AFC Welcomes New Board Members

The American Federation for Children and the AFC Growth Fund are pleased to welcome new board members this year.

Statement from Bill Oberndorf, Chairman of the American Federation of Children:
The strength of our organization comes from the strength of our mission. Our mission only can succeed by having a group of dedicated, passionate leaders on our boards of directors who set the strategic vision for our dedicated staff across the country. I’m pleased to welcome our newest board members to our cause that provides new educational opportunities to hundreds of thousands of lower-income families each year.

New board members within the past year:

2020
Governor Scott Walker

Scott Walker is an American public servant who served as the 45th governor of Wisconsin from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, he was first elected governor in 2010, defeating an attempted recall in 2012 and winning election for a second term in 2014. He formerly served as Milwaukee County Executive and in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Walker was raised in Iowa and in Delavan, Wisconsin, before attending Marquette University. While in school, he worked for IBM before leaving his senior year to take an opportunity to work full-time in finance and development for the American Red Cross. In 1993, Scott was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly. Then, in 2002, he became the first Republican elected Milwaukee County Executive. Voters in the overwhelmingly Democratic county re-elected Scott by increased margins in 2004 and 2008 because he kept his promises to continuously reform county government and put taxpayers first. On January 3, 2011, Scott Walker was inaugurated as the 45th Governor of Wisconsin. One of his first reforms, Act 10, helped eliminate the state’s $3.6 billion budget deficit without raising taxes or cutting health care for those in need. It gave schools and local governments the tools to balance budgets without the massive layoffs seen in other states. On June 5, 2012, Scott Walker became the first Governor in American history to survive a recall election. He received both more votes and a higher percentage of the vote than in his 2010 election, proving again that Wisconsinites want leaders in office who keep their promises. On November 4, 2014, Scott was re-elected to a second term.

Edward H. McDermott
Ed McDermott is the Managing Partner of Spring Tide Partners, a private investment firm which makes concentrated, long-term investments in public and private companies across a broad range of industries. Prior to founding Spring Tide Partners, Ed was a co-managing partner of SPO Partners & Co. Ed has served on the boards of a number of non-profit organizations including the San Francisco Foundation, San Francisco School Volunteers and the BASIC Fund, an organization providing educational scholarships to students from low-income families.
2019
Jimmy Haslam
Jimmy Haslam is the CEO of Pilot Flying J, headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn. He and his wife, Dee, own the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League and are the Investor-Operators of Columbus Crew SC of Major League Soccer. After joining the family business at Pilot in 1976, Jimmy was named CEO in 1996. Under his guidance, the company has grown its annual gallon sales to over $8 billion and its network from seven states in the Southeast to 43 states in the U.S., plus six Canadian provinces, encompassing more than 750 travel centers and travel plazas. The Haslams have created three primary focuses to set their sports franchise culture and help direct all important processes and decisions for their organizations. The standard is centered on providing a consistently winning team on the field; taking exceptional care of the team’s fans by providing a premier experience throughout the year; and serving as leaders in positively impacting the community. Throughout Tennessee and Ohio, the Haslam family is known as much for its spirit of giving back as they are for their business success. Across universities, athletic fields, and in schools, working with dedicated groups in the inner cities, their gifts have provided opportunities for many, ensuring a better quality of life for generations to come.
Sister Rosemarie Nassif
Sr. Rosemarie Nassif, SSND, Ph.D., a School Sister of Notre Dame, is the Executive Director of the Center for Catholic Education at Loyola Marymount University. Prior to her recent appointment she worked at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, serving as Program Director for the Catholic Sisters and Catholic Schools priority areas from 2012 to 2017, during which time she led the granting of $90 million to Catholic Sisters in 23 countries and $25 million to Catholic schools in the U.S. From 2009-2012 she served as senior advisor to the Assistant Secretary at the Department of Education, where she had lead responsibility for achieving President Obama’s 2020 College Completion goal. She was president of two universities, Notre Dame of Maryland in Baltimore and Holy Names University in Oakland.  She was also president of the Fund for Educational Excellence that developed a whole school reform model, which was instrumental in improving student achievement in Baltimore City public schools.  She has had professional experiences in Japan, Honduras, China, Rome, Korea, London, Italy, and Israel, as well as in six countries in Africa. Sr. Rosemarie earned a Ph.D. in physical chemistry at the Catholic University of America. She has authored publications, made national and international presentations and received numerous fellowships and awards, including named President Emerita of Holy Names University.
Other board members:
William E. Oberndorf – Chairman
John Kirtley – Vice Chairman
H. Lee Barfield, II
Kevin P. Chavous
Ann Duplessis
Kathy Hubbard
The Honorable Joseph Lieberman
Paul Shiverick

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