At Mayor John Giles' State of the City in February, he announced the formation of the Mesa Achieves Higher Education Task Force in support of Governor Doug Ducey's Achieve60AZ initiative.
The goal of Achieve60AZ is to have 60 percent of Arizonans complete at least two years of post-high school education in the form of a certificate, license or degree by 2030.
"Education, at all levels, is one of Mesa's core values and we are on board with Governor Ducey's Achieve60AZ goals," Mayor John Giles said. "With Mesa Counts on College already in place, our education and economic development communities are ready for the Task Force to identify our next steps."
The task force will be responsible for developing the City of Mesa's Achieve60AZ action plan for the purpose of improving higher education outcomes. Through examinations of nationwide programs and best practices, the task force will determine the strategies necessary to elevate Mesa's educational attainment.
To help guide the effort, Mayor Giles selected Councilmember Jen Duff and Councilmember Francisco Heredia to co-chair the task force. Together they recommended nine innovative thinkers from the community who are engaged in education to join the task force.
"Education is the key to Mesa's future workforce and providing more opportunities for our student and clearer paths to success will be a win for the students and our community as a whole," District 4 Councilmember Jen Duff said.
The Task Force's final product is to recommend a strategy and broad goals to the Mesa City Council that set a clear intention and direction for the success of Achieve60AZ in Mesa.
"I believe that the group we have appointed will help Mesa reach the Achieve60AZ goal by 2030," District 3 Councilmember Francisco Heredia said. "They all have a passion for education and have the best interests of students and building Mesa's future workforce at the forefront of their minds."
The Task Force's work is expected to begin in May, meeting monthly through 2019. Committee members appointed by the Mayor and Council include:
Dr. Richard Haney, Mesa Community College President
Jonathan Schmitt, ASU Assistant Vice President, Educational Outreach and Student Services
Dr. Ember Conley, Mesa Public Schools Superintendent
Elaine Miner, Mesa Public Schools Governing Board President
Dr. Shane McCord, Gilbert Public Schools Superintendent
Vince Yanez, Helios Education Foundation Senior Vice President of Community Engagement
Mike Hutchinson, East Valley Partnership Executive Vice President
Deanna Villanueva-Saucedo, Mesa Community College Community Engagement Director
Jaye O'Donnell, City of Mesa Assistant Economic Development Director
For more information contact City of Mesa Chief of Staff, Candice Copple at candice.copple@mesaaz.gov or (480) 644-3002.
Mayor's Office
Contact: Melissa Randazzo
Tel. 480-644-3219
melissa.randazzo@mesaaz.gov