Per Scholas Names New Chair to Dallas Advisory Board, Adds Five Additional Members

April 9, 2019, Dallas TX – Per Scholas is pleased to announce Tino Mathew has been promoted to Dallas Advisory Board chair, after three years supporting the nonprofit. In addition, five new members will be joining the Dallas Advisory Board. For twenty-five years, Per Scholas has been preparing motivated and curious adults who are unemployed or underemployed with the technical and business skills to launch successful careers in technology, creating onramps to businesses in need of their talents.

Today Per Scholas operates in eight cities across the country: Atlanta, GA; Greater Boston, MA; Greater Cincinnati, OH; Columbus, OH; Dallas, TX; the National Capital Region; Newark, NJ and New York, NY, launching the Dallas site in 2015. Per Scholas collaborates closely with employers, government agencies, philanthropies, and non-profit organizations to develop a more diverse and inclusive technology workforce. In Dallas, Per Scholas has an 89 percent graduation rate, 92 percent certification rate, and an 83 percent job placement rate for graduates. On average, in their first job post-graduation, Per Scholas alumni earn four times their pre-training wage.

Local board members are an integral part of the continued support of this mission. The new Dallas-based advisory board members are:

Jasmin Brand has a decade of executive experience in digital publishing and marketing strategy, currently serving as CEO of LAUNCH, a forward-thinking Texas media company laser-focused on connectivity. She is also the founder and president of Darby James, a digital publisher, and experiential marketing agency focused on developing comprehensive brand and event strategies for cities and startups. Jasmin has been named one of the 10 Texas Women to Watch in Media, ATHENA Award presented by the Dallas Regional Chamber and KPMG, Minority Business Leader of the Year presented by the Dallas Business Journal, and one of TechWeek’s 100 Talent Cultivators.

Elizabeth Caudill currently serves as the managing director of higher education and workforce at the Dallas Regional Chamber, where she works with local businesses, higher education institutions, and the Texas Legislature to improve the city’s talent pipeline. She also serves on the board of CitySquare, a nonprofit fighting the causes and effects of poverty. Formerly, Elizabeth was a 2016-2017 Fellow in the ACCE National Fellowship for Education Attainment, a member of the Dallas Mayor’s Star Council and appointed to serve on the Dallas Community Development Commission.

Stephanie Herrera completed the Per Scholas IT training program in September 2017 and now works as an IT Service Desk Analyst for Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), the region’s largest transit agency. Stephanie is the first alumna represented on our local board and began volunteering as a guest speaker upon graduation from our training. In addition to her qualifications earned through Per Scholas, Stephanie has an Associate of Science degree in Information Technology and CompTIA A+ and ITIL Foundation certifications. She is preparing to sit for her Microsoft 365 Modern Desktop Administrator Associate and Microsoft Office 2016 Master credentials in the coming months.

Cynthia Humphries is a senior mechanical engineer at General Dynamics Mission Systems, working to support technical programs to deliver communications equipment to customers across the world. Combining her interest in wanting to help others and support STEM education and training, Cynthia collaborated with colleagues and others to create the Chris Nelson Memorial Scholarship Fund. Proceeds raised go directly to support Per Scholas Dallas’ training.

Ian Moses has decades of experience helping companies solve some of their most pressing human resources challenges, including recruiting, corporate training, and workforce management. Currently, as the global head of inclusion and diversity at Allegis Global Solutions, Ian is responsible for developing, promoting, and communicating AGS’s diversity and inclusion strategy to its employees, partners, and clients, with a specific focus on building high performing teams that are reflective of the community. Ian has dedicated himself to ensuring diversity and inclusion are not just buzzwords in the workplace, but a way of life.

“I’m thrilled to welcome these five local leaders to our Advisory Board,” said Stephanie Valadez, Managing Director of Per Scholas Dallas. “With expertise across education, technology, innovation, fundraising, diversity and inclusion, our board is representative of the excellence and alignment we bring as an organization to the Dallas community and the students we are privileged to serve. We are strategically positioned for continued growth with these leaders at the helm.”

About Per Scholas

Per Scholas is a national nonprofit that drives positive and proven social change in communities across the country. Through rigorous and tuition-free technology training and professional development, we prepare motivated and curious adults who are unemployed or underemployed for successful careers as technology professionals, and we create onramps to businesses in need of their talents. Today we provide our solutions in eight cities across the country: Atlanta, GA; Greater Boston, MA; Greater Cincinnati, OH; Columbus, OH; Dallas, TX; the National Capital Region; Newark, NJ and New York, NY. To date, Per Scholas has trained 9,000 individuals, helping them build lasting, life-changing skills and careers in technology.