Clarke Announces New President

Clarke Board of Trustees Chair Harley Sacks of Wilmington, NC, has announced that following a nationwide search, William J. Corwin will become Clarke's 7th president. Corwin, of Leverett, MA, is the Chief Strategic Development Officer for the National Court Appointed Special Advocates Association (CASA), in Seattle, WA. He succeeds retiring president Dennis B. Gjerdingen who has led the school for 26 years. Corwin will begin his new position on July 1st.

"We are pleased to welcome Bill Corwin to lead Clarke as it expands to help more deaf children and their families and professionals who teach them. He is an excellent match for this important position because he has spent his entire professional life working on behalf of children," said Sacks. "Bill is the father of two deaf children and knows the incredible strides in both technology and teaching that Clarke provides," he added.

Corwin received a BA in History from Brown University and a JD from the School of Law at Columbia University. Since 1996, he has been affiliated with CASA, which recruits, trains and supervises volunteers who are matched with abused and neglected children living in foster care. In his role as Chief Strategic Development Officer, he was responsible for oversight of resource development and strategic initiatives for an agency with a $15 million budget and a network of 930 member programs and 53,000 volunteers, serving 220,000 children annually.

An attorney and life long advocate and volunteer for disadvantaged children, he has served on local, state and national boards for nonprofit organizations. He has taught a class on child advocacy at the University of Connecticut School of Law and has supervised law students in a child advocacy clinic. He also consults for nonprofits on resource development and strategic planning issues.

Corwin is married to Jennifer Rosner and they have two daughters.

The concept of teaching deaf children to speak began at Clarke School in 1867, and remains the central mission of Clarke. Newborn hearing screenings and emerging technology have combined to make auditory/oral education possible for the majority of deaf children. Under President Gjerdingen's leadership, the school has grown to become a Center for Oral Education on the Northampton campus and also has expanded to four other campuses in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Jacksonville, FL. Professionals also advise school systems nationally and internationally on integrating auditory/oral education into their curriculum.

Today, Clarke impacts the lives of more than 10,000 children and adults annually through its research, curriculum development and through teachers and professionals trained at Clarke. More than 500 children and their families receive direct benefit each year from the five schools and educational and support programs.

For more information about Clarke visit www.clarkeschool.org