Planning Committee

The Story of Engagement

The first step in “constructing” The Parent Academy was to set up a planning committee. Believing that the process of building this Academy was as important as the product, Dr. Crew authorized a planning committee composed largely of parents. Together parents, educators and other committee members developed a committee structure: featuring six subcommittees, each co-chaired by a parent and a staff member. Uniquely, one of the subcommittees, aptly named the Stakeholders Subcommittee, was formed specifically to engage and motivate a diverse stakeholder involvement. The other five subcommittees were Development & Funding, Higher Education & Facilities, Coursework & Content, Research & Evaluation and Marketing.

The planning committee has guided an open and ongoing process, with the involvement of stakeholders solicited, encouraged and engaged throughout. Additionally, a Lead Team, composed of the committee chairs, was formed to keep communications open, to troubleshoot and to keep action plans on target. A snapshot of the committee demographics can be found below.

A Snapshot: The Parent Academy Planning Committee

The planning committee is composed of approximately 100 dedicated leaders of parental involvement. Interesting data on the committee:

43% - Hispanic
31% - White
18% - Black
4% - Multiracial
4% - Other

The Parent Academy

Directory of Committee Members
Linda D. Brown, Co-chair
Yvonne Lim-Petersen, Co-chair

Subcommittee Chairs:

Marketing: Susan Marie Kairalla, Jeff Ronci
Stakeholders: Eileen Segal, Beatriz Diaz, Ruby Johnson
Development: Julie Palm, Diana Venturini
Research: Dannie McMillon, Dyona McLean-Fisher
Facilities/Higher Ed.: Venches Papillon, Angela Lozano
Coursework: Carlos Seales, Cathy Hamilton-Green, Helen Rodriguez-Pina