NORTHAMPTON, Mass., Dec. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Trustees of Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech is pleased to announce that Lillian Rountree has been appointed as the organization's new Chief Development Officer. Rountree is an accomplished fundraiser and respected advocate for children who are deaf and hard of hearing who are learning to listen and talk.
Rountree has served as Clarke's Interim Chief Development Officer for the past eight months, leading a team of eight staff at Clarke's five locations. She initially joined the organization in 2014 as Senior Development Officer, during which time she created new programs, and forged an array of new public and private partnerships.
Rountree conceived and implemented Clarke's Sponsor A Child program, which was so successful in its first year, raising nearly a million dollars, that the program has now been launched at Clarke's four other east coast locations. She spearheaded the organization's largest event to date, Clarke's Listening Walk at the Zoo, which drew nearly 1,000 attendees in Philadelphia; and the event is being replicated in Massachusetts this spring. Her article, "A New World for Children Who are Deaf: Listening, Talking and Thriving Alongside their Hearing Peers," was published in 2016 in Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal.
As CDO, Rountree will continue to develop annual and multi-year development strategies, lead a strong development team to achieve financial growth, and oversee the implementation of an array of fundraising campaigns and events.
Clarke President/CEO, Ralph Johnston said, "Lillian's leadership on a range of key projects and committees central to Clarke's mission has been invaluable. Lillian has keen business acumen, a deep passion for Clarke's work and successful record of creating and leading teams, which in turn accomplish great things. The board, staff and I are thrilled to have Lillian serve Clarke in this new capacity."
Before joining Clarke, Rountree served for six years as the Director of Outreach and Development and Outreach Coordinator at DePaul School for Hearing and Speech in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1908, DePaul is the only Listening and Spoken Language program serving the tri-state area of western Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. She was a key player in the transformation of DePaul's development efforts, including the creation and implementation of its 1908 and Skyline Societies, which are focused efforts in individual and corporate giving, in addition to serving as the school's primary grant writer.
Rountree's volunteer efforts are extensive and widely respected. She currently sits on the Executive Board (and was formerly secretary for two terms) of OPTION Schools, Inc., the membership organization for Listening and Spoken Language schools and programs for children with hearing loss. Rountree has also sat on the Hearing Center Auxiliary Board of Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation and the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. She was also an advisory committee member of the Pennsylvania Premie Network.
Rountree holds a master's degree in Adult Learning and Leadership from Teachers College at Columbia University and a BA from George Washington University.
Clarke teaches children who are deaf or hard of hearing to listen and talk. Children served by Clarke use advanced technologies, including cochlear implants and hearing aids, to maximize their access to sound. We work with children and their families from infancy through their teen years. Clarke children listen and learn in the classroom, run and laugh with their friends on the playground, and have lives filled with music, sports, family, and community. Many children who come to Clarke are ready to attend their neighborhood mainstream schools by kindergarten.
To learn more visit: Clarkeschools.org; watch our video: clarkeschools.org/newday
