Communities in Schools of Savannah
appoints new Executive Director
The Communities in Schools of Savannah Board of Directors is proud to announce the appointment of Ms. Catalina Garcia-Quick as Executive Director. The mission of Communities in Schools of Savannah is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. |
"We are very pleased to announce this appointment" says Dr. Joe Buck, Communities in Schools of Savannah Board Chair. "Ms. Garcia-Quick will bring leadership and creativity to the organization's programs, and a deep sense of commitment to our students. She has served non-profits at all program, fundraising, and executive leadership levels, and has a breadth of perspective and experience."
Ms. Garcia-Quick's resume includes over 15 years of executive planning, administration, fundraising, communications and marketing experience in the non-profit sector. Ms. Garcia-Quick started her non-profit career here in Savannah with the Savannah Symphony and went on to spend many years as the Director of Development and Public Information Officer for the Savannah Chapter of the American Red Cross. She has also worked as a volunteer for the Tourism Leadership Council, the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce, and the American Diabetes Association. In 2005 she and her family moved to California where she worked as the Executive Director for the March of Dimes in San Francisco. She and her family recently returned home to Savannah so that their oldest daughter could attend St. Vincent's Academy in the fall.
"I am very honored to have been chosen for this role. The mission of Communities in Schools of Savannah is something that hits very close to home for me. In a nutshell, "I was that kid", says Garcia-Quick. "Lots of things were going on in my household as a kid. Poverty. Alcoholism. My parents divorced when I was a junior in high school. One went this way, the other went that way, we lost our house, and I was left to my own devices. There was a time when I would leave school and go to work from 2-11pm so that I could pay for a room at the motel around the corner from my high school. Had it not been for that one teacher and that one administrator taking that extra step to make sure I got to school or who stood up and said 'you WILL graduate' - I never would have completed high school and most likely would have ended up a statistic. The interest taken in me back then has since been formalized by Communities in Schools. Their unique model of integrated services positions site coordinators inside schools to assess students' needs and provide resources to help them succeed in the classroom and in life. I wanted to be a part of that".
Ms. Garcia-Quick was born in Oakland, CA, was raised in the East Bay (just a few miles outside of San Francisco), and moved to Savannah in 1987. She is married to Savannah native, Randy Quick (B.C. '88), has two daughters, 13 and 5, coaches volleyball in her spare time, and is an active member of St. James Catholic Church.
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Communities in Schools of Savannah is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and currently serves over 390 students and their families in Chatham County. For more information about the organization or to find out how you can help, please check the web site at www.cissavannah.org. For day to day info and updates, please follow on Facebook/CISSAVANNAH or Twitter @CISSAVANNAH.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Catalina Garcia-Quick, Executive Director
Mobile: 510.677.4433
Email: cgarciaquick@cissavannah.org
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