Golden Apple Announces Nancy Northrip to Serve as New Chair for Board of Directors

Having served on the Golden Apple Board of Directors, Northrip will leverage her deep understanding of the organization in new role

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - Today, Golden Apple announced the appointment of Nancy Northrip to the position of Chair of the Board of Directors. Northrip, the first female Board Chair, has been intimately engaged in the organization’s work for many years as a Board member and Chair of the Education Committee. She brings her background as an educator in early childhood and special education coupled with experience as a longtime, successful business owner to the role. As Board Chair, Northrip will be key in supporting senior leadership as they work to expand the reach of Golden Apple's programs in preparing the next generation of teachers. 

“I believe that every teacher has an immeasurable impact on the students they teach, and that’s why I am honored to serve as Board Chair of Golden Apple,” said Nancy Northrip. “There is still a great need to put teachers in classrooms, and Golden Apple is working tirelessly to address this teacher shortage crisis head on. Each teacher that graduates from a Golden Apple program brings us closer to our goal of resolving this crisis and giving the students of Illinois the education they deserve. I’m thrilled to support this work in a new way.”

Northrip’s roots within Golden Apple are deep; her father, Stanley C. Golder, was a founding board member and long-time supporter of the organization. The Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Leadership, which are awarded to principals or heads of school who have had a significant and sustained positive impact, are presented in honor of Stanley C. Golder every year.

Northrip is committed to equity, and a top priority in her new role is to build upon Golden Apple’s proven record of placing more teachers of color in classrooms across Illinois. Northrip is also eager to work with Golden Apple’s leadership team to continue to find opportunities for the organization to grow its reach and improve the lives of more students in need. 

“Throughout her time at Golden Apple, Nancy has been instrumental in our growth,” said Alicia Winckler, CEO of Golden Apple. “Her passion for our program participants - our Golden Apple Scholars and Accelerators - and their impact, is key to our evolution, navigating an ever-changing landscape for education during the pandemic and in the years to come.”

In December of 2019, Golden Apple launched the Accelerators program, a 15-month teacher residency and licensure program that expedites the preparation of highly-effective teachers to address Illinois’ teacher shortage crisis and fill teaching positions in critical areas throughout the state. The Accelerators program is designed to complement Golden Apple’s long standing Scholars program, which recruits seniors in high school through sophomores in college in Illinois to prepare them to thrive as future educators in challenging school environments. 

Golden Apple welcomed its inaugural class of Accelerators in June 2020 and placed participants in 22 school districts throughout southern, central, and western Illinois. They are expected to receive teaching licenses by Summer 2021. Each Accelerator will then teach in a partner school district for at least four years. 

“Nancy’s deep roots within Golden Apple uniquely prepare her to lead our organization into this next post-pandemic chapter,” said Golden Apple President, Alan Mather. “I’m confident that with Nancy as chair we will continue to enrich and expand our Accelerators and Scholars programs to elevate the teaching profession, build diversity in the classroom, and address the teacher shortage.”

As the new Chair, Northrip will head Golden Apple’s Board of Directors and continue to work alongside CEO Alicia Winckler and President Alan Mather— as well as Golden Apple staff and partners —  to guide, inform, and support the organization.

About Golden Apple

Golden Apple’s mission is to inspire, develop and support teacher and school leader excellence in Illinois, especially in schools-of-need. Our leading-edge preparation delivers exceptional teachers who make an impact. We help students thrive in the classroom and in life. Since our beginning, we have recognized master educators annually; and, these master educators prepare the future generation of teachers.  Our vision is an Illinois in which every classroom has a great teacher and to realize this, we are committed to making a material difference in resolving the teacher shortage throughout Illinois. Visit www.goldenapple.org for more information.

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