Key Promotions within The Golden Apple Foundation

Today, we are pleased to announce some important promotions at Golden Apple. 

We are proud to share that Kesa Thurman-Stovall will become the Chief Program Officer for The Golden Apple Foundation. In this role, Kesa will be responsible for the implementation, leadership, and impact of Golden Apple's teacher preparation programs; namely, the Golden Apple Scholars and the Golden Apple Accelerators programs. Kesa will lead multiple teams that are responsible for the overall journey of Scholars and Accelerators including recruitment and selection, academic and social-emotional supports, placement, mentoring and alumni relations. Prior to this promotion, Kesa served as the Vice President of Mentoring and Teacher Development at Golden Apple. She was a high-performing Principal in the Chicago Public Schools and a highly effective teacher for many years prior to joining Golden Apple full-time.  Importantly, she began her career as a 1992 Golden Apple Scholar. 

Rozy Patel has been promoted to the Director of Mentoring and Teacher Development. In this role, Rozy will be responsible for the Mentoring services offered to Golden Apple Scholars and Accelerators in their first years of teaching and residency, respectively.  Additionally, a focus of Rozy's work will include a multi-layered approach to developing teachers via mentoring, coaching and facilitating professional development.  Prior to this promotion, Rozy served as the Manager of Mentoring and is an award-winning, 2014 Golden Apple Fellow.  Rozy began her career working in the STEM industry and excelled as a teacher of STEM subjects prior to joining the Golden Apple Foundation full-time. 

Colin McLaughlin has been promoted to the Director, Accelerators Program. In this role, Colin will be responsible for the expansion of the Accelerators program - a 15-month residency and licensure teacher preparation program for career-changers and those with non-education Bachelors’ degrees. Colin will oversee the recruitment and selection process for Golden Apple Accelerators, and manage relationships with institutions of higher education and school district partners. Prior to this promotion, Colin served as the Recruitment & Relationships Manager for the Accelerators Program.  Before joining Golden Apple full-time, Colin served as the Director of Admissions at Greenville University in Illinois and as an Academic Advisor at Metro East Lutheran High School in Edwardsville, Illinois.  

Ann-Morgan Rowell has taken on an expanded role as a Manager, Program Operations. In this role, Ann will be responsible for the operations of the Scholars and Accelerators programs. Ann will manage systems as it relates to program documentation and project management for these programs. Prior to this promotion, Ann served as an Administrative Assistant for the Scholars Program at Golden Apple and has held key operational roles in other non-profit social services agencies.