Heather Davis Stepping Down as Executive Director
From Sarah Oliver, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of LearningWorks
It is with a mixture of sadness and gratitude that we announce Executive Director Heather Davis will be leaving LearningWorks at the end of this year. Heather has played a critical role in LearningWorks’ success. Although when she first joined the team in 2016, she initially only planned to stay with the organization for five years, she extended that timeline to see us through the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic. We are grateful for her dedicated leadership during that time.
Heather leaves LearningWorks in a strong position, at an inflection point poised for significant organizational growth. With the impending sale of our headquarters on Brackett Street, LearningWorks is ready to start an endowment fund to support our future, create our next strategic plan, and grow our fundraising capacity to meet the demand for our free, community-based education programs. We also want to look back and reflect with gratitude at Heather’s accomplishments during her tenure, including having:
- worked collaboratively with both staff and board to create a new mission statement and organizational values that centers equity for our staff and students;
- secured major new funding from the Maine Children’s Cabinet to expand the reach of our YouthBuild program;
- brought in new funding from the U.S. Department of Education to support innovative teacher training and curriculum development to support the needs of low-income, minority, and English Language Learner youth;
- and raised over $1.8 million in private donations to support the needs of students not well served by the traditional education system.
LearningWorks will launch an executive search for a new director to take us into our next chapter. Heather will remain with the organization through the end of the year to assist board and staff alike through this transition.
While we will miss the vision and strength that Heather brought to this role, we are happy to see her continue on to her next steps. Later this fall, Heather will be transitioning to a leadership role at Preble Street as their new Private Grants Director. We are excited for her, and we’re excited for LearningWorks’ next chapter.
From Heather Davis, Executive Director, LearningWorks
With LearningWorks poised for its next period of growth, I have decided to start my own new chapter and to leave the agency in the hands of its next great visionary leader. The decision to leave was not an easy one.
It has been an honor to work with a team of incredible, hard working people dedicated to the educational needs of the community. I will miss our team, our board of directors, and the wonderful work we do on behalf of students of all ages in Southern Maine. Our work through the pandemic has made the importance of LearningWorks’ programming clearer than ever. Many of our students experienced significant hardship and distress that impacted their academic lives and social emotional wellbeing in ways that we are still coming to understand and address. I will miss being a part of this amazing organization and look forward to supporting from the sidelines as an ambassador and donor.