The Villa’s Career and Transition Services program is really taking off! Students are busy with on-campus internships, delivering office supplies, serving food, sorting mail and shelving materials. Above, Meghan prepares food in the Villa’s new Culinary Arts Center’s training program.
Congratulations to Matt Kreydatus and LaSonia Lee for helping our students prepare for life after school!
On February 20, St. Joseph’s Villa announced that it has named Dana Hawes Senior Director of Children’s Educational Services. The appointment is effective immediately.
Mr. Hawes joined St. Joseph’s Villa in August 2011 and has served as its head of Dooley Center for Alternative Education since that time. As Head of DCAE, Mr. Hawes introduced several improvements to the program, including the adoption of the e2020 educational courseware and starting a new level system to build student engagement with the educational system.
Prior to joining St. Joseph’s Villa, Mr. Hawes served as principal, assistant principal and instructional leader in both Henrico County and the Capital City Program in partnership with Richmond Public Schools. He holds a Post Graduate Professional License with an endorsement in Administration and Leadership. Mr. Hawes has completed the University of Richmond’s “Next Generation of Leadership Academy” (2008), the EduLead’s “Leaders in Transition Summer Institute” (2009), and is currently dually enrolled in Walden University’s doctoral program in Higher Education and Adult Learning and a graduate certification program in Non-Profit Organizational Management.
As Senior Director of Children’s Educational Services, Mr. Hawes will be responsible for five educational programs at St. Joseph’s Villa (Dooley School, Dooley Elementary School, Dooley Center for Alternative Education, Brook Road Academy and Lewis Children’s Center), as well as the Villa’s Career and Transition Services (CATS) program. Mr. Hawes succeeds Ms. Susan Pokorski, who retired earlier this month.
“This is an important appointment for St. Joseph’s Villa, and we are delighted to have Dana accept this position,” said Cynthia Faison, Chief Operations Officer at St. Joseph’s Villa. “Dana is a skilled administrator, and he brings energy and innovation to our educational programs. Most of all, he cares for his students and will work as hard as possible to help them achieve.”
We are proud to announce that the Walmart Foundation has awarded St. Joseph’s Villa $50,000 in support of the Villa’s Career and Transition Services program. The CATS program provides students and adults at Flagler Home with services to improve their job prospects. During the past year,
This is the third consecutive year that Walmart has supported the CATS program.
Last month’s newsletter contained a story about Pathways to Prominence, a new speaker’s series at Dooley Center for Alternative Education. In November, Mr. Haywood Fox addressed the students.
In his talk, Mr. Fox recounted how he had rebounded from a life in the perils of the streets and prison to become an AAU basketball coach and youth motivational speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Fox, for sharing your story with our students!
