Students Rising Above Appoints Kris Van Giesen Director Of Advancement And Community Relations

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Students Rising Above, (SRA) one of the most successful college completion and workforce entry programs, today announced that Kris Van Giesen, who has more than 15 years of development and community affairs experience, has been named Director of Advancement and Community Relations.

Van Giesen previously worked for the Hanna Boys Center in Sonoma as Chief Development and Community Relations Officer for 10 years. At Hanna Boys Center, Van Giesen managed a team of six and raised $4 million annually to support the organization. He and his volunteer campaign committee were also responsible for a five-year, $15 million capital campaign, which was completed in July.

Earlier in his career, Van Giesen worked for several years in the Clinton-Gore White House, holding key positions in the Administration in Washington, DC and California. In addition, Van Giesen worked for the San Francisco Giants, San Jose Sharks and served in leadership roles at several Bay Area startup companies. Van Giesen also worked as a Capital Campaign Director for the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in International Business and Economics.

"Kris Van Giesen is an outstanding development and community relations professional with a proven record of helping organizations grow and thrive," said SRA Executive Director Lynne Martin. "Kris shares our commitment to breaking the cycle of poverty through educational opportunity. His leadership and experience will help SRA execute its plan to expand beyond the Bay Area to help more low-income, first-generation students graduate from college and find meaningful career jobs."

Van Giesen said: "I'm very excited to be working with one of the Bay Area's most successful nonprofit organizations. SRA is the natural next step in my career to help young adults realize their potential and change lives and communities. I'm particularly pleased to join SRA and build on the success of its College2Careers program, an online resource that has great potential to serve students across the country."

SRA's College2Careers Hub is an all-in-one college information center and online student community that is the first to offer confidential, one-to-one assistance in real time from a professionally trained advisor. The Hub complements SRA's existing program in which students are assigned a professional advisor and a volunteer mentor who provide financial, academic and emotional support from high school through college completion and into the workforce.

SRA's program is one of the most effective of its kind in the United States. Ninety percent of SRA students complete bachelor's degrees in 4.5 years, and 87% of SRA graduates are in career-ladder jobs or attending graduate school within 12 months of college graduation. SRA's students have been accepted to elite universities, including Harvard, Stanford, Yale, MIT and others, as well as schools in the University of California and California State University systems, along with top-tier public universities across the nation.

About Students Rising Above
Students Rising Above (SRA) is an award-winning nonprofit organization that enables low-income, first-generation college students to attend a four-year college and secure a career-ladder job.  SRA provides personal guidance and mentoring, internships and career guidance, and financial support from college application, through graduation and into the workforce.  A 501(c)3, SRA is funded by individual donations, and grants and contributions from corporations, foundations, and other nonprofit organizations. For more information or to apply to the program, visit www.studentsrisingabove.org.

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SOURCE Students Rising Above

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http://www.studentsrisingabove.org