The Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD) Foundation has announced the appointment of five business and civic leaders to its board of directors.
The new members are Manuel Diaz, the founder, and lawyer at Diaz Law Firm in Dallas; Chad Houser, founder, CEO and executive chef of Café Momentum; Alicia Makaye, founder and co-owner of GXA; Ann Margolin, an investor, and non-profit consultant; and Alfreda B. Norman, senior vice-president at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
Created in 1973, the DCCCD Foundation offers more than 400 scholarships to students at the district’s seven colleges. The DCCCD Foundation is governed by a board of business and civic leaders who support educational programs that help remove barriers for students allowing them to earn a degree or college credential, start a career or transfer to a university to further their education. The DCCCD Foundation also identifies and develops resources that help solve problems in the community that the district serves.
“We are thrilled to have these dynamic individuals join our Board,” said Debbie Taylor, DCCCD Foundation’s board chair. “The diversity of their experience and skills will be a tremendous asset as we continue the work of supporting our outstanding district.”
“We are excited to have these new board members join the foundation,” said Dr. Pyeper Wilkins, DCCCD’s chief advancement officer, who also serves as executive director of the DCCCD Foundation. “We count on their expertise and passion for education to guide us in our support of the district priorities, serving the needs of our students and our community.”
In 2019, the DCCCD Foundation awarded more than $1.3 million in scholarships and has secured $83 million in private funds since it was founded.
The DCCCD Foundation currently has five major funding priorities:
- Emergency Aid Fund assists DCCCD students who are on the verge of suspending their educational pursuits when financial emergencies arise;
- Food Pantries are located at all seven of the DCCCD colleges to help ensure DCCCD students have access to nutritional foods and never go hungry;
- Culinary, Pastry and Hospitality program, so it can meet industry and workforce demands;
- Early Childhood Education, expansion of early childhood education across all DCCCD colleges in order to meet education, community and workforce gaps; and
- LevelUp Scholarship, which funds the Parent Promise that helps put adults on the pathway to an in-demand career immediately after they complete their studies.
