Meet Us

Six guiding principles drive the work of our small, but mighty team:

Our children deserve an excellent education and our community is responsible for making it available.
Our community benefits from highly valued, successful public schools.

An informed public is important to successful public schools.
Vital schools depend on the support, interest, and involvement of the families and community they serve.
An independent community-based organization can help citizens contribute to their public schools and can build confidence in them.
Supporting teachers, who are at the core of the educational process, fosters educational success.

staff

Executive Director

Krista Hawthorne

Krista was selected by the Board of Directors to be Executive Director in April 2014 after serving roles as Assistant Director and Communications Assistant since 2009.

For more than 20 years, Krista has been a lead volunteer with the international student exchange organization, AFS Intercultural Programs.

She and her husband have lived in Cleveland Heights since 1988. Their two daughters attended Coventry and Boulevard Elementary Schools, Roxboro Middle School, and Cleveland Heights High. They have hosted seven AFS exchange students who also attended Heights High and are Tiger Proud!

Contact

krista@reachingheights.org

Program Manager

Jennifer Holland

Jen and her husband have lived in Cleveland Heights for over 40 years and are proud parents of four children who attend Gearity Preschool, Roxboro Elementary School and Roxboro Middle School. She has served as the Roxboro PTA President and PTA President for CHUH PTA Council Executive Board. She continues to serve on the PTA Council as the Diversity & Inclusion Chair which assists Reaching Heights in maintaining communication with leaders in the CHUH district.
Jen is also a board member of Ensemble Theatre and Ingenuity.
She is a proud Heights Tiger parent who works to support the important mission of Reaching Heights.

Contact

jen@reachingheights.org

Parent Mentor

Amy
Kerr-Jung

Amy joined the Reaching Heights staff in February 2015 and manages the Exceptional Children’s Advocacy Group. Her background as a educator, public sector researcher, and parent of a child with special needs, makes her uniquely qualified to help parents navigate our district’s special needs programs. Amy lives in Cleveland Heights with her husband and two children, one middle schooler and one in high school. She enjoys visiting her college sophomore daughter, especially when she is performing! Amy is one of the biggest cheerleaders for all of our district children. You will see her at many school events throughout the year.

Contact

amy@reachingheights.org

Admin. Assistant

Linda Dudzinsky

Linda and her husband have lived in Cleveland Heights for over 33 years and are the proud parents of a daughter and son who attended Fairfax Elementary School, Roxboro Middle School and Cleveland Heights High. She is a past Fairfax PTA President and former member of the CH-UH PTA Council Executive Board. Linda also worked for eight years as Media Ancillary at Fairfax Elementary School. She is an active member at her church and also volunteers for Thea Bowman Center, a community center in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood. She is proud to be working in support of the important mission of Reaching Heights.

Contact

linda@reachingheights.org

board

Reaching Heights is a membership organization that is governed by a board of directors who live or teach in the school district. One director is a member of the CH-UH board of education. The superintendent of the CH-UH schools is an ex-officio member.