Mimi Lufkin’s Retirement Announced

For additional information, please contact Mary Wiberg: mkwiberg@yahoo.com

The National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE) and the NAPE Education Foundation announce that CEO Mimi Lufkin will retire at the end of 2017 after 23 years as the organizations’ highly respected leader. To prepare for the search for the next CEO, the Foundation Board has named a committee to oversee the transition and the search processes and has hired Raffa, PC to conduct the transition activities.

During Mimi’s tenure as CEO, NAPE has grown significantly and has created new tools, strengthened alliances, delivered comprehensive programs, and collaborated to expand its reach. Mimi has led NAPE from a loosely knit consortium of states, when she arrived as a consultant in 1994, to a fully developed organization of state, local, and individual members today. In 2002, she worked with the NAPE leadership to form the NAPE Education Foundation, which currently supports a budget of more than $2 million and implements educational equity professional development programs nationwide.

Prior to leading NAPE, Mimi founded a microenterprise development program for rural women in northern California and served in leadership roles in the California Department of Education’s technical assistance and professional development projects focused on gender equity in career and technical education. Mimi will continue to be a strong supporter of the work of both NAPE and the Foundation.

“NAPE’s growth during my years of leadership has been amazing, and I am excited that the organization is positioned to continue that growth under new leadership. I am so proud of what we’ve accomplished together and am ready to support new leadership as we continue to grow NAPE. This decision was made thoughtfully and in consultation with the Board,” says Mimi. “This is a positive step toward continued and strategic growth. It has been an honor to have led this organization and to have worked with all of the people who make it successful.”

“We are happy for Mimi, and appreciative of all she’s done for the NAPE Education Foundation over the past almost 23 years,” says Dennis Harden, President of the NAPE Education Foundation Board. “We understand that Mimi’s successor has big shoes to fill, and we intend to support him/her to ensure the continued growth and success of our organization.”

“We have a committed Transition Committee that is working to assure a thoughtful and well-planned transition and search,” says Mary Wiberg, Transition Committee Chair and former Board President. “We will follow a transparent process and look forward to our future, knowing Mimi will continue to be a resource for us.”

Reflecting on Mimi’s far-reaching impact on the organization and federal policy, Victor Cato, current President of the NAPE Executive Committee, says that “Mimi is a true equity champion. For more than two decades, her exceptional leadership at NAPE has helped to propel state agencies, school administrators, and educators throughout the nation to better provide equitable access and opportunity to high-quality CTE and STEM programs that support a rapidly diversifying population that is America’s workforce. As Mimi passes the torch to her successor, I am confident that NAPE will remain a respected authority in educational equity and diversity.”