Named after Communities In Schools’ founding board chairman, the Robert H.B. Baldwin Fellows Program aims to promote and sustain Communities In Schools leadership by bringing together the best ideas from the network’s past and present leaders. The program, made possible through a generous grant from MetLife Foundation, addresses the issues surrounding leadership retention, development and transition in the nonprofit sector.

Transition of longstanding founders and leaders, coupled with a growing demand for services, have placed ever greater demands on nonprofits. Through the Baldwin Fellows Program, core values of the organization are passed on to the next generation, while emerging leaders contribute their own vision and innovation. This will ensure that Communities In Schools remains at the forefront of school reform and community partnership trends, and that our work is sustainable well into the future.

2011-2012 Robert H.B. Baldwin Fellows

The 2011-2012 Baldwin Fellows are focusing on three topics that are of strategic importance to Communities In Schools: successful practices for working with school districts; developing and maintaining effective regional affiliates; and effective development and retention of site coordinators. Recommendations from the Baldwin Fellows’ work projects will be used to inform and improve practices throughout the Communities In Schools network.
 

2011-2012 Baldwin Fellows:

Jackie Pittman Curtis
Jackie began her Communities In Schools career in 1999 as the program director for Communities In Schools of Laurens County. In July 2002, she became the executive director for the organization, a position she still holds currently. Through her Communities In Schools fellowship, she will research successful practices for working with school districts.

Amy Hagen
Amy Hagen is the former Co-Director of Elementary School Services at Communities In Schools of Central Texas in Austin, Texas. With nine years of working in the network, she had the honor of holding several positions: site coordinator, site coordinator supervisor, as well as manager of funding contracts. Prior to Hagen's Communities In Schools involvement, she worked in other social work ares including child support, Department of Social Services and the Head Start program. She received her Master's in social work from The University of Texas at Austin and has more than 17 years of social work experience. Hagen’s fellowship will focus on effective site coordinator development and retention.

Malissa Martin
Malissa Martin is the President of Communities In Schools of Kansas. During her thirteen years in the network, she has worked with local, state, urban, suburban, and rural affiliates in nearly every facet of operations. Martin’s fellowship will focus on creating a model for developing and maintaining effective regional affiliates in the Communities In Schools network.