Dear John,
I write to you today to share some very important and exciting news about changes here at AQE. After more than 14 years serving as the Executive Director of AQE, I will be stepping aside at the end of 2019 and Jasmine Gripper, our current Legislative Director, will take on the leadership as the new Executive Director.
Jasmine has an impressive background as an educator and a proven track record these past seven years at AQE. Most importantly, Jasmine is a compassionate and committed organizer, advocate and leader who cares very deeply about education. We have had many important accomplishments at AQE over the past 14 years and I know that Jasmine will be able to lead AQE to accomplish even more. That is why, when I determined that the time was right for a transition at AQE, I was very confident in recommending Jasmine Gripper as the next Executive Director to our Board.
The past 14 years have been a tremendous part of my life. I am very proud of the work all of us have done together. None of it could have been done without your active participation. We have played a key role in important statewide and local victories around the state on issues of school funding equity, reversing the school to prison pipeline, culturally responsive education, stopping school vouchers, raising taxes on millionaires, changing the makeup of the State Senate and more. Most importantly, together, we have built a movement across New York State demanding educational justice.
2020 and beyond look very bright for AQE. Now is the time that we must all join hands together and insist that elected officials and policymakers at the local, state and federal levels put our children first. We need them to make the commitments necessary to end educational racism and ensure that every student receives the high quality education they deserve.
I would like to thank our Board of Directors, our tremendous staff, our many friends and allies, and, most of all, I would like to thank all of you who have consistently raised your voices to demand that every child receives a great education.
Thank you and keep fighting!
