Helios Education Foundation Promotes Janice Palmer and Paul Perrault to Help Grow Opportunities for Postsecondary Attainment and Improve Educational Equity in Arizona and Florida

PHOENIX, June 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Helios Education Foundation has announced that Janice Palmer has been named the new Senior Vice President, Government Affairs and Public Policy and Dr. Paul Perrault has been named the new Senior Vice President, Community Impact and Learning. 

Since its inception, Helios Education Foundation has been focused on creating opportunities for students to succeed in postsecondary education. That mission is rooted in the belief that education changes lives and strengthens communities. Over the past few years, the Foundation's work has reflected an increased focus on issues of equity in education and ensuring that all students – regardless of background or zip code – have access to a high quality education.  Throughout Arizona and Florida, the work is focused on closing achievement gaps and increasing postsecondary degree attainment. This will not only increase opportunities for individuals to live a more fulfilling life, but it will also help ensure  communities are strong and economically stable.

The Foundation's Board of Directors and Senior Leadership team has recently refined a five-year vision that elevates six critical areas.  The focus will be on moving the needle forward in these areas: 

• Championing postsecondary attainment and eliminating achievement gaps
• Championing the support of first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students and working toward a more equitable education system
• Creating innovative education solutions through data-driven decision-making
• Convening, collaborating, and partnering together in support of an education system that puts students first
• Increasing internal talent and expertise in areas that will help support this work
• Remaining flexible in order to be responsive to emerging needs and priorities that may arise.

The promotions of Janice Palmer and Dr. Paul Perrault are critical to the ability for Helios to deliver on this vision. Palmer will lead Helios' policy work in both Arizona and Florida, driving the implementation of a policy agenda that supports the Foundation's fundamental beliefs and its five-year vision.  In order to see the kind of systemic change that is necessary to realize a more equitable education system, the Foundation will engage in policy in a more significant and proactive way. Palmer has led the policy work in Arizona for the past five years and she will continue to focus on implementing a policy agenda in Arizona and Florida that is equitable and serves all students.

Perrault will help inform the Foundation's strategy and goals by providing strategic leadership to the Foundation's research and evaluation work and the grants management and administration team.  As the Foundation continues to base our decisions in data and research, Perrault's work has become even more critical and is directly informing our organizational strategy.

In addition, the Foundation has elevated Julie Norwood to Vice President, Grants and Project Management. In this role, Norwood will take on increased leadership in providing expertise and support in grants and project management to internal and external partners.    

The Foundation's Community Engagement teams will continue to be led by Charles Hokanson in Florida and Vince Yanez in Arizona and their roles have been expanded to include both Community Engagement and Strategic Partnership activities. 

These changes represent our increased focus and commitment to being an impactful organization that is dedicated to ensuring all students in Arizona and Florida have the opportunity to achieve a postsecondary degree. 

About Helios Education Foundation

Helios Education Foundation invests resources all along the education continuum to ensure more students in Arizona and Florida have the opportunity to complete a postsecondary degree. Committed to the principles of Community, Equity, Investment, and Partnership, Helios improves educational outcomes for first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students, throughout Arizona, and in Florida's metropolitan regions of Tampa Bay, Central Florida and South Florida. Focused on the opportunities provided by an equitable education system, Helios seeks to change lives and strengthen communities by eliminating achievement gaps and increasing student attainment. Since 2004 Helios has invested more than $260 million in partnerships and initiatives focused on improving education outcomes in the two states we serve. Learn more about Helios Education Foundation at www.helios.org.

CONTACT:  Rebecca Lindgren
602.381.2294 | [email protected]

SOURCE Helios Education Foundation