College Possible Philadelphia Names College Access and Success Expert as New Executive Director

Precious Mines will lead College Possible Philadelphia as the organization doubles down on efforts to support the college aspirations of Philadelphia students from low-income communities

PHILADELPHIA, June 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- College Possible, a national nonprofit working to improve equity and access in the college admissions process, today announced the appointment of Precious Mines as executive director of College Possible Philadelphia.

"For the last two decades, Precious has dedicated her career to building and sustaining programs that ensure any student that aspires to attend college has the knowledge, tools and support to apply and complete college," said Anthony Barrett, Advisory Board Chair of College Possible Philadelphia. "We are thrilled to welcome Precious as the new executive director for College Possible Philadelphia. With her strong leadership, expertise, and knowledge built from working in this sector, we will work to innovate and evolve our program to ensure that students in our community, no matter their socioeconomic background, get an opportunity to see their dream of attending college actualized."

Mines most recently served as the Senior Program Director at College Possible Philadelphia. In that role, she focused on building strong relationships with key stakeholders, partnered with higher education institutions to perpetuate student success, and produced exceptional college acceptance and persistence outcomes.

"Ensuring students - especially those from marginalized and underserved communities - have the tools and support they need to be successful in their pursuit of higher education is my passion and has been the focus of my career for the past two decades,'' said Precious Mines, Executive Director of College Possible Philadelphia. "I am honored to continue my work with College Possible in a greater capacity and look forward to all we will achieve for the students of Philadelphia."

Prior to her time at College Possible, Mines served as the ACE+ inaugural program coordinator at the Community College of Pennsylvania where she designed a dual-enrollment program to provide opportunity for students from alternative schools in Philadelphia to earn college credits while completing their high diploma or GED. She also served on the #ReachHigherPhilly team where she played an integral role in the planning of Philadelphia's College Signing Day in which Michelle Obama was the keynote speaker. Mines earned her bachelor's of liberal arts in political science from Temple University and later completed her master's of divinity in biblical and theological studies at Cairn University. Most recently, Mines graduated from the Leadership Mainline program of the Mainline Chamber of Commerce, in which she was selected to give the keynote address representing her cohort. She is currently a fellow in the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) Leading for Equity Fellowship Program.

Since its founding in 2004 College Possible Philadelphia has helped put more than 1,500 students from disinvested communities on the path to economic mobility by earning a college degree. Nationwide, College Possible students are three times more likely to earn a bachelor's degree within six years than their peers from similar backgrounds.

As one of the largest and most successful college access and success programs in the country, since 2000 College Possible has helped put more than 50,000 students from disinvested communities on the path to economic mobility by earning a college degree. Its pioneering model matches students with a near-peer coach and an intensive curriculum designed to help students overcome the most common barriers to getting into college and completing their degree – all at no cost to students or their families. Nationwide, College Possible students are three times more likely to earn a bachelor's degree within six years than their peers from similar backgrounds. Headquartered in Saint Paul, MN, College Possible operates: regional sites in Chicago, IL; Milwaukee, WI; Omaha, NE; Philadelphia, PA; Portland, OR; and Seattle, WA; College Forward in Austin, TX; and Catalyze partnerships in California, Iowa, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, and Tennessee. Learn more at CollegePossible.org.

SOURCE College Possible