Think Together Welcomes New Deputy Chief of Human Capital and Director of Talent Acquisition Amid Transformational Investments in Expanded Learning
Kecia Bailey Alexander and Holly Perry join Think Together to lead the nonprofit’s human capital and recruitment efforts as the organization experiences rapid growth.
Santa Ana, Calif. (January 11, 2022) – Think Together, California’s leading nonprofit provider of school improvement, expanded learning and afterschool programs, today announced the appointment of Kecia Bailey Alexander as Deputy Chief of Human Capital and Holly Perry as Director of Talent Acquisition.
With more than 25 years of professional experience in human resources, Kecia will lead the nonprofit’s onboarding and professional development, as well as its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives. Kecia comes to Think Together from Williams-Sonoma where she was Regional Director of Human Resources supporting the global supply chain for five multi-channel brands and multiple locations.
Kecia holds a Bachelor of Science from University of Phoenix and a Master of Applied Leadership & Management at Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management. Kecia also holds the following human resources designations, SHRM-CP, SPHR-CA, sHRBP and LDSS.
Holly joins Think Together from Gifted Healthcare where she led a clinical recruitment team during the COVID-19 staffing crisis. During which, Holly successfully placed nurses in hospitals nationally to help meet the overwhelming demand for healthcare workers throughout the pandemic.
At Think Together, Holly will oversee Think Together’s talent acquisition and retention strategies as well as its talent management framework as she leads the staffing and recruiting teams. Holly graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin with a Bachelor of Science in interdisciplinary studies.
“We’re proud to welcome these tremendously talented leaders to the Think Together team as we embark on a transformational moment in education,” said Think Together Founder and CEO Randy Barth. “These hires represent the building blocks needed as we prepare to scale in pursuit of our vision to reach more of the two million students at risk of not reaching their academic potential.”
Kecia and Holly will report to Chief People Officer Josh Felix who returned to the organization in 2020 to lead Think Together’s human capital team. The appointments come as Think Together expands its organization infrastructure to meet the unprecedented demand for afterschool and enrichment education to combat learning loss amid the ongoing pandemic.
Bolstered by a record expanded learning investment of $5 billion by 2025 by the state of California, the education nonprofit is immediately hiring 800 program and school site staff across the state. In addition, Think Together is preparing to hire 400 new staff members every month to scale its growth and meet the equitable education needs of students and families. This is part of an overall $123 billion investment in K-12 systems to address student learning recovery and reimagine education and expanded learning solutions for every student in the state.
California has the largest system of publicly-backed expanded learning in the nation. Generally funded through After School Education and Safety (ASES) state grants and federally funded 21st Century Community Learning Centers grants, these programs initially faced budget cuts amid the pandemic. Organizations like Think Together rely on public grants as well as private philanthropy to bring high-quality education programs from preschool to high school.
About Think Together
Think Together partners with schools and communities to pursue educational equity and excellence for all kids. As a nonprofit organization, Think Together innovates, implements and scales academic solutions that change the odds for hundreds of thousands of California students. Think Together’s program areas include early learning, afterschool, school support services and leadership development for teachers and school administrators. For more information, call (888) 485-THINK or visit www.thinktogether.org.
About Orenda Education
A Think Together affiliate since 2014, Orenda Education is in the business of change. This group of highly experienced educational consultants’ partners with school districts to identify research-based equity-grounded solutions for closing the Achievement Gap. Orenda’s proven approach dramatically improves student outcomes and creates paths for college and career opportunities. For more information please go to orendaed.org.
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