monday, september26location: chicagomarriott downtown magnificent mile

540 n michigan avenue, chicago, il 60611
4th floor, avenue ballroom (armitage/belmont)

7:45AM–8:30AMNetworking Opportunities

Breakfast Available

8:30AM–8:50AMWelcome and Video

  • Welcome by Debra Jacobs, President/CEO of The Patterson Foundation
  • Statisticks Lottery Video introduced by Morgana Freeman, Executive Director of the Tallahatchie River Foundation

8:50AM–9:40AMWhat We Have Learned: What Is Working

Panel discussion on how foundations are investing to advance solutions to improve readiness, attendance and summer learning while illuminating as appropriate the role of parents, health and technology.

Panelists:

  • Marissa Jade Kaiser, Early Learning Manager at the Bezos Family Foundation
  • Chaná Edmond-Verley, Senior Program Officer at the Douglas & Maria DeVos Foundation
  • David Geenen, Executive Director of the Doris and Victor Day Foundation

Q&A and comments

9:40AM–10:20AMConversation: The GLR Network Works

Conversationbetween Trustee and CEO on the “value add” of the GLR Campaign from the perspective of the ongoing work in Charlotte, NC, and Suncoast, FL

  • Katie B. Morris, Board Chair of The Belk Foundation
  • Debra Jacobs, President/CEO of The Patterson Foundation

10:20AM–10:30AMWrap-Up and Thank You

  • Wrap-up by Debra Jacobs

Chaná Edmond-Verley () believes in the power of authentic engagement, the intelligence of systems and the wisdom of community. Officially a senior program officer with the Doug & Maria DeVos Foundation, Edmond-Verley is known as an innovative strategist, passionate change-maker and catalytic-philanthropy expert. She leads the Believe 2 Become initiative, a data-driven, cradle-to-career initiative aimed at improving educational outcomes for children. Edmond-Verley serves as Systems Thinking faculty for the Urban Leadership Initiative. She co-authored Connecting with the Learner: An Equity Toolkit in collaboration with theMichigan Department of Education and the North Central Regional Education Lab (now Learning Pointe Associates). Edmond-Verley has a BA in Economics from Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia, and an MS in CIS Management from Grand Valley State University. She is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University’s Quantitative Skills Institute at the School of Public and Urban Affairs, and Harvard University’s School of Graduate Education Summer Institute.

Dave Geenen() has served the Doris and Victor Day Foundation previously as program officer and currently as the executive director in Rock Island, Illinois. He holds a BS from Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida, and anMDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary. He is ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He and his wife Sonya have a 3-year-old daughter Violet.

Debra Jacobs () became the president and CEO of The Patterson Foundation (TPF), based in Sarasota, Florida, in January 2009. TPF works with partners to accelerate positive change by sharing fresh perspectives on strategy, contributing new ideas and providing resources. TPF believes the act of creative collaboration produces results and knowledge that can be applied more broadly to transcend any single act of philanthropy. Prior to transitioning to TPF, Jacobs was president of the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation, based in Sarasota, and responsible for the administration of eight other independent foundations. She also spent 11 years as executive vice president for SunTrust Bank, Gulf Coast. Jacobs received her undergraduate degree summa cum laude from Utica College of Syracuse University in 1971 and earned her MBA in 1981 from the University of Rochester.

Marissa Kaiser() joined the Bezos Family Foundation to help bring Vroom to life. She ran the 2014 Vroom pilot project in south Seattle. The goal was—and is—to share with parents of young children the amazing brain development that happens in the first five years and the fact that brain-building moments are all around! As the parent of three young boys, Kaiser understands the validating message that everyday moments can add up to make a big difference and that we ALL have what it takes to be a brain builder. Prior to joining BFF, she worked for companies such as Microsoft and Silicon Valley Bank, but found her passion ignited through working with organizations that make a difference in our world, including PATH, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Her focus is reaching out to stakeholders, building partnerships, increasing awareness and developing effective communication channels.

Katie B. Morris() serves as board chair of The Belk Foundation, a family foundation based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Under her leadership, the organization has redefined its mission to focus on providing quality education for children and youth, hired full-time professional staff and increased community accessibility and awareness of The Belk Foundation. An active member of the community, Morris currently serves on the board of Project LIFT, Queens University and Read Charlotte. Her past community service work also includes involvement with both arts and human services organizations. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and religion from Duke University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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