Tony Jordan is EY’s US and Americas Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer, leading the firm’s efforts to champion an ethical culture, values and standards through effective compliance programs and the ethics and integrity of EY’s engagements and people.  He has extensive litigation consulting, forensic accounting and auditing experience, is a certified public accountant, and has been providing financial consulting advice to clients for over 25 years. Previously, Tony served as EY’s Americas Leader of the Forensics & Integrity Services practice leading nearly 2,000 professionals to help clients mitigate risk and protect reputations. Prior to EY, Tony was Accounting Branch Chief at the Boston SEC Office. Tony earned a BBA in Accounting at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and has multiple CPA affiliations. Tony is a 2006 Andrew Barr Award Winner and is a former Board member of Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange and Discovering Justice.

In December we lost a true giant in the field of education and a beacon of equity and justice, Dr. Robert Peterkin. His tireless dedication to improving educational opportunities for all children, particularly those from underserved communities, has left an enduring impact on countless lives.  During his 50-year career, Dr. Peterkin broke barriers as Boston’s first Black public school headmaster, led superintendencies in Cambridge, MA, and Milwaukee, WI, and championed innovative programs like school-level decision making, a bilingual school, and alternative schools. As Director of Harvard's Urban Superintendents Program, he mentored a generation of diverse educational leaders working towards superintendency, focusing on equity, leadership, and systemic reform. Dr. Peterkin was not just a brilliant leader; he was a compassionate mentor and advocate who inspired generations of educators with his wisdom, compassion, and unwavering commitment to justice in education. His vision for education was bold, transformative, and deeply rooted in the belief that every child deserves the chance to thrive. For our organization, Dr. Peterkin was a guiding force, shaping our mission and reminding us of the profound responsibility we have to ensure every child is seen, supported, and empowered. His contributions as a long-term BellXcel Board Member were foundational; contributions that will continue to influence our work for years to come.  Dr. Peterkin is the namesake for our annual employee of the year award, the Peterkin Award. Every year, the Peterkin Award is given to a BellXcel team member, nominated by their peers, who exemplifies the BellXcel core values: innovation, responsibility, collaboration, inclusiveness, results, commitment to our mission. As we reflect on Dr. Peterkin's life, we are reminded that his passion, wisdom, and courage live on in the educators, students, and communities impacted by BellXcel. His legacy endures.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 – Newly inducted members of the Rise Fellowship gathered in Denver to participate in the inaugural Rise Summit. Dedicated to the positive progress of out-of-school time programs across rural and Indigenous communities, Rise Initiative designed the Summit to bring together OST youth program leaders with diverse perspectives and experiences to delve into key topics including hiring practices, program administration, fundraising, culture & climate, and data collection and evaluation.  Featuring sessions detailing the unique needs of rural communities, how to counteract the investment gap from private and public funding sources, research-based approaches to greater resilience for Indigenous peoples and communities, and more, the Summit presented a well-rounded approach to delivering high-quality programs for youth in these underserved communities.   Nine new Rise Fellows partook in professional development, collaboration, and action-planning commitments during the Summit and came away with action plans to implement into their 2024 afterschool programs. Over the coming year, the fellows will continue to engage and assess progress in their organizations and will reconvene in person next summer to discuss and evaluate the first year of the program. Following the Summit, an anonymous survey was delivered to the fellows with all participants highly rating their experience. One fellow shared, “It was great connecting with others from different backgrounds. The presenters and facilitators have great hearts and really want to support us.” Another succinctly summed up their experience, “Incredible people, doing great work. It was inspiring!” There is a clear excitement and commitment amongst the fellows to return to their communities to implement the knowledge and practices shared at the Rise Summit.  MEET THE FELLOWS Why Rise? Rural and Native communities are impacted at higher rates by the lack of access to safe, high-quality out-of-school time programs. In rural communities, summer learning loss is significantly higher than in non-rural communities, eliminating any advantage seen from school-year monthly growth over non-rural students . And native children are 237% more likely to drop out of school than their white peers.  The need to address the lack of access to quality OST programs in these communities is personal for BellXcel’s CEO, Lauren Sanchez Gilbert, Ed.D. She remarked, “Growing up in New Mexico, I saw firsthand the lack of opportunities for youth to participate in activities beyond the school day. The research proves how critical high-quality experiences are to childhood development, yet children in rural and Indigenous/Native communities often lack access to these programs. I am very proud to launch an initiative that can leverage all of the research, along with our tools and know-how, to take direct aim at improving opportunities in rural America.” By investing specifically in these communities, BellXcel hopes to raise national attention to the important role that out-of-school time programs play in rural and Native areas. High-quality educational programs can help reduce dropout rates and increase outcomes for youth. BellXcel is committed to the belief that programs are most effective when they serve young people where they live, through adults they know, with proven strategies for impact. The Rise Fellowship program is supported by the philanthropic investment of the New York Life Foundation (NYL). NYL has been a generous partner of BellXcel for more than ten years, supporting growth to new communities and expanded academic and enrichment curriculum for at-risk youth. “We’re thrilled that New York Life shares our commitment to build the capacity of local organizations and the talented people who lead them, so they can offer meaningful learning experiences in their communities,” said Chief Impact Officer, Damon Johnson.

JANUARY 31, 2024 - Pursue our mission with energy and purpose; innovate bold, intuitive solutions; embrace personal responsibility; promote collaboration; trust and inclusiveness; empower results and impact – these are the core values of BellXcel. The annual Peterkin Award, named after Dr. Robert B. Peterkin, a pioneer in educational leadership and past BellXcel Board Director, celebrates the employee, nominated by their colleagues, that best exemplifies the organization’s core values. In January, BellXcel hosted its biennial company-wide convening in Boston, MA. The event included an evening gala and award ceremony where BellXcel CEO, Dr. Lauren Sanchez Gilbert, announced the winner of the 2023 Peterkin Award, Rashid Parham. Rashid began his career with BellXcel in 2008, making him one of BellXcel’s longest-serving employees. He currently serves as the Senior Director, Information Systems. The announcement was met with enthusiastic cheers of congrats and applause, offering further testament to how deserving Rashid was of this honor. Throughout his employment with BellXcel, Rashid has gone above and beyond in his role. As part of the organization for nearly 16 years, Rashid has witnessed BellXcel go through many transformations and has played a huge role in what the company is today. One colleague put it perfectly stating, “Rashid is BellXcel’s biggest champion, working with the HR team and all the teams at BX trying to make sure our needs are met.” Throughout his nominations, a recurring theme was Rashid’s enthusiastic, friendly, and welcoming spirit. Many colleagues mentioned his willingness to help, one stating that, “though we don’t work together often, every time our paths do cross he has a smile on his face and is happy to answer my questions, no matter how silly they seem.” Another nominator mentioned that, “Rashid is a walking embodiment of so many of BellXcel’s values,” and goes on to say that Rashid cares deeply about BellXcel’s mission and sees the connection between it and his daily work. Rashid was shocked by the announcement. As a veteran BellXcel employee, Rashid has witnessed the Peterkin Award evolve over the years and has seen it be awarded many times. He noted that it was an incredible honor to be recognized by both his peers and to be able to join the elite group of colleagues selected as Peterkin Award recipients. When asked about his role at BellXcel Rashid remarked, “My commitment to this organization is different than many others, as I have a child who was once a BellXcel scholar.” He is incredibly loyal to BellXcel’s mission and values and loves being devoted to something bigger than himself. His proudest moment while working at BellXcel has been the opportunity to witness the organization transform from a direct service model to scalable software solution. Rashid shared that his favorite part of working for BellXcel has been the people. He highlighted BellXcel’s amazing ability to hire the best people for a role and their willingness to take chances when hiring. He felt humbled to be recognized among some of BellXcel’s hardest working employees including this year’s runner-ups for the Peterkin Award, Nicole Warehime and Ina Hyseni. Ina Hyseni serves as the Lead Backend Developer and is our longest serving employee within the engineering team. She has seen BellXcel and the Arly platform through many transformations. In her nominations, several colleagues noted her dedication to BellXcel’s mission, ability to lead initiatives and bring others up to speed, and her hardworking positive attitude. Nicole Warehime serves as the Director, Product Marketing. Nicole is the ‘voice’ of our platform and has brought our product marketing capabilities to life for Arly. Her efforts have been critical in ensuring the sales and customer experience teams have the resources and tools necessary to meet BellXcel’s future goals. In her nominations, multiple colleagues noted Nicole’s consistent responsiveness, her willingness to collaborate, and her commitment to our customers. Congratulations to all of our recipients on this well-deserved recognition! Left to right: Ina Hyseni, Lead Backend Developer, 2023 Peterkin Award Runner-up; Dr. Lauren Sanchez Gilbert Ed.D, CEO of BellXcel; Rashid Parham, 2023 Peterkin Award Winner; Nicole Warehime, Director, Product Marketing, 2023 Peterkin Award Runner-up

FEBRUARY 29, 2024 - Each year, the Arly Impact Awards honor dedicated individuals making an extraordinary impact on the children in their community. The Rising Star award recognizes an emerging leader in youth programming, and the Educator of the Year celebrates an educator, leader, or staff member who goes above and beyond to ensure that children, their coworkers, and the community thrive. Lauren Sanchez Gilbert, Ed.D., CEO of BellXcel and Arly, personally presented these awards during surprise in-person visits to each winner. This year’s travels took her to New Hampshire and Texas. Let's meet the 2023 Arly Impact Award winners and delve into their remarkable achievements! [caption id="attachment_3296" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Rising Star Award: (Left to right) Dr. Lauren Sanchez Gilbert, Ed.D. (Arly), Angel Demanche (Arly Impact Rising Star), and Joe Manzoli (YMCA of Greater Nashua) Photo Credit: Pattern Photography[/caption] Academy Site Director of the YMCA of Greater Nashua, Merrimack Branch in Merrimack, New Hampshire, Angelique ‘Angel’ Demanche, was recognized as the Arly Rising Star Impact Award recipient. Angel is highly celebrated by her colleagues as someone who instills a love of learning in children. “It takes humility and compassion to impart knowledge and ignite a love for learning in children and educators, and Angel possesses both,” said YMCA of Greater Nashua Executive Director of Education, Carlisa Choate. [caption id="attachment_3297" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Arly Educator of the Year Award: (Left to right) Tom Kroger, CEO & President, Jubilee Academies Board of Directors; Dr. Atikah Shemshack, Associate Superintendent of Accountability & Compliance, Jubilee Academies; Dr. Lauren Sanchez Gilbert, Ed.D., CEO, BellXcel and Arly; Yesenia Gonzalez, 21st Century District Director, Jubilee Academies and Arly Educator of the Year; Sandra Gonzalez, Associate Director (Coastal Bend Region), Jubilee Academies; Alicia Bolt, Associate Superintendent (Rio Grande Valley Region), Jubilee Academies; Dr. Kevin Phillips, Superintendent of Schools, Jubilee Academies Photo Credit: Pattern Photography[/caption] Yesenia Gonzales, 21st Century District Director of Jubilee Academies in Brownsville, Texas, was recognized as the Arly Educator of the Year. She is praised as a problem solver who never lets obstacles slow her down. “Yesenia operates with integrity and always wants to do the best work in the right way,” said RGV Associate Superintendent, Sandra Gonzales. “When she messes up, she dusts herself off and focuses on how she can do better the next day.” “I was delighted to have the opportunity to personally present the Arly Impact Awards to both Angel and Yesenia and celebrate the inspiring effect they’ve had on their respective programs,” said Dr. Sanchez Gilbert. “We honor their commitment to ensuring the children in their communities are supported with enriching opportunities that light the way to brighter futures and bigger dreams.” The Arly Impact Awards annually draw in a large pool of peer-nominated candidates nationwide. When considering nominations, we prioritize individuals who exhibit the following qualities: Demonstrates a committed pursuit of their mission with energy and purpose Innovates with bold, intuitive solutions Embraces personal responsibility Fosters collaboration, trust, and inclusiveness Empowers results and impact Additionally, this year, we are introducing a new element: recognition of the 2023 runners-up for each award category. Stay updated by following us on LinkedIn. About the YMCA of Greater Nashua The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. The YMCA of Greater Nashua facilities, located in both Nashua and Merrimack, engage over 39,000 men, women and children annually – regardless of age, income or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. For more information about the YMCA visit, www.nmymca.org. About Jubilee Academies Jubilee Academies is an open-enrollment charter school based in San Antonio, Texas, with over 20 years of providing quality education to our community. The district enrolls students from Pre-(K)4 through 12th grade. There are 12 campuses currently serving communities throughout Texas, including San Antonio, Austin, Kingsville, and the Rio Grande Valley. Each campus provides a safe and structured environment focused on leadership, academics, and a balance of mind and body for lifetime success. For more information about Jubilee Academies, visit www.jubileeacademies.org.

MARCH 24, 2022 - BellXcel is proud to be among the latest beneficiaries of MacKenzie Scott’s transformational giving movement as announced yesterday through her essay, Helping Any of Us Can Help Us All. News of this gift comes at an especially exciting moment in BellXcel history as we pursue our vision for all children to have the opportunity to excel. Scott’s generous contribution presents BellXcel with the opportunity to accelerate plans for innovative technology investment and high-impact initiatives we have laid groundwork for over the past few years. We are deeply grateful to MacKenzie Scott and her team for leading the charge in empowering organizations who, as Scott said in one of her earlier essays, are “on the front lines of challenges and will know best how to put the money to good use.” We are humbled to be among the many organizations working to build a more equitable world each day.

Innovating to Meet the Moment: How BellXcel leveraged strategic alliances and disruptive thinking to create a new solution in response to COVID-19 SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 - This past March, as schools and youth development organizations nationwide found themselves faced with reimagining how they serve their communities, our team did what we have done best throughout our history – innovated to meet the moment. With a 6-week timeline, our team took 30 years of science and know-how, lifted by the support of our community, and dug into our commitment for all children to excel. COVID-19 forced changes to virtually every aspect of life as we knew it, yet along with the unknowns and the very real crisis this pandemic represented, before us was an opportunity to disrupt our thinking and mobilize our resources into unchartered territory. We invite you to share in the story of BellXcel Remote. Download Story

OCTOBER 21, 2019 - Wabash is a small, tight-knit community, with a population of just over 10,000, located in the north central part of Indiana. While rich in local pride and natural beauty, it is a struggling community, with over 13-percent of its residents living below the poverty level, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Prior to the Power Scholars Academy (PSA) programming in rural Wabash, Indiana, Stacey Fry, Director of Youth Development at Wabash County YMCA, recalls driving by homes over the summer and seeing children sitting idly on front steps, or playing outdoors alone. “That drive home from work felt sad,” she reminisces. "We saw a need for summer learning. Our local districts weren’t able to provide that, but the need still existed.” Now, every summer, many of those same children can be found immersed in local schools, gaining key academic and social-emotional skills. The summer learning program combines fun, dynamic literacy and math instruction with hands-on enrichment, making for a holistic experience that prepares scholars for school-year success. “They are learning in a classroom setting and it feels good,” said Fry. “When we all work together, the children benefit.” In 2015, in their quest to address the achievement gap in their local community, the Wabash County YMCA in partnership with the Y USA Achievement Gap programming connected with BellXcel. The program has earned measurable scholar and educator outcomes ever since. “That’s why we still have a partnership with the schools, because we provide a good return on investment. They are able to show their students are making strides in the summer,” Fry says. Professional Development Equips Educators Teacher empowerment via BellXcel’s professional development is at the core of the PSA program. Prior to the summer program, educators receive in-person and virtual training in program administration, curriculum & instruction, culture & climate, evaluation & assessment, family engagement, and scholar management. Professional development prepares partners to implement a high-quality summer program that meets the needs of their learning community. “One good benefit of being a BellXcel partner is the trust. If we have challenges, there is a whole team of people who are ready to help us,” says Fry. Academic teachers in Wabash are all local certified school teachers. This ensures that instruction is of the highest caliber, and aligned with school year success. “We are able through BellXcel to offer so much more professional development in a concentrated way, than what teachers receive over the school year.” One of Fry’s poignant stories that captures the program’s power involves a PSA academic instructor who has been a local educator for over 20 years. The educator expressed that she was drawn to PSA due to its intentional instruction, and small group environments. The PSA program in Wabash maintains a ratio of 1 academic teacher to 12 scholars. “She said to me, ‘I get to see these kids I saw before in a whole different light. I pour into them academically, but have the opportunity to see their creative side and that’s lost in the school-year classroom," Fry says. “She sees these glimpses and that touched me. She gets revitalized with the same kids she spends time with during the school year.” Strengthening Schools The PSA has also helped connect the local Y with local schools over the summer and combine resources to offer much more than the usual summer camp type activities such as sports and recreation. She also credits the Y’s strong relationship with the State of Indiana’s Department of Education and local school districts to address the achievement gap. “I have the privilege of deepening those relationships, and working closely with the school principals, to ensure they are seeing the outcomes and are connected to our mission,” she says. “Schools are working as hard as they can. They don’t have significant resources to move that needle. So, it’s nice to fill in that gap and take that off their plate so they can focus on what they do best.” Safe Environment to Thrive PSA is not only addressing the educational gap. Educators have also seen some secondary benefits, such as keeping children occupied, safe, and healthy. Often, Fry says, parents leave their children at home with older siblings, a less than ideal situation. Summer scholars receive free breakfast, snack and lunch and the program is provided at no cost to participating families. “For most of their summer, we are able to nourish them and enrich them in a safe environment,” Fry says. “We are in a childcare desert. If we can lower the stresses faced by parents, it positively impacts the scholars.”