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Cincinnati Youth Collaborative Announces New President & CEO

September 20, 2018

For Immediate Release

CYCCincinnati Youth Collaborative’s (CYC) Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Ericka Copeland-Dansby has been named the organization’s new President & CEO. Copeland-Dansby will succeed Jane Keller, who is retiring from CYC to pursue her next career at the end of November 2018 after twelve years leading the agency.  Copeland-Dansby was selected from a comprehensive national executive search process, facilitated by Centennial Talent Strategy and Executive Search. Copeland-Dansby is a respected non-profit executive whose community and leadership experiences and achievements will serve CYC’s mission well – to help youth succeed in school, career and life.  Prior to CYC, Erica was the Executive Director of Wesley Community Services. She has also held positions at Mercy Health of Southwest Ohio and the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati.  Her community work includes her role as a board member and officer of Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) Board of Education where she will continue to serve as Vice President, and past engagement and board roles with the Homeless Coalition and Youth Incorporated, all which showcase her passion and dedication to youth and our community.

“I am honored and humbled to accept this new role with Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, where I can continue to pursue my passion to support and empower young people,” Copeland-Dansby said.  “Throughout my career, especially in the past five years as a member and officer of the Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education, I have been devoted to expanding opportunities to help students prepare for life beyond graduation.  I’m excited to get to work with the team at CYC to continue to positively impact young people throughout the region.”

CYC Board Chair, Toi Clarke Jones says, “Ericka is a compassionate, solutions driven professional who has spent a career serving diverse populations in the social service arena.  Her experience in business transformation, fundraising, fiscal management, strategic planning and partner/community engagement will help CYC to build on its strong foundation currently serving youth across five local school districts (CPS, Finneytown, Norwood, North College Hill, Winton Woods) and two Universities (University of Cincinnati Blue Ash and Cincinnati State Technical and Community College).”CYC

Becky Scheeler, VP of Client Engagement at Centennial says, “It was an honor to serve an organization committed to impacting youth and families. Our team lead the CYC board through a thorough, efficient and effective process.  Centennial’s 4C Recruiting Process® ensures alignment of stakeholders through an extensive evaluation of character, culture, chemistry and competency. Our deep network and high- level executive search experience led us to the right leader for this transformational organization.”

Ericka graduated from Wilberforce University and resides with her family in the community of Roselawn.  She has one son, currently finishing his undergraduate studies.

About Cincinnati Youth Collaborative

Cincinnati Youth Collaborative (CYC), a United Way Agency Partner, has been committed to increasing Greater Cincinnati high school graduation rates for over 30 years by collaborating with schools, businesses and volunteers throughout the community. Since its founding, CYC has served more than 185,000 students by placing positive adult advocates in their lives. Working directly with local school districts, CYC offers mentoring, work readiness, and college and career success services to our students. Mentoring platforms are tailored to the needs of individuals, groups and businesses. Over the past five years, an average of 95% of CYC senior students have graduated on time from high school. By connecting students, particularly those at a high-risk of dropping out, with resources and tools for success, CYC continually proves that preparation and opportunity make all the difference in creating bright futures. CYC’s 3 E’s – Enrollment, Enlistment, and Employment – are the key outcomes we track for our youth, because we know that success does not end after a high school diploma. To learn more about CYC’s services and to discover ways that you can positively impact the lives of our city’s youth, visit www.cycyouth.org.

centennialAbout Centennial Talent Strategy and Executive Search

Centennial is a talent strategy and executive search firm dedicated to helping organizations achieve their business goals through talent acquisition and strategy. With headquarters in Cincinnati, OH, Centennial partners with organizations across the globe to find the right talent for each organization’s unique business needs. For more than 40 years, Centennial has provided proven expertise to family businesses, privately held companies, mid-market companies, as well as other organizations where vision, leadership, retention, succession and growth matters.