The Bureau

A week worth remembering at Foundation HQ as The I PROMISE Institute Bureau descended on Akron for a high powered, higher education, meeting of the minds. The Bureau team that featured Paul Herold (former University of Akron official), Dr. Brandi Hephner LaBanc (Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at The University of Mississippi), Dr. Brian Hemphill (President of Radford University), and Dr. Scott Scarborough (former University of Akron President & current College of Business Faculty Member) was greeted by their newest team members upon arrival.

Joining our incredible journey are three higher education experts who are quite familiar with Northeast Ohio. Dr. Melody Tankersley, Senior Associate Provost and Graduate Studies Dean, and Dr. Eboni Pringle, Dean of University College, enter the mix as representatives from Kent State University. The dynamic duo led the charge in our most recent collegiate partnership with Kent State…a partnership that will provide a multitude of programming and opportunities for our kids.

Rounding out the new group of higher education muscle comes Dr. Jarrod Tudor, Dean of the LeBron James Family Foundation College of Education and Wayne College at The University of Akron. With 20 years of higher education experience, Jarrod also is currently overseeing the execution of our I PROMISE Mentorship course, as its 6th semester comes to a close.

Now with an NBA starting line-up, the crew was ready to hit the hardwood running…and they did just that on a Wednesday night at Quicken Loans Arena. While they may have been sitting in the stands, the tone of the day to come was definitely set as LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied in an exciting battle of the Eastern Conference to beat the Toronto Raptors with seconds left in the 4th Quarter.

With the energy of the Cavaliers win still fueling them, the seven entered the second day of their meeting ready to ask questions and begin to find answers and solutions for our kids. The Bureau was filled with information and data from sun-up to sun-down as members from Team LJFF & APS filtered in and out of the day with studies and status updates.

Concluding the evening was a trip to North High School for our North Cluster Hometown Hall. A first for some and second for others, The Bureau jumped right into family time, breaking bread with our kids, and reciting the PROMISE with our Parents and Elementary/Secondary students. Even bringing some good luck, as the family who sat next to Melody and Eboni was 1 of 3 Just Cling It! winners of $1,000 in groceries. (Nach: I took out the end of this sentence)

While the group has returned to their homes, The Bureau continues to work toward building the framework for success as our students enter college. We send a warm family thank you to Paul, Scott, Brandi, Brian, Melody, Eboni, and Jarrod for their hard work, steadfast dedication, and unrivaled commitment.

We are proud to say WE ARE FAMILY.