Elyse Barbell, LAC Executive Director, Resigns
The Board of the Literacy Assistance Center regrets to announce that Elyse Barbell, its eloquent and charismatic Executive Director since 2001, has resigned her position as of April 10th, 2012, in order to take on new professional opportunities. Under Elyse’s leadership, the LAC has grown and expanded its services in New York City and State, evolving along with the field of adult and out-of-school youth education to meet the needs of literacy professionals and organizations, and ultimately the learners they serve.
Elyse has been a passionate and articulate advocate for the field of adult literacy. She has been a wise and strategic leader in negotiating the complex web of public policy, funding, and the diverse program initiatives that constitute the contemporary landscape of adult literacy services on the local and national level.
While we will miss Elyse, the board and staff of the LAC look forward to celebrating her tenure and, at the same time, to forging a new future for the LAC at this point of significant transition. With profound changes in the field and an increasing need for adult and out-of-school youth education services, the LAC along with our sister agencies are facing new challenges and new opportunities. To address this changing landscape, the LAC board, along with Elyse and our exceptional staff, is instituting an interim plan for managing the LAC in its day-to-day activities while initiating a national search for a new leader who can succeed Elyse with vision, skills, and energy to build the LAC of the future.
We look forward to your participation, as a supporter and constituent of the LAC, in celebrating Elyses tenure and in this exciting work of charting new organizational directions while recommitting ourselves to the basic values of justice and opportunity through literacy that underlie our work.
About the LAC: Founded in 1983 to provide professional development and capacity building support to NYC programs providing adult literacy services, the LAC today works statewide to increase opportunities for adults with low literacy skills and limited English language proficiency. We provide publically funded programming to train teachers and maintain essential data about learners and programs as well as offer privately funded and fee-based services in health and family literacy and other areas. For more information, please contact Alex Santiago at #212-803-3351 or alexs@lacnyc.org. Inquiries concerning the executive director position can be emailed to info@lacnyc.org.
