Staff Announcement - July 24, 2019

We are pleased to announce two new members of the Golden Apple staff. Pam Witmer will be joining as Chief of Staff, beginning September 3rd, and Jasmine Jones has joined as the Manager of Placement & Alumni Relations, effective July 9th.

As Chief of Staff, Pam will support Alicia and Alan in the general management of The Golden Apple Foundation. She will also lead the program management of the new Golden Apple Accelerators Pilot Program and develop key working relationships with universities and K-12 school districts throughout Illinois. She will play an integral role in senior staff discussions and key educational and operational leadership meetings, as well as manage and monitor functions across departments at Golden Apple to ensure communications and operations are appropriately sequenced to effectively reach diverse stakeholder groups.

Pam is a licensed attorney and brings an impressive history of work experience with her to Golden Apple, including roles as Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Postsecondary Education Policy at the Mayor’s Office in Chicago. As Deputy Chief of Staff, she managed the administration’s K-12 and postsecondary education portfolio and served as mayoral liaison for Chicago’s higher education community. She facilitated, supported, and helped execute Chicago Public Schools’ and the City Colleges of Chicago’s shared vision for improving students’ postsecondary outcomes. Prior to her work at the Mayor’s Office, Pam was a Senior Policy Manager at the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, a Legislative Analyst at StudentsFirst, and an elementary school teacher.

Pam holds a Juris Doctor from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Jasmine will support the Director of Placement & Alumni Relations, Corey Richardson, with the development and implementation of Scholar placement and Alumni Relations. In her role, she will engage in volunteer relationship management and provide personalized employment support to various Teaching Scholars and Alumni.

Jasmine comes to Golden Apple from Turning the Page, where she served as a Partnership Manager. She was responsible for providing family engagement supports at five underserved schools in North Lawndale via educational workshops, student engagement, parent leadership training, and summer learning experiences. She is a civic-minded individual who has devoted her professional career to education and community initiatives with Turning the Page, Youth Guidance and City Year. 

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Clinical Psychology and a Minor in Sociology from Saint Xavier University in Chicago.

Please join us in welcoming Pam and Jasmine to the team!