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Press Release

Foundation for the Education of Young Women Appoints Lynn McBee as New CEO and Jennifer Shultz as New CDO

By February 3, 2014February 7th, 2016No Comments
(Dallas, TEXAS, February 3, 2014) – The Foundation for the Education of Young Women (FEYW) has announced new leadership in an effort to expand its network of high performing schools for girls throughout Texas, and beyond. Community and business leader Lynn McBee has been named the new Chief Executive Officer of the organization, and Jennifer Shultz, CFRE, has been appointed the Chief Development Officer. FEYW partners with Texas school districts to start and support single-gender, college preparatory public schools for girls, the majority of whom come from economically disadvantaged households. Its three pillars are college readiness, service leadership, and health and wellness. Since the organization’s founding, FEYW has invested funds and resources with impressive results: 100% of seniors graduate from high school, and 100% are accepted to college. FEYW recently added the Grand Prairie ISD Young Women’s Leadership Academy, bringing the network of sister schools statewide from six to seven. A seventh generation Texan from South Texas, Lynn McBee has been employed as a consultant in the biotechnology industry for 22 years. However, she is best known for her extensive leadership roles in the Dallas community and her ability to strategically connect groups, businesses and people to achieve established goals. She has served as the Chairman of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge Opening Weekend Celebration, the Centennial Dinner Chairman for the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas Celebration, and The United Way of Metropolitan Dallas’ Tocqueville Society Chairman and 25th Anniversary Chairman. Currently, she is Chairman Emeritus and Life Member of the Board of Directors of the Visiting Nurse Association and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of The Trinity Trust, The Bridge Homeless Shelter, The Salvation Army, Dallas Women’s Foundation, The Family Place Foundation, Letot Center Foundation, Dallas Historical Society, Children’s Medial Center Foundation, National Chi Omega Foundation, The Crystal Charity Ball,

DCCCD Executive Board, Dedman College Executive Board at Southern Methodist University, TACA, American Film Institute and Charter 100. Additionally, she is a graduate of Leadership Dallas and Legacy Dallas and has received numerous awards for her leadership and community involvement. McBee is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin where she received a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry.

Gina Betts, FEYW board chair, said, “We are so excited to have Lynn McBee as our new CEO. FEYW is poised to open new schools in Texas and then to surrounding states. With Lynn’s great business sense and dedication to providing a college prep education to young women so that they can attend and graduate from college, I have no doubt that we will continue to thrive as an organization. Lynn is the perfect person to continue Sally and Lee Posey’s mission of breaking the cycle of poverty for young women through education.”

McBee said, “I’m excited about the mission of the organization and helping to expand its network of schools. I am passionate about girls’ education, especially STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) as my background is in the sciences. A college preparatory education is an achievable goal for all girls, and this model is one solution that is working well with 100% of the girls graduating from high school and being accepted to college.”

Jennifer Shultz has a background in higher education fundraising having worked for Wake Forest University as executive director of prospect development and Southern Methodist University as assistant director of development and director of prospect management. She’s developed strategies and solicited major gifts at a high level, planned fundraisers and managed development initiatives. Previously, Shultz worked for Celanese and Verizon Select Services. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Business Administration and Communication Arts from Austin College and a Master of Liberal Studies from Southern Methodist University.

“Jennifer’s background in the corporate and educational fields, along with her amazing fundraising track record, will help provide the resources the Foundation for the Education of Young Women needs to expand its network to new cities in Texas and beyond,” added Betts.

History of FEYW and Schools in the Network:

In 2001, Texas philanthropists Sally and Lee Posey learned of a new single-sex, college preparatory, public school in New York City, The Young Women’s Leadership School of East Harlem. With a passion for at-risk and underserved young women, the Poseys’ interest was immediately piqued by news of the wildly successful New York school. After an inspirational visit to the school, they endeavored to bring the model to Texas. In 2002, the Foundation for the Education of Young Women (FEYW), a 501(c)(3) organization, was established. FEYW formed a partnership with the Dallas Independent School District and, in August 2004, the Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School opened. Additional network schools are the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders in Austin; the Young Women’s Leadership Academy in San Antonio; the Talkington School for Young Women Leaders in Lubbock; the Young Women’s Leadership Academy in Fort Worth; the Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy in Houston. In January 2014, the Foundation added a seventh school, the Young Women’s Leadership Academy (YWLA) at Bill Arnold Middle School in Grand Prairie.

“Lynn’s vision for growing the network of schools, along with her fundraising ability and Jennifer’s, will be an asset for the Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School,” said Vivian Taylor-Samudio, principal of the school. “We look forward to working with her to help girls graduate from high school with a lifelong love of learning so that they can, in many cases, become the first in their families to graduate from college.”

About the Foundation for the Education of Young Women:

More information can be found at www.feyw.org or by calling 214.824.1400.

For immediate release

Media contacts:
Juliette Coulter, 214.394.5532, juliette@coultergroup.com
Rhonda Aghamalian, 972.824.1455, contact.rhonda.now@gmail.com

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