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MARY KAY SHIELDS JOINS WHITE HAT MANAGEMENT FOR EXPANSION IN MICHIGAN
Leading school reform expert to advance dropout education initiatives in the state.
Lansing, MI - Janurary 13, 2005 - Mary Kay Shields, a leading school reform advocate, has joined White Hat Management, LLC, to assist with the company's expansion plans in Michigan. White Hat Management already operates Life Skills Centers in Detroit and Pontiac, and has recruited Shields to support its future growth.
"I am pleased and honored to be able to join White Hat's talented team of professionals," Shields said. "White Hat's innovative approach of providing education that fits students' lives directly aligns with my desire to see no child left behind and to have meaningful, educational options that take individual attributes and needs into consideration. Together, I know we can help thousands of Michigan students get the opportunities and support they need to succeed in school and in life."
Under Shields' direction, White Hat Management will open additional Life Skills Centers throughout Michigan. These tuition-free public charter schools are designed specifically to address the needs of high school students who are considered at-risk or who have already dropped out. Life Skills Centers offer a new approach to education that results in a state-recognized high school diploma and employment. The Life Skills Centers also help students address social, financial and other challenges that may be hindering their personal, academic or vocational success.
"It is obvious that some young people are not well served by a traditional high school setting and its one size fits all approach," Shields said. "White Hat specializes in reaching out to these disenfranchised individuals, developing realistic options that fit these students' lives and offering proven solutions."
"We are extremely pleased that Ms. Shields has agreed to work with us in Michigan," said Mark Thimmig, CEO and president of White Hat Ventures LLC. "Her obvious passion for helping young people achieve their full potential makes her a wonderful advocate and leader for our company's future efforts."
Shields will also assist the company with the development of White Hat's statewide distance-learning initiative for students and parents who wish to educate their children at home, as well as the development of tutoring services.
"Distance learning is the future of education," Thimmig said. "Ms. Shields will work to ensure these opportunities are made widely available to students and families in all corners of the state. Her efforts will help our company revolutionize educational delivery in the next century."
As a well-known charter school advocate and educational policy and finance expert in Michigan, Ms. Shields has already made a difference for many children. After beginning her career as a special education teacher, she went on to serve as a legislative and fiscal analyst for the Michigan Legislature. She later served as a Special Advisor to Michigan's Governor, where she was responsible for securing the development, support and sustainability of Michigan's charter school movement.
Ms. Shields has also served as the founder and president of the National Charter Schools Development & Performance Institute, and as Executive Director of the Michigan Public Education Facilities Authority. Most recently, as head of her own consulting firm, she provided education, non-profit management and public policy expertise to charter school authorizers and others working in Michigan's educational community.
Including the two Life Skills Centers in Michigan, White Hat Management currently operates 24 Life Skills Centers across the United States. These schools provide opportunities for students between the ages of 16 and 22. The company also provides distance learning opportunities for students in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
About White Hat Management
White Hat Management is a local company who has become Ohio's largest operator of charter schools and the fourth largest Education Service Provider in the country. Founded in 1998 by Akron, Ohio business owner and education activist David Brennan, the company operates three types of schools: Life Skills Centers; HOPE Academies, which are community-based charter public schools for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade; and OHDELA and PDELA, which provide distance learning in Ohio and Pennsylvania. White Hat Management currently operates 40 schools in five states, which employ nearly 1,800 people and educate approximately 20,000 students.