GRAND RAPIDS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION PRESIDENT

RECOGNIZED FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO EDUCATION

            Steve Zinger, President of the Kent Intermediate Association of School Boards (KIASB), awarded Diana Sieger the Education Advocacy Award for her leadership in engaging the community in support of children and public education.

The award was presented at the KIASB dinner February 26, at the Kent Conference Center.

            Sieger, president of the Grand Rapids Community Foundation, was instrumental in the effort to create Kent School Services Network (KSSN), a pilot project to bring an array of health and human services to support children and their families. KSSN currently operates in nine school buildings in the Grand Rapids, Godfrey Lee and Comstock Park public school districts.  This community collaborative includes Kent County, the Department of Human Services, network180, Spectrum Health Healthier Communities and Kent ISD.  A wide range philanthropic organizations joined GRCF in support of KSSN, including the Doug and Maria DeVos, Frey, Keller, Sebastian and Steelcase foundations.

            Grand Rapids Community Foundation is also the philanthropic partner in an ISD-wide diversity initiative aimed at helping high school students across the region recognize, accept and celebrate differences among fellow students and the broader community.  This effort was organized around divisions in the OK Athletic Conference and is credited with playing a significant role in easing the transition of the former Grand Rapids City League athletic teams into the larger and less diverse OK Conference.

            Sieger has served as president of the community foundation since 1987.  She is responsible for leadership, management and strategic positioning and development for the organization.  Recognized as one of the “50 Most Influential Women in West Michigan,” Sieger is immediate past president of the Council of Michigan Foundations; immediate past chairperson of the Kent County Family and Children’s Coordinating Council; a member of Western Michigan University’s School of Social Work Advisory Committee; and a board member of the Michigan Community Foundation Venture Products Fund.

            The Kent Intermediate Association of School Boards is an organization comprised of board members directing the 20 public schools within Kent ISD.  The Education Advocacy Award was created in 2004 to recognize those who have created better conditions for children, improved student achievement and initiated collaborative efforts with parents, families, educators and community members with programs that encourage student success. 

Previous award winners were Diane Kniowski, president of WOOD-TV and its sister stations WOTV and WXSP; former 73^rd District Representative Doug Hart, Arend Lubbers, retired president of Grand Valley State University, Win Irwin, regional Michigan Works chairperson and CEO of Irwin Seating Co., and Mike Pumford, former 100^th District Representative to the Michigan House.