CEO Transition Updates and 2020 Strategy
We’ve hired a new CEO!
Monday, June 29, 2020
El mensaje que sigue es en español
We are delighted to announce that the board of directors for the “I Have A Dream” Foundation of Boulder County has hired Perla Delgado, PhD, as the organization’s new Chief Executive Officer! We conducted an extensive nationwide search, and are so pleased that a person with Perla’s breadth and depth of experience will be joining us to lead IHDF.
Perla comes to us with decades of leadership experience advocating for education equity and social justice. A Boulder native, she began working in the local community in high school and then later was employed by the Longmont Multicultural Action Committee and Community Action Programs in Boulder. Perla will be joining the IHDF team by way of St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, where she served as the Director of the College Assistance Migrant Program.
Perla’s comprehensive education, relentless advocacy work and experience partnering with school districts, family resource networks, community organizations, and colleges make her the perfect candidate to lead the “I Have A Dream” Foundation of Boulder County! This is a pivotal moment for our organization and we are thrilled to have found the right person at the right time to lead us into the next chapter.
Perla shared:“As a Latinx immigrant woman of color growing up in Boulder County, I experienced first-hand the struggles many students — like myself — have faced as first-generation college-bound students. I know the value we bring to our schools and the contributions our families make to this community. Serving as the next CEO of the “I Have A Dream” Foundation will provide me the opportunity to walk alongside the many families and students we serve across Boulder County and the St. Vrain Valley and continue building a path to academic success, college, and career readiness. I feel grateful to return to the community that helped raise me, and to continue making a difference in the lives of these students and their families.”
As we all know, Perla succeeds Lori Canova as CEO and President, who retired in January after 23 years. The organization partners with more than 1,100 low-income youth and 4,000 family members in Boulder County in a long-term program aimed at closing the opportunity gap.
Please join us in welcoming Perla back to her hometown and to Team Dream! You will have an opportunity to meet her soon and she is excited to meet the entire IHDF community.
In partnership,
Danica Powell
Kristen Soloman
Co-Chairs, IHDF Board of Directors
¡Contratamos a una nueva CEO!
lunes, el 29 de junio 2020
¡Nos complace anunciar que la junta directiva de la Fundación “I Have A Dream” del condado de Boulder ha contratado a Perla Delgado, PhD, como la nueva directora ejecutiva de la organización! Llevamos a cabo una exhaustiva búsqueda en todo el país, y estamos muy contentos de que una persona con la amplitud y experiencia de Perla se una a nosotros para llevar a IHDF al próximo capítulo.
Perla llega a nosotros con décadas de experiencia como líder que aboga por la equidad educativa y la justicia social. Originaria de Boulder, durante la escuela secundaria comenzó a trabajar en la comunidad local y luego fue empleada por el Comité de Acción Multicultural de Longmont y Programas de Acción Comunitaria en Boulder. Perla se unirá al equipo de IHDF a través de la Universidad de St. Edward en Austin, Texas, donde se desempeñó como Directora del Programa de Asistencia Universitaria para Migrantes.
¡La educación integral de Perla, su incesante trabajo, así como su experiencia en asociaciones con distritos escolares, redes de recursos familiares, organizaciones comunitarias y universidades, la convierten en la candidata perfecta para dirigir a la Fundación “I Have A Dream” del Condado de Boulder! Este es un momento crucial para nuestra organización y estamos encantados de haber encontrado a la persona ideal en el momento adecuado para llevarnos al próximo capítulo.
Perla dice: “Como mujer de color, inmigrante Latinx que creció en el condado de Boulder, experimenté de primera mano las dificultades que estudiantes de primera generación como yo enfrentan para poder ir a la universidad. Sé el valor que aportamos a nuestras escuelas y las contribuciones que hacen nuestras familias a la comunidad. Servir como la próxima CEO de la Fundación “I Have A Dream” me dará la oportunidad de caminar junto a las muchas familias y estudiantes que servimos en todo el condado de Boulder y el Valle de St. Vrain, para continuar construyendo un camino hacia el éxito académico, la preparación universitaria y profesional. Me siento agradecida de volver a la comunidad que ayudó a criarme y seguir haciendo la diferencia en la vida de estos estudiantes y sus familias”.
Como todos sabemos, Perla sucede a Lori Canova como CEO y Presidente, quien se retiró en enero tras 23 años. La organización se asocia con más de 1,100 jóvenes de bajos ingresos y 4,000 familiares en el Condado de Boulder con un programa a largo plazo destinado a cerrar la brecha de oportunidades.
¡Únase a nosotros para darle la bienvenida a Perla a su ciudad natal y al equipo de “I Have A Dream”! Tendrán la oportunidad de conocerla pronto y ella estará emocionada de conocer a todos en la comunidad de IHDF.
En comunidad,
Danica Powell
Kristen Soloman
Copresidentes, Junta Directiva de IHDF
2020 Strategy
Keeping you up-to-date on our 2020 strategy and the search for our next CEO. After our new CEO is hired, we look forward to developing our 2021-2025 strategic plan.
A Note From Lori
“After 23 years, I am excited to watch ‘I Have A Dream’ continue to grow and deepen its services in Boulder County. I am so proud of the staff we have in place here in Boulder and Weld Counties and am confident they will continue working alongside Dreamer Scholars and their families with the utmost integrity, evidence-based practices, and passion. This CEO role is an incredible opportunity for the right leader to build on ‘I Have A Dream’s’ powerful voice in the community, further leveraging its influence to promote an equitable and just future for the students we serve.”
Meet Our Interim Executive Director
Garett Brownlee Plantz
Garett Brownlee Plantz started her professional career as a Notre Dame Service AmeriCorps member with IHDF, going on to serve as its first Director of the College and Career department. She then taught in rural Ecuador and Chile, worked in collective impact in Mexico, and received her LMSW from the University of Texas at Austin. Before returning to “I Have A Dream,” Garett launched the Whole Cities Foundation of Whole Foods Market in Austin, along with supporting the Austin Independent School District as a school social worker and in the Office of Innovation and Development. She has served as Vice President of Programs at IHDF since 2016.
A Note From Board Co-Chairs Danica Powell and Kristen Solomon
After 23 years of dedicated service, our longtime leader, Lori Canova, retired at the end of February 2020.
Under Lori’s leadership, IHDF has experienced remarkable growth:
- Served 1,100 Dreamer Scholars with 90% graduating from high school, 85% enrolling in college/vocational school, and 58% graduating from those postsecondary programs
- Started 22 classes of Dreamer Scholars, 10 of which have already graduated
- Increased revenue by over 5,000% (you read that correctly)—2019 was our strongest fundraising year yet
- Distributed more than $3.5 million in scholarships to students
- Proved that wraparound programming improves academic and social outcomes for Boulder County students from low-income communities
What’s next?
We are excited to share that we successfully found a new CEO who will build on Lori’s legacy to guide the organization into its next 30 years of impact. We hired Harvard Group International to lead our search and created an internal committee of Board members and staff to ensure we found the right match for our needs. We look forward to sharing more news when we’re able to!
In the meantime…
As noted above, Vice President of Programs Garett Brownlee Plantz is serving as Interim Executive Director during the recruitment process. Please see her background above.
In the interim, our Development team will be led by Katie Scolari Borden, Collaborative Grants and Partnership Director, and Danielle Staunton, Events & Corporate Director.
Travis Herbert serves as Senior Program Director of Secondary Programs and Wellness. Elena Mendoza serves as Senior Program Director of Primary Programs and Academics.
Elyana Funk, Senior Director of Culture and AmeriCorps, leads our Notre Dame AmeriCorps team. She joined IHDF as an AmeriCorps member in 2000, and was previously the Sanchez Class Program Director for 12 years before serving in her current role.
Carlos Lerma, a Dreamer Scholar alumni, is serving as our first Director of Parent Partnerships.
Carla Maniscalco is serving as Director of Volunteers.
Keelin McGill is serving as Director of College & Career.
As always, none of this would be possible without you. This remains no different: thanks to your support, students from low-income communities in Boulder County can discover and achieve their dreams and reach their immense potential. We are grateful for you.
With gratitude,
Danica Powell and Kristen Solomon
Board of Directors Co-Chairs