Advisor Spotlight: Roxane Rucker
We are very pleased to introduce our readers and supporters to Ms. Roxane Rucker, who has been volunteering with Learning Life since October 2012.
Like Learning Life’s founder, Paul Lachelier, Roxane changed careers in 2012. But while Paul moved from academia into the non-profit sector, Roxane transitioned from business into the non-profit world.
Roxane worked for over twenty five years as a telecommunications executive for AT&T and most recently, CenturyLink, earning numerous awards for her performance. She has a B.A. in economics from Northwestern University and a M.B.A., with a specialty in finance, from The George Washington University.
Asked why she made the transition from business into the non-profit world, she explains:
“My transition from business to the nonprofit world was driven by a desire to experience greater personal fulfillment through a life of service. I had experienced many successes in business, but was frequently left feeling unfulfilled and detached from the mission. In contrast, my time spent tutoring and mentoring youth, serving on the boards of nonprofit organizations, and building homes and schools in Nicaragua, filled me with a deeper, more meaningful sense of purpose and connection to my community.”
Roxane has traveled twice in the last three years to Nicaragua, the second poorest nation in the western hemisphere, to build homes and schools with Bridges to Community.
She also serves on the board of directors for two innovative and progressive schools – Bishop McNamara High School, and Imagine Hope Community Charter Schools – both of which are committed to delivering an academically rigorous educational experience to traditionally underserved communities in the Washington D.C. area.
Roxane has also recently worked for the American Council for Technology-Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC), a public-private partnership dedicated to improving government using information technology. With ACT-IAC, she chaired the Telecommunication Shared Interest Group, comprised of representatives from 40+ major service providers, and co-authored the study “Unleashing the Power of Information Technology Innovation to Reduce the Budget Deficit.”
Roxane brings to her non-profit work extensive experience in finance, staff recruiting and training, managing diverse stakeholders, implementing sound business practices, developing successful proposals and reports, and building relationships with government, industry and community partners.
As a volunteer with Learning Life, she has taken the lead in identifying relevant foundation grants and other funding opportunities, and is involved in our long-term planning.
Asked why she decided to volunteer with Learning Life, Roxane says:
“There were two factors that influenced my decision to volunteer with Learning Life.
“The first is the innovative use of technology to connect people to information. By using the surfaces of everyday life to spread knowledge, Learning Life offers a new way to inspire learning. It was immediately apparent to me that adapting Learning Life to areas such as educational curriculums and public health messaging had the potential to capture and retain the attention of students and citizens in a totally new way.
“The second factor was the dedication and commitment of Learning Life’s founder, Paul Lachelier. Paul is passionate about Learning Life and its mission, and his passion is contagious. As an educator, Paul understands that our society frequently fails to provide equal access to education and information for everyone. Learning Life cannot alone overcome educational inequalities, but it will make a positive change in many communities to come.”
Want to learn more about volunteering with Learning Life? Contact us at email@learninglife.info.