About Us

Making a difference
in the lives of students since 1993

Whether it’s food, school supplies, health care, counseling, academic assistance or a positive role model,

Communities In Schools is there to help.

Students are dropping out of school at alarming rates.

Students who drop out are more likely to earn thousands less in salaries, live in poverty, suffer poor health, enter the criminal system and be dependent on government and social services.

The cost to our community and country is billions in lost revenue.

Often, a student’s personal circumstances disrupt their chances at success even before they enter the school building.

In the U.S., approximately 1 in 5 children under the age of 18 live in poverty, shouldering more than they should have to.

Communities In Schools works directly inside schools, building relationships that empower students to succeed inside and outside the classroom.

We Understand

We understand that students face challenges both inside and outside the classroom.

We Work

We work to remove the barriers that prevent them from reaching their full potential and ultimate academic and personal success.

We Partner

We partner with schools and parents by placing a full-time dedicated site coordinator in a school, identifying kids at risk of dropping out and not graduating, or have needs like those above.
We partner with local businesses, social service agencies, health care providers and volunteers.

We Connect

We connect programs, services and resources to students in need, keeping them in school and on a path to life-long success.

Our unique, evidenced based model positions site coordinators inside schools to assess students’ needs and provide resources to help them succeed in the classroom and in life.

OUR LEADERSHIP

Amy Gordon

Executive Director

Amy Gordon has seen our community from many angles. As a licensed social worker, a parent, and a non-profit professional, she knows Ohio’s challenges as well as its assets. Her persistent focus on the latter has earned her the top leadership position at Communities In Schools of Ohio (CIS).

“What strikes me is her orientation toward the positive and her dedication to putting the organization’s mission first,” says Board Chair Tim Rieder.

Having previously worked as the Afterschool Program Director at CIS from 1999-2006, Amy returned to the organization in 2012. She was asked to take on increasing responsibility through the years, culminating in a promotion to Associate Director in 2014. Last year, the CIS board and former Executive Director Jane Wiechel unanimously decided that Amy was the best choice to become the next Executive Director for Communities In Schools of Ohio beginning January 1, 2017.

Amy has worked to champion the needs of young people and struggling families for over twenty years. She was an Area Director with a faith-based non-profit afterschool program in the Short North, Weinland Park and formerly Windsor Terrace neighborhoods; a Family Specialist/Supervisor of a home-based program with Crittenton Family Services working with juvenile felony offenders and their families; a consultant with the Ohio Department of Education; a certified assessor and an Independent Consultant. Amy has also served three terms as an Afterschool Alliance Ambassador to promote the expansion of afterschool programs at the local, state and national level.

A graduate of Columbus City Schools, Amy has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from The Ohio State University and is a licensed social worker in the state of Ohio. She has been married for more than 20 years and has a teenage son and daughter.

Amy was featured in 2019 on the Columbus Leadership Podcast. It is a regional podcast featuring the stories of diverse leaders in Central Ohio. Listen to the interview.

LEADERSHIP & ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM

Pamela Kreber

Associate Director

Phone: 614-268-2472, ext. 22
Email: pkreber@ciskids.org

Eboney Eldridge

Program Manager

Phone: 614.268.2472, ext. 29
Email: eeldridge@ciskids.org

Traci Poole

Fiscal Director

Phone: 614.268.2472, ext. 23
Email: tpoole@ciskids.org

Kelly Silvia

Administrative Coordinator

Phone: 614.268.2472
Email: ksilvia@ciskids.org

OUR BOARD

Communities In Schools of Ohio is a locally governed non-profit organization that exists to serve the needs of the community and is guided by a talented, dedicated and diverse group of business leaders, educators, philanthropists and nonprofit executives.

Our directors generously donate their time and resources to develop strategy and set policy to guide our organization.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2020-2021

Wendy Sherman Heckler, PhD
Board Chair
Provost & Senior Vice President,
Academic Affairs Division,
Otterbein University

Betsy Walker
Board Vice Chair
Senior Manager,
Partnerships at Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

Adam Gough
Board Treasurer
Vice President, Investment Advisor
PNC Bank

Jennifer Mundorf SPHR
Board Secretary
Manager, Talent Development
Big Lots

C. Reggie Thomas
Immediate Past Chair
Vice President Community Development
Huntington National Bank

Anne D. Saxon
Vice President, Office of the Chief Legal Officer Government Relations
Nationwide Insurance

Cheryl L. Ward
Director, Social-Emotional and Student Support Services
Columbus City Schools

Ben Richards
Data Analyst
CompDrug

Dennis M. Sparks, Jr.
Director, Learning & Organization Development
LBrands

Steven Williams
Enterprise Sales Manager
Spectrum

Tim Rieder
Senior Vice President
US Bank

Catherine F. Burgett
Member
Frost Brown Todd LLC

Matt Shachter
Founder/Marketing Consultant,
StrategiCMO

Moniqua Spencer
Vice President
Business Banking Sales Manager
US Bank

Erick Carter
Global Head of Customer Experience
and Enterprise Services
Alliance Data Card Services

OUR FUNDERS

Recognized for its sound business practices and financial transparency, Communities In Schools continues to attract the support of a diverse group of partners, even during tough economic times. We wish to acknowledge all who have supported our work, here are some of our most ardent supporters.

21st Century Community Learning Centers

ADAMH Board of Franklin County

Arby’s Foundation

AT&T Foundation

Bricker and Eckler

Cardinal Health

Columbus City Schools

Columbus State Community College

Communities Properties of Ohio Management

Crowe Horwath LLP

Franklin County Children Services

GPD Group Employees Foundation

Honda of America Manufacturing

Huntington Bank

Ingram White Castle

Nationwide Foundation

Nationwide Children’s Hospital

OCLC

Otterbein University

PNC Bank

Siemer Family Foundation

South-Western City Schools

Squire, Patton, and Boggs

Subaru Foundation

The City of Columbus

The Columbus Foundation

The Jeffrey Foundation

The Ohio Department of Education

The United Way of Central Ohio

US Bank

Youth to Youth, a CompDrug Program

View 990 Form

2018 Annual Report

Making a difference
in the lives of students since 1993

Whether it’s food, school supplies, health care, counseling, academic assistance or a positive role model,

Communities In Schools is there to help.

Students are dropping out of school at alarming rates.

In the U.S., approximately 1 in 5 children under the age of 18 live in poverty, shouldering more than they should have to.