Golden Apple Announces Nancy Northrip to Serve as New Chair for Board of Directors
Having served over two decades on the Golden Apple Board of Directors, Northrip will leverage her deep understanding of the organization in new role
CHICAGO, March 23, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Today, Golden Apple announced the appointment of Nancy Northrip to the position of Chair of the Board of Directors. Northrip has served on the Golden Apple Board of Directors since 1999, and brings a formal background in early childhood and special education coupled with experience as a longtime, successful business owner to the role. As Board Chair, Northrip will be key in supporting senior leadership as they work to expand the reach of Golden Apple's programs in preparing the next generation of teachers. She is the first female Board Chair of Golden Apple.
"I believe that every teacher has an immeasurable impact on the students they teach, and that's why I am honored to serve as Board Chair of Golden Apple," said Nancy Northrip. "There is still a great need to put teachers in classrooms, and Golden Apple is working tirelessly to address this teacher shortage crisis head on. Each teacher that graduates from a Golden Apple program brings us closer to our goal of resolving this crisis and giving the students of Illinois the education they deserve. I'm thrilled to support this work in a new way."
Northrip's roots within Golden Apple are in the family; her father, Stanley Golder, was a founding board member and long-time supporter of the organization. The Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Leadership, which are awarded to principals or heads of school who have had a significant and sustained positive impact, are presented in Golder's honor every year.
A top priority for Northip in her new role is to build upon Golden Apple's proven record of putting more teachers of color in classrooms across Illinois and to expand the organization's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Northrip is also eager to work with Golden Apple's leadership team to continue finding opportunities for the organization to grow its reach and improve the lives of more students in need.
"Throughout her time at Golden Apple, Nancy has been instrumental in guiding our growth," said Alicia Winckler, CEO of Golden Apple. "Her understanding of the ins and outs of our programs, including our new Accelerators program, will be extremely valuable to Golden Apple leadership as we continue to navigate an ever-changing landscape for education during the pandemic and in the years to follow."
In December of 2019, Golden Apple launched Accelerators, a one-year teacher residency and licensure program that expedites the preparation of highly-qualified teachers to address Illinois' teacher shortage crisis and fill teaching positions in critical areas throughout the state. Accelerators is designed to complement Golden Apple's long standing Scholars Program, which recruits high school seniors and first-and second-year college students in Illinois to prepare them to thrive as future educators in challenging school environments.
"Nancy's deep roots within Golden Apple uniquely prepare her to lead our organization into this next post-pandemic chapter," said Golden Apple President Alan Mather. "I'm confident that with Nancy as chair we will continue to enrich and expand our Accelerators and Scholars programs to elevate the teaching profession, build diversity in the classroom, and resolve the teacher shortage."
Golden Apple welcomed its inaugural class of Accelerators in June 2020 and placed participants in 22 school districts throughout southern, central and western Illinois. They are expected to receive teaching licenses by Summer 2021. Each Accelerator will then teach in their designated school district for at least four years.
As the new Chair, Northrip will head Golden Apple's 20-person Board of Directors and continue to work alongside these individuals — as well as Golden Apple staff and partners — to guide, inform, and support the organization.
About Golden Apple
Golden Apple's mission is to inspire, develop and support teacher and school leader excellence in Illinois, especially in schools-of-need. Our leading-edge preparation delivers exceptional teachers who make an impact. We help students thrive in the classroom and in life. Since our beginning, we have recognized master educators annually; and, these master educators prepare the future generation of teachers. Our vision is an Illinois in which every classroom has a great teacher and to realize this, we are committed to making a material difference in resolving the teacher shortage throughout Illinois. Visit http://www.goldenapple.org for more information.
###
Media Contact
Caroline Wellford, C-Strategies, +1 9012167657, [email protected]
Lara Sisselman, C-Strategies, 339-225-1325, [email protected]
SOURCE Golden Apple
Share this article