INDIANAPOLIS, Nov. 10, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- USA Funds® has announced the appointment of three new senior program directors to guide the nonprofit organization's philanthropic activities. Those activities are focused on enhancing the value students obtain from completing postsecondary education or training by supporting students through key education transitions, promoting innovation in the delivery of higher education, improving the connection between education and employment, and supporting better education and workforce decision-making.
"To support our organization's new strategic direction of postsecondary education Completion With a Purpose, we conducted a nationwide search to find the best available expertise to guide our grant-making efforts," said Carol D'Amico, USA Funds executive vice president, National Engagement and Philanthropy. "These senior program directors play a key role in assessing the landscape for our grant-making, reviewing funding requests and ensuring the goals envisioned in the grants we make are achieved."
The following experienced higher education and workforce professionals will join USA Funds in early December:
- Lorenzo L. Esters has worked on K-12 education policy, at the community college level, on four-year university campuses and for a national higher education association. Since August 2012, he has served as vice president for student success and enrollment management at Kentucky State University in Frankfort, Ky. He previously served as vice president for the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities' Office for Access and the Advancement of Public Black Universities, as senior adviser to the president of Dillard University in New Orleans, and as a management and program analyst in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education. He is a summa cum laude graduate of Rust College in Holly Springs, Miss.; holds a master's degree from Jackson State University in Jackson, Miss.; and a doctorate in higher education administration from Morgan State University in Baltimore.
- Dominique "Domy" Raymond has served as vice president for alliance state relations with Complete College America, a national nonprofit that works with states to significantly increase the number of Americans with quality career certificates or college degrees and to close attainment gaps for traditionally underrepresented populations. She previously served as a special assistant to Pennsylvania's secretary of education; state outreach coordinator with Achieve, Inc., an education reform organization dedicated to working with states to raise academic standards and graduation requirements, improve assessments, and strengthen accountability; and as a higher education policy analyst with the Maryland Higher Education Commission. She also has served as an academic adviser at the University of Maryland College Park and the University of the District of Columbia. She earned a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.
- Derek Redelman has served as vice president of education and workforce development policy for the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. He has played a leading role in several major legislative efforts, including development and enactment of the nation's leading voucher and charter school laws. Derek also helped the Chamber develop a strategic plan for Indiana that focuses on workforce issues and has overseen the development of several new workforce development initiatives. He previously served as a senior fellow at both the Hudson Institute and the Sagamore Institute, as executive director of the Christel DeHaan Family Foundation, as executive director of the Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations, and as a policy analyst and special projects coordinator for Indiana's Superintendent of Public Instruction. He holds a master's degree in business administration from the University of Chicago and bachelor's degrees in political science and public administration from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
During its most recent fiscal year, ending Sept. 30, USA Funds awarded more than $20 million in grants and other support to advance its nonprofit mission.
USA Funds is a nonprofit corporation that supports Completion With a Purpose, building a more purposeful path for America's students to and through college and on to rewarding careers and successful lives. USA Funds pursues its nonprofit mission through philanthropic activities and partnerships, policy research, and programs and services that enhance preparation for, access to and success in higher education. Learn more at www.usafunds.org.