MAYOR APPOINTS AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM PLANNING DIRECTOR
United Way vice president selected to oversee mayor's afterschool program initiative
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (October 9, 2008) -Mayor Karl Dean announced today that he has appointed an afterschool program planning director to oversee his initiative to create a coordinated system of afterschool programs in Metro Nashville Public Schools.
Candy Markman, currently the vice president of community investments for United Way of Metropolitan Nashville, has been selected for the position. She will begin work in early November. Her position will be funded by private dollars Dean is raising for this and other education initiatives.
Dean’s initiative to create afterschool zones for middle school students in Metro schools is a component of his larger plan for education reform and was announced earlier this year following the recommendations of Project for Student Success, a 40-member community task force he convened to identify ways to reduce student dropouts.
The task force identified a lack of consistent afterschool programs for middle and high school students in Nashville, while research shows that students who participate in afterschool programs in middle school have better attendance and credit accumulation later in high school.
“A student only spends about 20 percent of their time in the classroom,” Dean said. “We need to make sure there are consistent afterschool programs available, specifically for our middle school students in our most high-need schools. Candy is the right person to lead this initiative having spent a large part of her career active in our community’s efforts to help students succeed.”
For the past 10 years, Markman has been responsible for United Way’s investments in K-12 programs. As a result, she has participated in local and national initiatives to support children and youth’s academic success and readiness for productive adulthood. She serves on the Operating Board of Alignment Nashville, the Workforce Investment Board’s Youth Council, and America’s Promise local steering committee.
“I share the mayor’s deep commitment to this community’s children and youth. I believe that Nashville is at a tipping point; we’ve acknowledged some past opportunities lost but are ready to put shoulder to the wheel for our children’s futures. I am excited and honored to support the mayor in helping Nashville put education first,” Markman said.
Markman received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Vanderbilt University and a master’s in management of counseling services from Tennessee State University. She is actively involved in Better Decisions, a small local agency she founded to support life skills development in incarcerated women and girls.
For media inquiries contact:
Bonna Johnson
615-862-6461
bonna.johnson@nashville.gov