Working Together for Educational Equity
Partnership Update - December 2021
Dear Partners,

As you head toward the winter holidays we, the Backbone Team, wish you joy and celebration as you head into the new year, and send our gratitude for all that you have done this past year.

The Marin Promise Partnership is unlike any other in the county. You refuse to settle for a world in which a child’s potential is dictated by race, ethnicity, zip code or financial circumstance. You are leading the hard work to build cradle-to-career, county-wide coalitions across sectors, institutions, and formal and informal power structures. Together you are breaking down barriers, amplifying success, building relationships, changing systems, and improving lives.

Your hard work, rooted in advancing racial equity, is about being practice leaders, working in community, to shift policies, practices, and resources, transform power structures, and center equity in hearts and minds - so every child can reach their full educational potential.

We deeply appreciate your tireless dedication to educational equity as our county’s practice leaders both individually and as a Partnership. We are honored to support you through your Partnership and to steward the infrastructure that helps keep you connected, aligned, and moving forward together in action.

There’s been a lot going on over the first half of the year to appreciate. Here are some recent highlights:
Partnership Summit
Gratitude as the Event Comes to a Close

While the Summit has officially ended, if you want to truly “appreciate” all that the Partnership encompasses, you can still visit the Summit webpage to watch a few short videos, check out the interactive engagement experiences and pick up a few great podcast ideas.
Staff and Board Member Shifts

  • Jacqui Esquivel Vasquez - Your Manager of Partner Engagement, Jacqui, is going to become a teacher! It is sad to lose such a dynamic and impactful Backbone Team member, but exciting to support her in her new journey knowing that she will continue to make an impact in this world! Click HERE to learn more about her contribution to the Partnership and to help us find a new Partner Engagement Manager.

  • Cheramie Johnson - After a months-long search for a Partnership Operations Coordinator, we are thrilled to welcome Cheramie to the Backbone Team! Click HERE to learn more about her role in supporting Partners and the Partnership and HERE to read her staff Profile.

  • Abbie Ridenour - The Partnership’s COVID Response Fellow from Education Pioneers is staying on with the Backbone Team another 6 months. In addition to continuing to steward the Digital Inclusion Initiative, Abbie is providing research on ARPA funding and Community Schools and has just recently added the role of Success Network Facilitator for San Rafael High School.

  • Marjorie Delgadillo - A fierce champion for empowering youth and families in the Partnership’s governing structure, Marjorie, your Youth, Family and Community Collaboratives Manager will be leaving the Partnership’s Backbone Team to look for her next career opportunity. Click HERE to learn more about Marjorie’s contribution to the Partnership.

  • Anne Wilson - As CEO of the United Way Bay Area for 20 years (2000-2020), the Partnership is excited to add Anne’s deep nonprofit management and coalition building experience to the Board of Directors.

  • Lana Adlawan (New Director, Marin County Free Libraries), Lisa Raffel (New ED, Bridge the Gap), and Adam Jennings (New Superintendent, Shoreline Unified School District) have all joined the Partnership’s Leadership Team this year.
The Partnership Center Is Open
Start scheduling your 2022 Partner Meetings

As you, the Partners, start meeting again in person, many, such as CAM, YLI, and SRCS, are beginning to use the collaborative meeting space in the Partnership Center for retreats, workshops and multi-stakeholder meetings. Conveniently located right off the freeway in Terra Linda in between San Rafael and Novato the conference room space can accommodate up to 30 people with high quality video equipment for hybrid meeting engagement. Please contact Cheramie Johnson, Operations Coordinator, if your Partner organization would like to schedule use of the Partnership Center.
Strategic Plan Appreciation

Thank you to Steering Committee members guiding the Partnership’s Strategic Planning Process. The consultants at PEG have completed Phase 1 of the work and the committee will be meeting in January to align on a county-wide plan and to determine Partnership priorities for the coming 3-5 years.
Stay Connected & Show Your Support
As you consider your end-of-year giving, please consider making a contribution to support the collective work of the Partners by supporting the Partnership.
If you are not yet a Partner, please consider joining the Partnership by completing a Partnership Agreement (now available as a short, easy to use online form).


With Gratitude,

Marin Promise Partnership's Backbone Team
Marin Promise Partnership | marinpromisepartnership.org