We are pleased to announce the addition of several new leadership team members on our national and Philadelphia teams.
Steve Ragan has joined College Possible as senior vice president, external relations. An experienced nonprofit executive and board member, Ragan has led and consulted for some of the most impactful education, social service, and arts and culture nonprofits.
He most recently served as executive vice president for Hope Network, one of Michigan’s largest nonprofits. Previously, he held development roles at Southwest Solutions, Focus: HOPE, Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation, Lawrence Technological University, Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Eastern Michigan University. Ragan has served as a consultant and advisor to numerous local and national nonprofits in education, anti-poverty, and arts and culture sectors.
In the role of SVP, external relations, Ragan will oversee the creation of a robust fund development strategy in support of our teams, students and mission.
Kellie Sigh, the current executive director of College Possible Milwaukee, is being promoted to a vice president, site leadership on the national team. Over the past two years, Sigh has had significant impact on the Milwaukee site, reaching new heights in fundraising and student outcomes.
Sigh has more than 25 years working in the private and public school sectors. She has a track record of building and cultivating valuable partnerships in service of students. She is a member of Professional Dimensions, serves as chair of the Salvation Army advisory board, is vice chair of the MENTOR Greater Milwaukee board of directors, and is a member of the Alverno College Vanguard Honor Society.
In her new role, Sigh will focus on-site leadership development, enhancing site operations support and capacity, building a stronger community of practice with knowledge sharing, and improving partnerships between the site and national teams. Until a new executive director is identified, she will continue to serve Milwaukee as the interim executive director.
J.R. Tomkinson is also joining the national team as vice president, site leadership. Tomkinson is a seasoned operations executive with leadership experience spanning the K12 public, private and nonprofit sectors. He most recently served as managing director for City Year Chicago, where he led service implementation for the largest of City Year’s 29 regions. Under his leadership, City Year Chicago deployed 265 AmeriCorps members to serve as near-peer mentors to students in 32 Chicago Public Schools partnerships at the height of the pandemic, driving significant gains in the rate of students on-track to graduate at City Year’s partner schools from SY19 to SY21 even as the district’s overall average on-track rate declined.
Tomkinson will focus on leadership development, enhancing site operation support and capacity, building a stronger community of practice and sharing, and improving partnerships between site and national teams.
Precious Mines, formerly the senior program director at our Philadelphia site, has been promoted to executive director. A strong advocate for education, Mines has committed her life to giving back to the community by building a career in education. She has worked at the Community College of Philadelphia as the inaugural program coordinator for the ACE+ (ACE Plus) program, a dual enrollment program designed for youth attending alternative schools who were notoriously marginalized, providing an opportunity to redeem time and college credits while pursuing a high school diploma. Mines also served on the #ReachHigherPhilly team for four years, where she was an integral part of planning Philadelphia’s College Signing Day, bringing the former first lady Michelle Obama as a keynote speaker. She has also lent her voice to share knowledge at the Philadelphia Prep Roundtable, Sara Goldrick-Rab’s #RealCollege conference, and the statewide Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling conference.
In her new role, Mines will be responsible for leading College Possible Philadelphia in its mission to make college admission and success possible for students from low-income backgrounds.
