Member News
May 9, 2025 The Consortium of Florida Education Foundations is pleased to announce that, following an extensive national search that attracted more than 370 candidates, the CEO Search Task Force has selected Amity Schuyler as the next leader of the Consortium. Amity distinguished herself among a highly competitive field through her impressive track record, dynamic leadership, and visionary approach. With over two decades of executive experience at the intersection of public education, business, and civic engagement in both Florida and Tennessee, she brings a powerful blend of strategic insight and collaborative leadership to this new role. She currently serves as Chief Innovation Officer for the Greater Memphis Chamber and previously held the position of Deputy Commissioner with the Tennessee Department of Education. In Florida, her leadership experience includes serving as Chief of Staff for the Palm Beach County School District and Director of Strategic Communications for the School District of Lee County. Earlier in her career, Amity led the nonprofit Drug Free Charlotte as CEO for a decade and began her professional journey as a classroom teacher. The Consortium is confident that Amity is uniquely positioned to build upon the strong foundation established by outgoing President & CEO Mary Chance and to guide the organization into a new chapter marked by innovation, collaboration, and impact. Amity will officially begin her role as President & CEO on July 1. The Consortium extends its heartfelt thanks to Mary Chance for her remarkable leadership over the past 17 years and invites everyone to warmly welcome Amity Schuyler into this vital role. Top of page
 Lynwood Unified’s Commitment to Excellence & Equity Recognized Through Pahara FellowshipFebruary 25, 2025 Two Lynwood Unified School District leaders have been selected for the prestigious Pahara Institute Fellowship, a one-year program aimed at uniting educational leaders from across the nation to bring about substantial improvements in public schools, particularly for students from low-income households and communities.
PENCIL to Provide a Behind-the-Scenes Experience at “Principal for a Day” Nashville, TN (October 31, 2024) – PENCIL (Public Education Needs Community Involvement and Leadership), Nashville’s business connector to Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS), will host its annual Principal for a Day on Fri., Nov. 8. Principal for a Day gives community members the extraordinary opportunity to experience firsthand the responsibilities and rewards of being an MNPS principal and is followed by a luncheon. Media is invited to join either opportunity on November 8:
“Principal for a Day is one of my favorite days of the year, because I know more than 100 community leaders are getting to see the great work of our schools and principals up close,” MNPS Director of Schools Dr. Adrienne Battle said.
Boerne, TX – The Boerne Education Foundation (BEF) is thrilled to announce a fantastic win for our district! Boerne ISD employee Melanie Bostic recently participated in The GVTC Foundation 5K, where she showcased her competitive spirit by placing 1st in her age category. But that’s not all—Melanie went above and beyond by donning an inflatable costume to participate in a unique fundraising event, ultimately winning $2,500 to support the Boerne Education Foundation! “We are incredibly grateful for Melanie’s dedication and creativity in supporting our mission,” said Yvette Reyna, Executive Director. “Her enthusiasm exemplifies the spirit of our community and its commitment to enhancing educational opportunities for our students.” The funds raised will help support various programs and initiatives within Boerne ISD, ensuring our students have access to the resources they need to thrive.
Nashville, TN (September 12, 2024) – PENCIL (Public Education Needs Community Involvement & Leadership), Nashville’s business connector to Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS), celebrates a major milestone this month. The DG PENCIL Box, PENCIL’s free educator resource center, has distributed $20 million worth of school supplies to MNPS teachers since its inception in 2006. The generous support of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation (DGLF), presenting sponsor of the DG PENCIL Box since January 2022, has been crucial to achieving the milestone. PENCIL and the DGLF will recognize this milestone with a celebration on Thursday, September 19 from 3-4 p.m. in the DG PENCIL BOX located in PENCIL’s headquarters at 7199 Cockrill Bend Blvd. 37209.
Lillian Orlich, who served PWCS students for 64 years and passed away on March 7, 2024, left a $1 million donation to SPARK, the education foundation for PWCS. Known to thousands of students as Ms. O, Lillian Orlich is a true Prince William County legend in education. Orlich retired in 2017 at 89, after serving as a teacher and counselor. She spent all but three years at Osbourn High School in Manassas City and Osbourn Park High School in Prince William County. “We are deeply saddened by Ms. Orlich’s passing, but the footprints she’s left in our hearts and minds can never be erased," said PWCS Superintendent of Schools Dr. LaTanya D. McDade. “Her legacy lives on in the lives of the students and staff she impacted.” The
$1 million donation will support SPARK’s purpose to promote, aid,
encourage, and engage in educational activities and endeavors for PWCS'
students, teachers, and administrators. The donation will be distributed
across the foundation’s six focus areas (Educator Preparedness, Science
Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) Education, Social and Emotional
Learning, Innovative and Digital Citizenship, Career Pathways to Global
Citizens, and Partnerships for School Improvement) with a heavy focus on Educator Preparedness, as Orlich was a long-time educator. |
Consortium of Florida Education Foundations Announces Next CEO
The Boerne Education Foundation Gets Pumped Up to Win Funds!
Long-Time Educator Lillian Orlich Leaves $1 Million To SPARK, The Education Foundation For PWCS
Standards for School/Foundation Fundraising
The NAEF Board of Directors issued a notice to NAEF members about potential disturbances in school/foundation fundraising.
"Aside from promotion and advocacy for the education foundation industry, NAEF exists to develop the Principles, Standards, and Best Practices for educational foundations, and to ensure that our members uphold these in their everyday practice. The compliance with these Principles, Standards, and Best Practices is at the core to fulfilling of our mission – To strengthen education foundations across the nation.”
The Elkhorn Public Schools Foundation Continues to Expand Scholarship Program
The Elkhorn Public Schools Foundation is a non-profit organization in Elkhorn, NE, dedicated to enriching education for students in the Elkhorn Public Schools District. Our mission is to promote student achievement and the unity of our community and its public schools by encouraging, supporting, and recognizing excellence in innovative education, quality school programs, and civic involvement. One way we fulfill our mission is through our robust Scholarship Program.
As recently as May 2023, the Foundation awarded 198 Community Funded Scholarships and 243 ACHIEVE Scholarships totalling over $550,000. The Foundation encourages students to continue their education after high school and has made a significant investment in building a robust scholarship program to administer both Community Funded Scholarships and the Foundation’s ACHIEVE Scholarship Program. Investments in technology, staffing, and a matching funds program enable the Foundation to grow our Scholarship Program and make it easy for donors to partner with us to provide additional opportunities for Elkhorn students.
PENCIL Ushers in New Era of its More Than 40-Year History, Announces Christiane Buggs as Next President & CEO
Buggs is a Nashville Native, MNPS Graduate and Current School Board Member
After five months of a thorough, national search, PENCIL and its Board of Directors are honored to name Christiane Buggs, a Nashville native, MNPS graduate and current school board member, as our new President & Chief Executive Officer. Christiane will assume the role as PENCIL’s new leader on January 1, 2024, and will have the opportunity to work closely with PENCIL’s current CEO – Angie Adams - throughout the spring.
Christiane’s proven experience as a leader, background in education, deep ties with Metro Nashville Public Schools, and determination to see our children succeed make her well-suited to be PENCIL’s next CEO.
Elkhart Education Foundation welcomes New Executive Director, Ellen Williams
Elkhart Education Foundation’s staff and board have recently hired a new Executive Director, Ellen Williams. Williams is from South Bend and is excited to work in Elkhart for the students of Elkhart Community Schools.
She comes to Elkhart from Notre Dame’s Robinson Community Learning Center, where she served as the Director of the Take Ten program. Prior to that role, she served as Executive Director at the Humane Society of St. Joseph County, which included coordinating with local schools for educational programs. She received her Juris Doctorate from American University and a BA from Ohio University in Political Science. She also attended Notre Dame for a Leadership Series in Executive Leadership.
Inaugural Memorial Scholarship for Fallen Officer Awarded at Baldwin High School Senior Night
The Baldwin-Whitehall Educational Foundation [BWEF] awarded the first-ever Officer Sean Sluganski Memorial Scholarship to Emma Meyer, a senior at Baldwin High School pursuing a degree in forensic science at Arizona State University. The memorial scholarship was established earlier this year to honor Sean Sluganski, an officer with the McKeesport Police Department who was killed in the line of duty on February 6, 2023. The scholarship will be awarded annually to a graduating senior of Baldwin High School who intends to pursue a career in law enforcement and crime prevention. As the inaugural recipient of this scholarship, Emma embraced the opportunity to carry Sean’s important work forward.
NAEF Treasurer Mike Taylor joins Knox Education Foundation as Chief Executive Officer
For NAEF Treasurer Mike Taylor, CEFL, CFRE, January 2, 2023 marks the beginning of his role as Chief Executive Officer for Knox Education Foundation in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Mike is an East Tennessee native who grew up in Oak Ridge and is a 1995 graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville from which he received a BS in Business Administration. Mike joins the Knox Education Foundation team after an extensive leadership role at the Henrico Education Foundation in Richmond, Virginia where he has served as CEO since 2014. Before that assignment, he served six years as Executive Director of the Mountain Education Foundation in Signal Mountain, Tennessee. Mike Taylor is both a Certified Education Foundation Leader (CEFL) and Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), and serves on the board of the National Association of Education Foundations.