Mentors, volunteers sought for career program at Dundee-Crown
Interested community members, business leaders, and entrepreneurs are sought to help guide and mentor students in Dundee-Crown High School's INCubatoredu program.
Now in its third year, INCubatoredu@dchs provides students with the opportunity to learn firsthand the ins and outs of starting a business. Students enrolled in the program work in teams to create and fully develop their own product or service resulting in a functioning business.
Volunteer roles are:
• Coach - an industry expert that will play the role of the teacher for a specific subject - marketing, finance, tech - committing one to three days.
• Mentor - works with one of 15 teams for the entire year offering guidance and resources. Required to meet with the team at least twice monthly.
• Board of advisers - would sit on the panel for the minimum viable product pitch or possibly the final pitch. Also acts as a general volunteer.
Questions about the program or the volunteer roles can be directed to INCubatoredu@dchs and course instructor Nick Pahl at nicholas.pahl@d300.org.
To volunteer, fill out the online form goo.gl/forms/ArDsWktuX5pBBHX72. For more information about the program, visit dchsincubator.weebly.com.
Strengthening District U-46:
Nancy Coleman has been selected as the new executive director of the Alignment Collaborative for Education, a not-for-profit organization comprising community members, business and nonprofit representatives invested in working together to strengthen Elgin Area School District U-46.
Since 2014, Coleman has worked as executive director for the Educational Foundation of Lake Zurich Unit District 95.
"We are very pleased to announce this appointment," said ACE board Chairwoman Linda Deering Dean, president of Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin. "Nancy brings with her a breadth of perspectives and experience in both private industry and public education. She offers leadership and creativity, as well as a deep understanding of the importance of community partnerships in assuring student success."
ACE's governing board members Nathaniel Edmond, pastor of Second Baptist Church of Elgin, Peter Sikorski, chief financial officer of Get Fresh Produce, and Lynne Bosley, president of the United Way of Elgin, led a regional search and selection process narrowing a field of nearly 50 applicants.
Coleman, of Lake Zurich, has served nearly 30 years in executive leadership in the for-profit and nonprofit arenas. She was the dean of institutional advancement for Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College in Orangeburg, South Carolina, where she established and managed more than $3 million in grants and endowments. Coleman also served as the human resources manager for Pratt & Whitney in Columbus, Georgia, where she oversaw the recruitment and training for a new 200-employee plant working closely with the local school district. She also has served in a variety of leadership roles, including grants administrator and executive vice president of economic development for Columbus Technical School in Columbus, Georgia.
"We know Nancy will hit the ground running and is successfully working with all members of our community to support the district's Strategic Plan and priorities," U-46 CEO Tony Sanders said. "She has a proven track record of collaboration and clearly understands that ACE is not a program but an approach that embraces the notion we're all better when we're working together."
ACE's primary mission is to align diverse community resources in support of public schools to raise student achievement, improve the health and happiness of children, and advance the economic and social well-being of the region.
"I am excited to join a community that proactively supports its public schools with a shared goal to raise student achievement," Coleman said. "A community's future is shaped by its children and youth, and I look forward to working with the communities served by U-46 to build those positive outcomes for the benefit of students, residents and local businesses."