Vann Named Community Development Coordinator

District Partners with Economic Security Corporation to Help Address Graduation Rate

Kim Vann has been named Community Development Coordinator for the Joplin School District. Vann will be responsible for developing community partnerships and resources to help increase Joplin’s graduation rate. She began her duties January 4, 2010.

The new Community Development Coordinator position was created as part of the district’s Strategic Plan and is the result of a partnership between Joplin Schools and the Economic Security Corporation of Southwest Area (ESC), a private non-profit Community Action Agency that serves the needs of low-income individuals and families. The position is funded through a Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), which encourages grassroots community planning in the development of local programs. The CSBG program was expanded by passage of the 2009 national economic stimulus package, and the ESC’s grant request for a collaborative project with the Joplin School District was approved in October 2009.

The Community Development Coordinator will build a bridge between the community and the schools that will create the support necessary for at-risk students to graduate. As outlined in the district’s Strategic Plan, Vann’s objective will be to cultivate the community’s participation in students’ education through business/school partnerships, faith-based/school partnerships, and human service/school partnerships.

“The collaboration between the Economic Security Corporation and Joplin Schools is unique and has a tremendous amount of potential to serve as a model for districts across Missouri,” says Superintendent of Joplin Schools, Dr. C.J. Huff. “We look forward to great results for our kids and additional collaborative opportunities with our community as a result of this partnership.” Debbie Markman, Housing and Development Director for the Economic Security Corporation, is equally optimistic, saying the partnership “is an opportunity to grow our community resources enabling our future youth to become Joplin’s community leaders.”

Kim Vann came to the district from the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce where she served as the Business Development Director for the past six years. Vann is a past President of Soroptimist International of Joplin, past Chairperson of Boomtown Days, and has served on numerous boards and committees in the Joplin area. Vann was a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Council for the past five years. In 2009, she received her Institute of Organizational Management designation at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA. The Joplin Tri State Business Journal honored Vann as being one of the area’s 10 Most Influential Women in 2007. She is married to Joel and they have two children, Zach and Jessica.

posted 1/22/10