State Directors
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Julia Bergen
Communities In Schools of New Mexico State DirectorPrior to joining Communities In Schools,Julia Bergen was for 13 years the Executive Director of Fine Arts for Children & Teens (FACT), a nonprofit visual arts learning organization based in Santa Fe.
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Jeff Brown
Communities In Schools of Michigan State DirectorPrior to working for Communities In Schools, Jeff Brown was the executive director of the Kalamazoo County Poverty Reduction Initiative, where he built coalitions of organizations to focus on poverty reduction strategies throughout the state of Michigan.
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Gwendolyn Corrin
Communities In Schools of New Jersey State DirectorGwendolyn Corrin began working for Cities In Schools (now Communities In Schools) in Newark, New Jersey in 1994.
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Mark Emblidge
Communities In Schools of Virginia, Founding/State DirectorMark Emblidge is the founding/state director of Communities In Schools of Virginia, where he works to replicate the the Communities In Schools Model and build capacity of local affiliates across the state.
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Diane Fearon
Communities In Schools of Nevada State DirectorDiane Fearon joined Communities in Schools of Nevada in March 2013. She oversees the Southern Nevada and Northeastern Nevada affiliates of Communities In Schools and the combined staff of approximately 50 dedicated employees.
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Lois Gracey
Communities In Schools of Florida State DirectorLois Gracey founded the Florida state office in 1989. She implemented the first Communities In Schools affiliate in Florida, which was then known as Cities In Schools of Palm Beach County.
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Eric Hall
Communities In Schools of North Carolina State DirectorEric Hall leads the Communities In Schools of North Carolina state office in overseeing the primary core functions of the organization. He helps to raise resources, working with government relations and developing communities, and to build and sustain statewide partnerships.
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Shelley Henderson
Communities In Schools of Nebraska State DirectorSince February 2010, Shelley Henderson has enjoyed serving as lead facilitator in brokering resources, training and information to support this developing state office.
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Laura Magruder
Communities In Schools of Arizona State DirectorLaura Magruder serves as the State Director and CEO of Communities In Schools of Arizona.
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Nathan Mains
Communities In Schools of Pennsylvania State DirectorNathan Mains joined Communities In Schools of Pennsylvania (CISPA) in March 2009 as President and State Director. Established in 1994, CISPA currently encompasses five local Communities In Schools affiliates in 97 school sites serving more than 15,185 students throughout Pennsylvania.
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Malissa Martin-Wilke
Communities In Schools of Kansas State DirectorMalissa Martin-Wilke leads the statewide network of Communities In Schools of Kansas, focusing on full implementation of the Communities In Schools Model at existing affiliates, replication of new affiliates, and forging strong and strategic partnerships across the state.
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Jim Purcell
Communities In Schools of Delaware State DirectorJim Purcell has been the State Director of Communities In Schools of Delaware since 2005. He has nearly 20 years of experience in the public sector involving education and human services.
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Susan Richards
Communities in Schools of Washington State DirectorSusan Richards has been the State Director of Communities In Schools of Washington since July 2008. She previously served as the founding Executive Director for Communities In Schools of Renton since 1994.
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Neil Shorthouse
Communities In Schools of Georgia President and State DirectorNeil Shorthouse leads the Communities In Georgia state office where his main responsibility is to support and strengthen local affiliates in order to increase high school graduation and reduce dropout rates.
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David M. Smalls
Communities In Schools of South Carolina State DirectorDavid M. Smalls became the State Director of Communities In Schools of South Carolina in 2012. His role is to oversee operations for the state office and work with the board of directors to coordinate Communities In Schools operations statewide.
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Beyond the Classroom Blog
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Site Coordinator Snapshot: Doing Whatever It Takes
Even while she was recovering from breast cancer, Brenda Middleton was taking care of her students.
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Central Truths, Learned on the Margins
What I've found over the years is that problems -- and solutions -- often look quite different on the periphery.