President Obama Appoints Communities In Schools Board Chair Trustee of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

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Jul 23, 2010, 09:44 ET

ARLINGTON, Va., July 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The White House announced today that President Barack Obama appointed Elaine Wynn, Communities In Schools Board Chair, to the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The President also announced the appointment of Howard L. Gottlieb to the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.

President Obama said, "Both Howard and Elaine will bring sound judgment and tremendous dedication to these important roles, and I am grateful they have agreed to lend their talents to this administration. I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead."

"Elaine Wynn is an innovative leader in both business and philanthropy. We're honored to benefit from her leadership at Communities In Schools, and we congratulate the Kennedy Center," said Daniel Cardinali, President of Communities In Schools.

Elaine Wynn has served as Director of Wynn Resorts since 2000. Ms. Wynn is a past member of the Executive Board of the Consortium for Policy Research in Education and has served since 1997 on the State of Nevada Council to Establish Academic Standards. Most recently, Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons appointed Wynn co-chair of the Blue Ribbon Education Reform Task Force, created to ensure a successful state application for the federal Race to the Top competition. In addition, she was appointed in February 2010 to the Library of Congress Trust Fund Board by Senator Harry Reid. She is the Founding Chairperson of Communities in Schools of Nevada and was appointed as Chairman of the National Board of Communities in Schools. Ms. Wynn was named the Nevada Governor's Philanthropist of the Year in 2005, and in 2007, America's Promise Alliance awarded her one of seven National Promise of America Founders Awards for her dedication to education and improving the lives of children. Ms. Wynn received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Nevada Las Vegas in 1986.

Communities In Schools surrounds students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. Through a school-based coordinator, Communities In Schools connects students and their families to critical community resources tailored to local needs. Working in nearly 3,300 schools in the most challenged communities, in 26 states and the District of Columbia, Communities In Schools serves more than 1.3 million young people and their families. It has become the nation's leading dropout prevention organization, and the only one proven to increase graduation rates and decrease dropout rates.

Visit our website at www.communitiesinschools.org.

SOURCE Communities In Schools