Evanston, IL based Learning Bridge Early Education Center taps KEES to help grow and develop Learning Bridge into this next phase of strategic planning as Executive Director search begins.

Executive search firm KEES has been exclusively retained by Learning Bridge Early Education Center (Learning Bridge) in its search for its next Executive Director. Under the new leadership, Learning Bridge looks forward to building on its past, strengthening mission expansion, and creating a stronger and more dynamic future for serving Evanston and the surrounding neighborhood communities. Celebrating 80 years of serving the community, Learning Bridge began as a daycare in the basement of an African American church during World War II. Located in Evanston, IL, Learning Bridge provides equitable access to high-quality early learning in a caring and safe environment so that every child thrives.

A strategic thinker with a motivation for mission expansion, the next leader will be a positive cultural influencer who leads with transparency and is ready to represent and empower the staff to create an environment of excellence. This partnership adds Learning Bridge to KEES’ long list of education and youth-focused organizations. KEES President and CEO Heather Eddy, Executive Search Manager Yoo-Jin Hong, and Project Manager Megan Taylor will lead the search.

Learning Bridge’s Board of Directors selected KEES after reviewing several competitive proposals. “Our team was impressed with the knowledge and preparedness KEES demonstrated,” said Nikki Jarvis, Search Committee Chair. “The KEES team and their excellence in executive search stood out to us because they quickly understood our needs and the mission behind our caring community. We are thrilled to be in a partnership with KEES.”

As a premier executive search firm, KEES specializes in executive searches for top nonprofit executive positions such as Chief Executive Officer, Executive Director, and President roles. KEES has strong partnerships in the early childhood education and policy sectors and values the work of educators who work with the youngest of children. As a leading nonprofit executive search firm in Chicago, KEES is excited to begin work at this pivotal time in Learning Bridge’s history. Dating back to 1944, Learning Bridge Early Education Center has deep roots in Evanston’s preschool, community, and civic life. KEES Founder and CEO, Heather Eddy, states, “This will prove to be an incredible and rewarding Executive Director opportunity to further the important mission established nearly 80 years ago. Our team is thankful to Learning Bridge for their partnership.”

All nominations, inquiries, and discussions will be considered strictly confidential. If you would like to recommend someone for this role or have any questions, please email inquiries@kees2succes.com. Further details regarding the Executive Director opportunity will be released soon.

About the Partners

Learning Bridge Early Education Center

Learning Bridge Early Education Center (formerly Child Care Center of Evanston) is a community-based, not-for-profit organization that began as a daycare for 3-to-5-year-old children in 1944 during World War II. Learning Bridge is licensed through the Department of Children and Family Services and accredited through the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and has earned the ExceleRate’s Gold Circle of Quality. Gold Circle programs are actively engaged in continuous quality improvement and have met the highest quality standards in three areas: learning environment and teaching quality; administrative standards; and staff training and education. Learning Bridge is additionally a recipient of ExceleRate’s ‘Award of Excellence for Preschool Teaching and Learning’. For more information, visit  www.lbeec.org.

KEES

KEES (formerly Alford Executive Search) is a nonprofit executive search firm that builds diverse teams and dynamic leaders in the nonprofit and public sectors. A woman owned and operated firm, KEES offers a full array of nonprofit consulting services, including executive search, leadership development, interim staffing, and human resources support. The partnership with Learning Bridge builds upon KEES’ long list of client partners who serve and support early childhood educational impact in a multitude of ways including Cornerstone Children’s Learning Center (Chicago, IL), Educare Lincoln (Lincoln, NE), Educare West DuPage (West Chicago, IL), and the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children (New Orleans, LA. For more information, please visit www.kees2success.com.

KEES MEDIA CONTACT:

Jamie Sheffler, 719-671-1129, jsheffler@kees2success.com

LEARNING BRIDGE MEDIA CONTACT:

Deb Schlies, 847-707-9004, debschlies@gmail.com