Allison Jordan, Children First/Communities In Schools director to depart after 20 years with nonprofit

Press release from Children First/Communities In Schools:

Local non-profit, Children First/Communities In Schools (CIS) announces the resignation of its longtime executive director, Allison Jordan, as she pursues a career as an Executive Coach for Communities In Schools of North Carolina starting in late October.

“I am not leaving Asheville and look forward to contributing and participating in our community in new ways,” says Jordan. “I am full of gratitude for the support and confidence I have received throughout my tenure with Children First/CIS and proud of all that we have accomplished.”

Children First/CIS has a mission to empower children and their families to reach their full potential through advocacy, education and services. It surrounds students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life through direct services and community supports in local schools and under-resourced communities.

Jordan first joined Children First/CIS in 1997 as a project and communications coordinator while finishing her senior year at UNCA. Just 8 years later in 2006 she was hired as the executive director and is now the youngest and longest-serving director in the organization’s history. She holds a Masters of Science in Community Leadership from Duquesne University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from UNC-Asheville.

“Allison has been an integral part of Children First/CIS,” says longtime supporter and former board president, Jennie Eblen. “I have had the honor to work with her for many years and have witnessed the organization transform its advocacy and services, including student support specialists in 5 area schools and multiple after-school programs. Through her vision and leadership, Children First/CIS is recognized as an expert resource in child poverty, child advocacy, and direct service provisioning in Buncombe County. She will be greatly missed, but her legacy will continue with the groundwork she has established and the partnerships she has created.”

She has been with the non-profit for 20 of its 4o+ years in Buncombe County. In 2003 the organization merged with national dropout prevention program, Communities In Schools and in 2013 it was awarded official designation as a Nationally Accredited Affiliate Organization for Communities In Schools.

In 2011, the non-profit held a two-day summit with over 250 attendees from local communities and agencies exploring and unpacking local poverty and how it affects children and families. From this summit, the Advocacy arm of the organization was expanded to include the Success Equation- a community collaboration to reduce and prevent the root causes of child poverty.

Jordan is a Leadership Asheville graduate and has received numerous awards and recognitions including the UNC-Asheville’s Francine Delaney Service to the Community Alumni Award in 2012; Kennon Roberson Award for Nonprofit Management Excellence in 2012 and the Leadership Asheville Community Trustee Award in 2013. In 2016 she was one of the expert panelists for the Pisgah Legal Poverty Forum featuring Marian Wright Edelman of the Children’s Defense Fund.

“Allison is an exceptional leader who has developed an outstanding team that will continue to carry on the important work of the organization,” says current Children First/CIS Board of Directors President, Shawn Henderson.

“Allison’s legacy is not only the great work that she’s already done, but also the collaborative team she has built to successfully carry on that work in the future,” Henderson continues. “We are so pleased and fortunate that her new role as an Executive Coach with Communities in Schools of NC will allow her to continue to interact with our Buncombe County organization. The Board has formed a Search Committee and is in the process of finding a new Executive Director.”