Foundation 65 has announced leadership changes. Effective July 1, 2015, Diane Lequar has taken over the role of Board President from Lee A. Cabot, who served as board president starting in July 2011.
During her tenure, Ms. Cabot was instrumental in shaping the Foundation’s strategic focus and growing its impact. Under her leadership, Foundation 65 granted more than $900,000 in support of literacy and arts programming that directly impacted the educational experience of thousands of students at every school in District 65. Ms. Cabot has been successful in developing partnerships with key organizations and increasing the awareness of Foundation 65’s work and mission across the community.
“The growth of Foundation 65 over the past few years has been quite remarkable, with Lee Cabot leading the way with passion, focus, and moxie,” said Paul Goren, Superintendent of District 65. “I salute her outstanding leadership and commitment to our public schools. We are all extremely grateful for the time and energy she has given to Foundation 65 and District 65.” Ms. Cabot will continue to be a supporter of Foundation 65 and will serve as part of the organization’s Advisory Board.
Diane Lequar served previously as Treasurer and Executive Vice President for Foundation 65. Ms. Lequar is active in Evanston’s volunteer community, serving on the leadership council for the Evanston Community Schools Initiative as well as on a solutions design committee of the Cradle to Career Initiative, and has held PTA officer roles at both Dewey Elementary and Nichols Middle Schools. An Evanston resident for 21 years, Diane holds an M.A. from Northwestern University and a B.A. from Southern Methodist University.
Foundation 65 also welcomes three new board members from the Evanston/Skokie community to its board of directors. Their passion for supporting public education and knowledge of the community will help the Foundation as we work to enrich the educational experience of all students in District 65 through literacy and arts programming.
Traci Brown Powell: A D65 alumnus, Traci has an extensive educational background, working as a librarian at ETHS and serving as tutor and volunteer across both D65 and D202. Her passion for literacy and for the Evanston community has led her to help organize a tutoring program for Jr. Wildkit Football and to serve as a Race & Equity facilitator at ETHS. Tracy has a BA from Western Illinois and an MA from Northwestern University.
Sheau-ming Ross: Working as a Chief Financial Officer for Mattersight Corporation and an active volunteer at Cherry Preschool and other Evanston area non-profits, Sheau-ming brings a wealth of experience managing finances, developing strategies and building relationships to grow organizations. Sheau-ming has a BA from the University of Chicago and an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.
Saralyn Sacks: Coupling her work as an Investment Portfolio Manager at Essex Investment Management Company with her volunteer commitments in the Evanston educational community, Saralyn will be an excellent addition to the board. She has served as treasurer for Lincoln School PTA, is a mentor for Evanston Scholars and Math Olympiad coach. She has a BS from University of Michigan, a MS from London School of Economics and an MBA from University of Chicago.
“We are so pleased to welcome these three talented individuals to the F65 board,” said Lise Jinno, Foundation 65’s Executive Director. “F65 continues to make a significant impact across all schools in District 65, thanks to the hard work and dedication of our board of directors.” Foundation 65’s new board members began their terms in July 2015.