Illinois' Ardrey to Lead RSC Board of Directors
David Ardrey Elected to Serve as Rural Schools Collaborative Board Chairman
David Ardrey works with Egyptian High School students during a summer program in Carbondale, Illinois.
INFORMATION RELEASE
RURAL SCHOOLS COLLABORATIVE/www.ruralschoolscollaborative.org
CONTACT: Dr. Gary Funk, director, gfunk@ruralschoolscollaborative.org
(417-848-9083)
David Ardrey Elected to Serve as Rural Schools Collaborative Board Chairman
Cambridge, WI, August 7, 2015--David Ardrey has been elected to serve as chairman of the board for the recently launched Rural Schools Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting local schools and small communities.
David is currently the Executive Director of the Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools (AIRSS). He also serves as a member of the not-for-profit group, Rural Schools and Community Initiative, which serves the southern region of Illinois.
AIRSS was chartered in 1987 with the purpose of presenting a unified effort to promote educational excellence in rural and small schools in Illinois. In 1994, LOCON (Local Control) merged with and became an affiliate of AIRSS to solidify the group as the ONLY statewide organization that helps to promote and enhance education in rural and small schools in every community and location of Illinois.
David’s self-described attribute of being a “pragmatic visionary” allows him to listen to an idea and convert it to a working project or program. Within this context he will provide support in the following areas: creative and strategic planning, critical thinking within the program and budget planning process, policy guidance, financial oversight, and program and project management including people/personnel development. Mr. Ardrey has put these skills to work with local districts working on School Improvement Grants (SIG), 21st Century Grants and most recently on issues regarding the new common core or Illinois Learning Standards.
Mr. Ardrey’ s professional experience working in higher education including development, outreach and grant funded programming and his personal experiences in the private business sector allow him to bring a unique perspective to strategic planning, succession planning, issues of sustainability, budget and financial oversight and program development, implementation and management.
Rural Schools Collaborative (RSC) was organized in 2014 and launched in April 2015. RSC is steadfastly committed to the belief that innovative instruction, thoughtful collaboration, and targeted philanthropy strengthen the fabric of rural places. The organization is currently engaged in eight different states with an administrative office in Cambridge, Wisconsin. For more information please contact the organization at info@ruralschoolscollaborative.org or Gary Funk at the information provided above.