Staff Board of Trustees
Click here for farewell and thanks from former executive director Susie Kaeser.
Patrick Mullen started as executive director of Reaching Heights the fall of 2007. Raised in Syracuse, New York, Mullen and his family moved to Cleveland Heights in 1995, when his wife began medical school at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He has two children attending the Cleveland Heights-University Heights schools, one at Boulevard Elementary and one at Roxboro Middle School, and a daughter in college who attended Coventry School and Roxboro Middle School. Mullen is a graduate of Fordham University in the Bronx with a degree in English.
Prior to joining Reaching Heights, Mullen balanced work as a freelance writer and editor with his duties as a stay-at-home dad. He has been a classroom volunteer for the last eight years in the Heights schools, served as PTA co-president at Coventry School, and is PTA Treasurer at Boulevard School.
Joy Henderson, Assistant Director
Joy Henderson joined the Reaching Heights staff in 1999. The Mentor High School graduate moved to Cleveland
Heights in 1991 after working in Denver, Colorado as a geologist
for British Petroleum. Her children attended Fairfax Elementary School and Roxboro
Middle School. Her son attends Heights High and her daughter graduated in 2004.
Before joining the Reaching Heights staff where she is in charge of the Neighborhood Newsletter project and Thank-A-Teacher program, she was a volunteer writer for the Fairfax Neighborhood
Newsletter. She is now employed part-time as the Parent Community Liason for Heights High. She is a graduate
of Ohio University.
Krista Hawthorne, Staff Associate
Krista Hawthorne joined the Reaching Heights Staff in 2006. She and her husband have lived in Cleveland Heights since 1988. Their two daughters attend Coventry and Roxboro Middle School, and they have hosted five AFS exchange student daughters who attended Heights High.
Krista is a graduate of Kent State University with a degree in Rhetoric and Communication. She is also a busy, local volunteer as Area Team Chair for AFS Cleveland-East, treasurer of Coventry P.E.A.C.E., and an usher at The Cleveland Playhouse.
Before joining the Reaching Heights Staff where she coordinates the Patti Music Scholarships and office administration, Krista worked as an administrator for Allen Technologies, Inc. and spent 10 years as Franchise Marketing Manager for Proforma, Inc. and Management Recruiters, Inc.
Reaching Heights is an advocate for public education and a community-based resource for the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District. Our passion is excellent public education in the Heights. Our mission is tomobilize community resources to foster highly valued public schools that provide all Cleveland Heights-University Heights students a successful education.
We provide grants to teachers to support instructional innovation, produce and distribute newsletters and email news, run a summer music camp and other enrichment initiatives, manage an ongoing teacher appreciation program, hold special events and forums, and a volunteer tutoring program – Many Villages.
Three part-time staff members, an active board of trustees who are residents of the school district, and hundreds of volunteers implement programs that support the Reaching Heights mission.
The purpose of the Many Villages initiative is to create school-based programs that mobilize community volunteers to help teachers address the learning needs of all students.
Position: Reaching Heights is looking for a Many Villages manager who will recruit, train, support and assist each school’s Village Coordinator. The Village coordinators manage the volunteer tutoring program in each school.
The manager will also work with each school coordinator and teams to pilot and/or implement programs that tie tutor efforts to measurable academic improvement, facilitate the sharing of best practices between schools and assist our Executive Director in data collection, performance reporting and grant writing. The manager will oversee the growth of the program to include all CH-UH schools. Program goals are:
Salary and hours: 10 hours a week during the school year, although it may be more some weeks and fewer some weeks. Starting pay is $20/hour.
Qualifications: The ideal candidate will have experience recruiting, managing and motivating volunteers. A familiarity with the work of the Many Villages program is helpful. Knowledge of the CH-UH schools, excellent interpersonal and problem solving skills are essential.
Contact: To be considered for this position send your resume and letter of interest to: Patrick Mullen, Reaching Heights, 1991 Lee Road # 106, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118.
Reaching Heights is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity We will not discriminate on any legally recognized basis, including but not limited to race, age, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status ,national origin, or non-job related handicap or disability.
