Society for Hospitality and Foodservice (SHFM) Foundation’s Post

Short origin story (with shoutouts)... Six years ago, Kristen King handed me the Bridge to Completion report created by the Tennessee College Access and Success Network & Nashville Public Education Foundation. This report started me down a path that I would devote my next 6 years of my life waking up every morning thinking about. As principal at RePublic Schools, my very next PD session was focused on this report and it became the backbone of my "why" and my "what" in education. Why were we measuring "success" on low-income students graduating from high school and getting accepted into college and not on students getting college degrees and being fruitful employees? What could we do to solve the problem of only 24% of Nashville students earning a college degree? Fast forward to 5 years ago, when Kristen and I were considering the idea of Persist Nashville, a good friend of mine, Stephen Zralek, connected me with Jennifer H. to have lunch. What I didn't know from that meeting was that, along with Bob Obrohta, Jennifer was the primary architect of the report that started me down the path. As a super energetic and often naive founder with an idea, Jennifer was willing to take a chance on me and be my first Board Chair. Once a month I would walk into Jennifer's office with a list of 17-19 ideas and she would tell me go for it, a gentle maybe, and only occasionally a no. Behind the scenes, Jennifer was making sure I was seated in the right rooms, listening to the people who really understood the problem of college persistence and could help us solve it. She often had to smooth over my rough edges and gracefully advocate for my good intentions. In all ways, she helped me and Persist grow. 2 years ago, Jennifer and I were selected for the Tennessee SCORE Complete Tennessee Leadership Institute, one of the best professional programs I've been a part of. Through these intensive retreats, something clicked, and I realized that Jennifer was really what our team at Persist needed. Her ability to understand and navigate complex systems, leadership style, and fierce advocacy for students was what Persist needed as we emerged from our infancy stage of organizational development. 1 year ago, my team agreed and unanimously voted to bring her on as our first Chief of Staff. Over the past year she has built a new strategic plan, helped me navigate one of the most challenging seasons of our organization, and built the systems we need to smartly grow. 1 day ago the Board approved Jennifer to be our next Executive Director and I could not be happier. You've helped this idea become a reality and now you and Kristen will take this reality to new heights. So thankful for you. For those wondering, I'm not leaving Persist. My role will shift down in July to focusing on our work outside of Nashville as I take on a new role serving schools in Nashville. More to come, but for now, cheers to Jennifer. You will be an extraordinary leader of our team!

#HDN - it was an interesting session at the event with Amanda Dubarry & Kevin Maxwell MBE presenting to us about how boards can be more inclusive through different pathways, including Next Generation Trustees similar to what many Housing associations & Social Lanflord boards are doing with Board Designatee so as to allow for better succession planning on boards and helping to improve the diversity of the board. Rgds Mukesh Malhotra, BEM, BCAv, PHF, MSC, CISM

She’s got wisdom, for sure! This is great! Want to hear more of her wisdom. Check out our conversation on The Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast. https://lnkd.in/gJqcfbDK

In digital marketing, it's so easy to get caught up with spending time behind the laptop and overlooking face-to-face interactions with customers. This week, I had the chance to attend a Christian Leaders conference in Blackpool, which allowed me to be on the ground and refine my active listening skills. By understanding church leaders challenges and adopting their language, I can hopefully improve how we communicate with them. Sadly, my trip did not give me any spare time to play on any of the arcade games or drive the bumper cars 😅 🕹️ #DigitalMarketing #BibleTraining #Christianleaders

Come say hi and let’s chat about supporting Washington schools with competency-based education!

Tips on Completing the Community Impact form: The program name is what you call a specific program. For example – Youth leadership, Seniors Outreach, Interagency Group, Snow Angels, Parenting Classes, etc. This name does not show up on the public facing side of the site. What do the options in the "Program Delivered By" drop down menu mean? 1. FCSS Directly: your staff deliver the program 2. In Partnership with FCSS: you worked in partnership with another organization(s) to deliver the program 3. FCSS Funded: you granted the funds to another organization to deliver the program View more FAQs here: https://bit.ly/4e4Ko7o #FCSSAA #FCSS #CommunityImpact #fcssStrongerTogether

Today is #Juneteenth and our #NEOPartner, The Leadership Conference Education Fund reminds us that, "Juneteenth is not just a celebration of freedom; it's a call to action. We must ensure that all voices are heard in our democracy. The fight for the freedom to vote is crucial for safeguarding our rights and building a more just society. For democracy to work, it must include us all." Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/gy-hMtJG

Sharing a great article from @rochesterbeacon about community schools, built on four pillars: integrated student support, expanded learning time and opportunities, family and community engagement, and collaborative leadership: https://lnkd.in/ekqq7nVp

Support Prevent Blindness with your presence! Link for tickets is below.

We are one month away from the 42nd running of the ACLI #CapChallenge, where our nation's leaders will go head-to-head to support Junior Achievement USA's #FinancialEducation programs. Read more from ACLI President and CEO Susan K. Neely about this year's race 👇 #FinancialLiteracyMonth https://bit.ly/3Q2Ion2