Announcing our new Chief Executive Officer
See Forever Foundation/Maya Angelou Schools announce a new Chief Executive Officer.
Dr. Heather Wathington, Assistant Professor of Education at the University of Virginiaâs Curry School of Education, to head foundation and schools focused on changing the lives of young people by reconnecting them to education opportunities that lead to a high school diploma and post-secondary education and employment.
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 5, 2013 â See Forever Foundation/Maya Angelou Schools announced today that, Dr. Heather Wathington who has served as Assistant Professor of Education at the University of Virginiaâs Curry School of Education since 2005, will become its new Chief Executive Officer and lead the See Forever Foundation and the Maya Angelou Schools in its next stage of growth.
Wathington, who is currently also the Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Maya Angelou Public Charter Schools (MAPCS) will take up her new post on July 1, 2013. At that time, a new Chair will be elected to lead the MAPCS Board.
She succeeds Dr. Lucretia P. Murphy, who will be leaving the organization at the end of her contract in June and relocating to Florida to be closer to her family. âI will truly miss the See Forever/Maya Angelou family,â Murphy said; but I am thrilled that Heather will be my successor. Her expertise and unwavering belief in the transformative work that we are in engaged in with our students and their families will continue to elevate our organization.â
âHeather will be a tremendous asset to the See Forever Foundation,â said David Domenici, co-founder and chair of the See Forever Foundationâs Board of Directors. âWe were pleased to find such an outstanding candidate from within our family. In addition to already being engaged in our work, sheâs a visionary leader and we are excited that she will be bringing her vast experience, from philanthropy, program evaluation, research, and policy, to our organization.â
Wathington was chosen after a national search process conducted by a committee of staff and board members led by Mr. Domenici. âDuring the interview process, Heather impressed us with both her clarity of strategic thinking and how she would manage the dayâtoâday and yearâtoâyear activities of our four schools and foundation,â Fred Bollerer a member of the search committee and Vice Chair of the See Forever Board.
âWhen she spoke, I could see that she would focus on broadening our impact by working closely with community leaders, staff and students. Iâm confident that sheâll leverage these relationships and its resources to create change in our community,â he said.
Wathington, who will leave UVAâs Curry School of Education in May, has led several national research projects with the National Center for Postsecondary Research funded by the U.S. Department of Education and Project TrEMUR (Transitions in the Education of Minorities Underrepresented in Research) funded by the National Institutes of Health. Her research interests include access and equity for minority students in postsecondary education, with a focus on understanding what supports students need to transition into and through higher education to advance and earn degrees.
“I’m very committed to this region and the young people being served by our schools in the District of Columbia,” Wathington said. “I am committed to our partnerships and plan to continue to build upon these relationships to support our students and schools to ensure that our students develop the academic, social, and employment skills they need to build rewarding lives and promote positive change. I also look forward to working with a remarkable staff and board to expand our reach and programs to make a real transformational difference in the lives of the students entrusted to usâ.
Domenici said the search committee was impressed by Wathingtonâs ability to talk about how small changes can have a big impact and how being focused on our mission should always be the âwhyâ we do what we do for our young people.
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About See Forever Foundation/Maya Angelou Schools
Founded in 1997 as a multi-faceted, comprehensive educational program for Washington DC-based, at-risk teens, the See Forever Foundation provides pathways to a high school credential and post-secondary success for hundreds of students who previously struggled with school. The Maya Angelou Schools include three public charter schools: a Middle School, High School and Young Adult Learning Center. The YALC provides academic and workforce development to youth and young adults who are in need of GED supports, career training, internships, and pathways towards career employment. Their fourth school is for adjudicated youth at the New Beginnings Youth Development Center. The core mission of the See Forever Foundation is to create learning communities in lower income urban areas so students who have not succeeded in traditional schools can reach their potential. For more information, please visit www.seeforever.org