Flint native Heather Morolla Kale brings business, child advocacy background to the School Finance Research Collaborative
FLINT, Mich. – Heather Morolla Kale, a Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce official and longtime advocate for Genesee County children and families, has joined the School Finance Research Collaborative Advisory Committee, the Collaborative announced today.
“Working with Flint’s most vulnerable young people, I’ve seen firsthand how a high-quality public school education makes all the difference in helping students of all backgrounds and challenges achieve and succeed,” said Kale, the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce’s Director of Member Services, and a Flint native. “As a part of the Chamber’s leadership, I see the dire need to connect student talent with the demands businesses face across Michigan. I look forward to lending my experience and expertise in both arenas to the Collaborative Advisory Committee.”
Kale was previously director of The Carrera Program, a teen pregnancy prevention program. She was also Director of Communications and Outreach for Priority Children, an organization that advocates for the health and wellbeing of Genesee County children. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Gear Up 2 Lead and the YWCA of Greater Flint.
“Heather represents both ends of the talent attraction and retention spectrum – students in need of an education that prepares them for college and careers, and the business community that relies on our public schools to produce that talent,” said Doug Maibach, Chairman of the Barton Malow Enterprises Board of Directors and Executive Vice President of Barton Malow Co. “We are fortunate to have her on board to help us bridge that talent divide so all students are prepared for the competitive 21st century workforce.”
Kale has a master’s degree in public relations from Wayne State University and a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from the University of Michigan-Flint.
The School Finance Research Collaborative is a broad-based group of Republicans, Democrats, Independents, business leaders and education experts from Metro Detroit to the U.P. who agree it’s time to change the way Michigan’s schools are funded.
The Collaborative is bringing together top industry experts to reexamine the state’s approach to funding K-12 schools to ensure all students are fully prepared for college and careers, from the inner cities to the suburbs, to rural areas and the U.P.
The Collaborative is supporting a school adequacy study using multiple methodologies which is now underway. The study will provide policymakers with the best, most complete and most accurate information on what it truly costs to educate all Michigan public school students.
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