The newly revitalized Poughkeepsie Public Schools Foundation (PPSF) has appointed Hudson Valley powerhouse G. Angela Henry as its first executive director. In her new role, Henry will oversee the nonprofit”™s fundraising and grant-making efforts and will work in tandem with board members, school administrators and community partners to identify needs and find solutions that support and enrich the education of students in the Poughkeepsie City School District.
“Angela Henry is the right person to represent the foundation,” said Ellen Staino, board president of PPSF, a retired teacher and former president of the Poughkeepsie City School District Board of Education. “She is passionate and articulate about our mission. Her varied skill set will serve the foundation, school district and community in the most positive way. I welcome Angela to our team and look forward to working with her.”
The PPSF was initially founded in 2008 to put musical instruments in the hands of students who could not afford to rent them. Over the years the foundation raised and distributed more than $40,000 for projects as diverse as museum field trips, the creation of school gardens and the Pioneer Post newspaper. The foundation was dormant from 2016 until 2019, when two original members of the foundation”™s board, Diane Ruffin and Stan Merritt, joined Staino to revive it.
Currently a designated fund of the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, the foundation was incorporated as a nonprofit in New York state and is in the process of securing federal not-for-profit status. It will focus on providing support to enrich the education of all students in the district, fundraising for opportunities such as campus visits for first-generation college applicants, financial aid and STEM programs.
