Mayor Sly James and the Turn the Page KC Board of Directors announced several significant milestones today, including the appointment of Mike English as its first Executive Director.
Mike was selected to lead Turn the Page KC after a nationwide search. From 2008 until early 2014, he was the President & CEO of the Missouri Council on Economic Education, a nonprofit that seeks to make every young person financially literate. His work in Missouri was validated nationally in 2013 when he was elected President of the National Association of Economic Educators, a membership organization for economic educators. English has a masters degree in public policy studies from the University of Chicago, and a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from the University of Notre Dame.
Also, Turn the Page KC announced the addition of Dr. Linda Edwards, former Dean of the UMKC School of Education, to the Board of Directors. Throughout her career, Dr. Edwards championed the cause of better teacher preparation for the urban classroom. Thanks to her vision, persistence and work with colleagues, the UMKC Institute for Urban Education (IUE) was created and graduated its first class in May 2009. Dr. Edwards received her masters and doctorate from the University of Kansas.
Furthermore, Turn the Page KC received national recognition in 2013 and made significant fundraising strides. The organization’s efforts around the issues of summer learning and attendance awareness led to Kansas City being named one of 35 Pacesetter communities for 2013 by the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. This national award recognizes Turn the Page KC in its first year of operations for increasing awareness and activity around the goal of improving third grade literacy in the community. Additionally, Turn the Page KC also received significant contributions from the Hall Family Foundation, Baum Family Foundation, Hallmark Corporate Foundation, and the Sprint Foundation to underwrite part of its operating and programming budget over the next two years.
“Today’s announcement shows that Turn the Page KC has built a firm foundation and is moving forward strategically,” said Mayor Sly James. “I’m certain that Mike’s direction and leadership, combined with the addition of Dr. Edwards to a committed and diverse Board of Directors, will increase the organization’s impact on early literacy in our community.”Led by Mayor James and an independent Board of Directors working with more than 50 community partners, Turn the Page KC aims to rally the community to achieve reading proficiency for Kansas City, Missouri children by the time they leave third grade. The organization’s goal seeks to focus the community’s resources on school readiness, school attendance, summer learning, and community engagement. For more information on Turn the Page KC, visit www.turnthepagekc.org.
