Jumpstart Welcomes Education & Literacy Champions to its National Board of Directors

Nigel Barker, James Cole, Jr., and Jackie Jenkins-Scott Bring Wealth of Public Service, Leadership, and Business Experience to Early Education Nonprofit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 20, 2017 (BOSTON) – The early education nonprofit Jumpstart is pleased to announce the addition of three new members of its national board of directors, bringing years of experience and leadership to the already esteemed panel of business leaders and early education experts. The new additions include Nigel Barker, celebrity photographer and author; James Cole, Jr., former Deputy Secretary of Education and General Counsel for the US Department of Education; and Jackie Jenkins-Scott, president emeritus of Wheelock College and founder and president of JJS Advising.

Nigel Barker is an internationally renowned photographer, best known for his role as photographer and judge for 17 seasons of the hit TV show America’s Next Top Model, as well as The Face, and Top Photographer. He has also used his photography & filmmaking talents to support philanthropic organizations, and was awarded the Film Heals Award for Humanitarianism for his film Dreams Are Not Forgotten, about the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti. He currently serves on the boards of directors for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation and the Edeyo Foundation. Barker is eager to use his international platform to advance the mission of Jumpstart to support early literacy and kindergarten readiness in high-need communities across the country.

James Cole, Jr., is currently the founder, chairman, and CEO of the investment firm the Jasco Group in New York City, but his work in public service has often focused on educational achievement, access, and opportunity for all students. Prior to serving at the US Department of Education, Cole served on the board of directors of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund as well on the board of trustees of Prep for Prep, a New York City-based youth leadership development program for students of color. Cole also oversaw the US Department of Education’s work on President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Task Force, which sought to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color, and to ensure that all young people are able to reach their full potential. “A key milestone of my work with My Brother’s Keeper was ensuring that children entering kindergarten are equipped and ready to learn,” says Cole. “I am excited to continue that important work on Jumpstart’s national board.”

Jackie Jenkins-Scott is a nationally recognized leader with more than three decades of experience in senior and executive leadership positions in both public and nonprofit sectors. In addition to her role at JJS Advising, she is currently a member of the boards of directors of the Tufts Health Plan Foundation, the Schott Foundation for Public Education, the Center for Community Change, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, and the Century Bank and Trust Company. Prior to serving as president at Wheelock College, Jenkins-Scott was the president and chief executive officer of the Dimock Community Health Center in Roxbury, MA, one of Boston’s first, and now one of the largest, community-based health and human service organizations serving diverse, vulnerable populations.

“We could not be more pleased to welcome Nigel, James, and Jackie to Jumpstart’s national board,” said Chairman Chris Stadler, managing partner at CVC Capital in New York. “Each brings a wealth of experience and expertise in sectors critical to Jumpstart’s quality program and organizational growth. We look forward to the year ahead with confidence, knowing we have the leadership required to pursue our ambitious goals.”

In addition to Barker, Cole, and Jenkins-Scott, Jumpstart is pleased to welcome the leaders of its local advisory boards as members of Jumpstart’s national board as well: Elizabeth Marcellino, a Los Angeles-based journalist; Yendelela Neely Holston, executive director – senior legal counsel at AT&T Services, Inc.; Tamara Jones Dunn, MD, a physician and a program director for the hematology fellowship program at Stanford School of Medicine; and Mark Polebaum, recently retired from MFS Investment Management where he served as general counsel.

ABOUT JUMPSTART

Jumpstart is an early education nonprofit organization fueled by the core belief that providing high-quality early learning opportunities to all children contributes to breaking the cycle of poverty. We provide language, literacy, and social-emotional programming for preschool children from under-resourced communities by recruiting and training college students and community members to serve in classrooms where the need is highest. Our volunteers help prepare children for kindergarten, and set them on a path for lifelong success. Learn more at jstart.org.