centers and a national footprint of document review space, Compliance helps corporate legal departments and their outside counsel manage critical and complex legal matters. Compliance is a System One division.

About The Masters Conference

As an industry leader, The Masters Conference is building its image of mastery in their field through different promotional events, conferences, membership, and publications which offer innovative ideas, cutting-edge topics, and important solutions. Their advantage is that they have a different focus that caters to a niche target audience of high-level decision makers who steer the course of the industry.

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“The Foundation is on the front lines in fighting to find loving, adoptive homes for children in foster care who are often overlooked,” said Bieszczat.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (PRWEB)
February 18, 2020

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, a national non-profit public charity, today welcomed Julie Bieszczat as a member of its board of trustees, serving a three-year term. Bieszczat is President of Barney Enterprises Management Services, which operates 11 Wendy’s® restaurants across Indiana.

“The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is on the front lines in fighting to find loving, adoptive homes for children in foster care who are often overlooked,” said Bieszczat. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve such an important cause.”

Bieszczat joined Barney Enterprises in 2007, after an 11-year career with Delta Faucet Company in Carmel, Indiana. She was promoted to President of Barney in 2012.

“Julie is a skilled, hard-working and thoughtful business leader, with a passion for giving back to her community,” said Mary Schell, Chief Public Affairs Officer for The Wendy’s Company and chair of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s board of trustees. “She brings a valuable perspective to the board.”

Through its signature program, Wendy’s Wonderful Kids®, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption provides funding to adoption agencies to hire recruiters who implement an evidence-based, child-focused recruitment model. A rigorous, five-year evaluation revealed that the model is up to three times more effective at serving children who have been in foster care the longest, including teenagers, children with special needs and siblings.

To date, more than 475 Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiters have found adoptive homes for more than 9,500 children in foster care across North America.

“I’m excited to have Julie’s leadership and experience on the board,” said Rita Soronen, President & CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. “She will be an important voice in guiding our work on behalf of the tens of thousands of children in foster care who are waiting for a forever family.”

Bieszczat earned a Bachelor of Arts from DePauw University and a Master of Business Administration from Eastern Michigan University. She lives in Crown Point, Indiana.

About the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a national nonprofit public charity dedicated exclusively to finding permanent homes for the more than 155,000 children waiting in North America’s foster care systems. Created by Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas who was adopted, the Foundation implements evidence-based, results-driven national service programs, foster care adoption awareness campaigns and innovative grantmaking. To learn more, visit https://www.davethomasfoundation.org.

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Rey Saldaña, Communities In Schools President and CEO

“As a struggling student, I walked into the Communities In Schools office looking for help,” said Saldaña. “Today, I walk into the role of President and CEO with an opportunity to pay it forward.”

ARLINGTON, Va. (PRWEB)
February 18, 2020

Communities In Schools® (CIS), the national organization that empowers all students to stay in school and on a path to graduation, announced today that former San Antonio City Councilman and CIS Alumnus Rey Saldaña has been named President and CEO.

“Rey’s track record as a successful policymaker, an education advocate and a tireless champion for young people make him uniquely qualified to carry out our strategic plan to ensure that every student in America has a community of support inside and outside the classroom,” said Communities In Schools National Board Chair Elaine Wynn. “Moreover, his remarkable journey from former CIS student to national leader of our organization, sends an inspiring message to all young people about the power they have to write their own success story, no matter where they start out in life.”

Saldaña assumes the role of President and CEO of Communities In Schools in mid-March, and will lead a national office that partners with 128 independent CIS affiliates and licensed organizations to ensure all students have the academic and non-academic supports they need to realize their full potential in school and life.

Most recently, Saldaña served as the Regional Advocacy Director for the Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation, and the Chair of the San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Agency – VIA. Prior to that, he served four terms on the San Antonio City Council where he was first elected at age 24, becoming the youngest councilperson in that city’s history. During his tenure, Saldaña successfully campaigned for funding of the city’s early childhood initiative (Pre-K 4SA) and streamlined the city and county’s child truancy court.

“Growing up living below the poverty line, there were enough challenges to confront before I had the chance to dream,” said Saldaña. “As a struggling student, I walked into the Communities In Schools office looking for help. Today, I walk into the role of President and CEO with an opportunity to pay it forward. Looking back, I never could have imagined this for myself. It is an extraordinary statement that I am asked to lead an organization whose mission centers on allowing more students to command their future and license their dreams. Throughout my life, and my public service, I have witnessed the fact that my situation is not unique. There are many young people out there who face barriers in life, and while there are constant challenges, what remains consistent is CIS’s investment in a national network of people who continue to support those children in our schools and our communities.”

The son of immigrants, Saldaña was born and raised in San Antonio and attended South San Antonio High School where he first received supports from Communities In Schools. He holds a master’s degree from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education where he studied policy, organization and leadership studies, and two bachelor’s degrees in political science and communications from Stanford. Saldaña has a longstanding commitment to improving the academic and life outcomes for all students. He previously worked with The University of Texas at San Antonio’s Office of Community Engagement and served as the Chief Engagement Officer with KIPP San Antonio Public Schools. He also taught as an adjunct professor at Trinity University and Palo Alto Community College.

Communities In Schools National Board Members expressed their enthusiasm for naming a President and CEO who represents the next generation of education leadership in our country.

“Now more than ever, we need a dynamic education leader who understands both the challenges and the opportunities that young people face in our country,” said former U.S. Education Secretary and CIS National Board Member Arne Duncan. “I am thrilled that he’s joining Communities In Schools so we can support every student, improve our schools and strengthen our communities.”

“Rey is the embodiment of the idea that with the right supports, any child can realize their full potential and achieve their dreams,” said CIS National Board Secretary and search committee member Darilyn Olidge. “He’s committed to making sure that every student can succeed in and beyond the classroom.”

Saldaña assumes leadership of Communities In Schools at a time when the organization has undergone unprecedented growth and demonstrated a significant impact on the lives of students across the country. In the past three years, Communities In Schools has:

• 
  Embarked on a new strategic plan to sustain, deepen and grow the CIS model of integrated student supports across America.
• Secured three record-breaking institutional grants and launched a Challenge School grant allowing CIS to serve more than 100,000 new students in 152 schools.
• In partnership with the CIS network, secured new public funding, allowing CIS affiliates and state offices to serve more students.
• Launched a business development unit that provides new opportunities for school districts and community organizations to partner with CIS for licensing or professional development.
• Experienced one of the largest statewide rollouts of the CIS model of integrated student supports in its history following a licensed partnership agreement with the state of West Virginia.
• Developed an innovative plan to implement Diversity, Equity and Inclusion principles into the policies, procedures and practices throughout the CIS enterprise.

The National Communities In Schools Board expressed their gratitude to outgoing President and CEO Dale Erquiaga who launched the new strategic plan and spearheaded new initiatives to help improve the lives of 1.62 million children in 25 states and the District of Columbia. Erquiaga has agreed to maintain an ongoing affiliation with CIS as a Visiting Fellow. In that role he will consult with Saldaña to support expansion and sector entrepreneurship strategies in support of the organization’s business plan.

About Communities In Schools

Communities In Schools ®(CIS) is a national organization that ensures all students have what they need to stay in school and on a path to a brighter future. Working directly inside more than 2,500 schools and community sites across the country, we connect 1.62 million students to caring adults and community resources designed to help them succeed in school and life. With a proven mix of evidence-based practice and human capital, we do whatever it takes to empower kids to realize their full potential.

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