A Message from the Board Chairman

Education has always been a passion of mine in my career and also as a father, I want to ensure that my children and all children in our community have access to the best education possible.  In 2006, I was presented with the opportunity to work with Deb Campeau of Trident Health System on a funding project to connect rising seventh graders with specific fields of study such as science, engineering, and technology.  This amazing experience, coupled with my involvement in other areas of education, led me to serve on the Horizon Committee that Deb was chairing for The Education Foundation to identify the skills that will be needed in the 21st century workforce.  This was a great experience and soon after, I joined the Board.

As the current board chairman, I believe that we are at a pivotal moment in The Education Foundation’s history.  We have spent the past few years identifying our region’s economic priorities and the skills needed by our major employment sectors.  We have visited schools in our three counties as well as schools in other parts of the country to learn about the most effective “career academy” models that combine core academic learning with career preparation.  My goal now is to lead the charge as we build on what we have learned and focus our energies on achieving world-class career academies that align with our economic needs.  We will focus on a few academies at first and as we do this I want to make certain that we are setting the stage for career academies to burgeon throughout our region in the coming years.

As we move forward, I see countless opportunities for businesses to become involved in the local school systems and countless reasons to do so.  Our community has amazing programs in place such as Principal for a Day and the Adopt a Teacher Program, where our business community can witness firsthand the progress of our schools as well as current needs.   There are also avenues available to introduce business opportunities and work-based learning experiences to school-age children and I encourage businesses small and large to open doors to them for job shadowing and high school internships and allow time for your staff to go into the schools so that students can benefit from your expertise.

I am fortunate to work for a firm that has a culture centered on community service where participation in local organizations is not only supported, but encouraged.  This philosophy has allowed me to become involved with many organizations that work to improve all areas of our community.  The beauty of architecture is that it is not limited to one industry and through my work at LS3P I have the opportunity to touch all sectors that our area has to offer.  This has allowed me to learn about the needs and initiatives of many industry-specific organizations and to become involved in their efforts.

Getting involved in education is rewarding and it pays dividends now and in the future – let us know how you would like to become involved and we will welcome you to our worthwhile enterprise.

David Ramey
Director of Strategic Business Development
LS3P ASSOCIATES LTD.
Chairman, The Education Foundation