Gail Benjamin Fellowship

The Gail Benjamin Fellowship was established in honor of the late Gail Benjamin, a strong and tireless advocate in the field of career education. Gail strongly believed in the necessity and responsibility of each generation to assist future generations in fulfilling their educational and career goals. The Fellowship and the Imagine America Foundation have both recognized the need to attract and encourage women and minorities to enter and pursue senior and executive positions within the career college sector. In response to this need, the Gail Benjamin Fellowship will offer grants to females and underrepresented minorities to attend the Career College Association (CCA) Leadership Institute.

The Leadership Institute is an annual seminar sponsored by CCA and designed for directors and emerging career college directors. The Leadership Institute, themed “Building Skills for Tomorrow’s Leaders,” is held at the National Conference Center in Lansdowne, VA, in July of each year. Attendees hear directly from leaders in the industry through a series of focused presentations and discussions on how to run a career college effectively. It is our goal that through the sharing of ideas, methods and solutions at the Leadership Institute, Gail Benjamin fellows will be given the necessary skills and tools to emerge as career education leaders in the postsecondary sector. The Gail Benjamin Fellowship will provide up to $3,500 in grants to cover the recipients' seminar costs.

In order to be considered for the Gail Benjamin Fellowship, applicants:

• Must be female or minority working professionals at a CCA member college;
• Must obtain a written nomination from their college campus president;
• Must have a minimum of three years employment at their current career college;
• Must demonstrate financial need;
• Must demonstrate high potential, strong commitment to, and aptitude for longevity within the career college sector;
• Must demonstrate involvement through voluntary service to their career college and/or local community; and
• Must include a copy of their resumé or curriculum vitae with their application.

Gail Benjamin Fellowship Brochure (PDF)

Gail Benjamin Fellowship Nomination Form (PDF)

The Imagine America Foundation would like to thank the following Gail Benjamin Fellowship sponsors:

Champion College Solutions
Datamark
PlattForm
The Gail and Arthur Benjamin Foundation

2007 Gail Benjamin Fellowship Recipients

Bob Martin, President, Imagine America Foundation with: (top left to right) Natalie Williams, Westwood College, Denver, CO; Christine Coleman, Illinois School of Health Careers, Chicago, IL; Christi Jackson, Draughons Junior College, Clarksville, TN; Kim Jones, West Tennessee Business College, Jackson, TN (bottom left to right) Stephanie Burns, Herzing College, New Orleans, LA; Sharon Morang, Grantham University; Sonia Zavala, Westwood College – O’Hare, Chicago, IL; Rebecca Zielinski, Concorde Career Institute, Arlington, TX; and Paula Sanchez, Ohio Institute of Photography and Technology, Dayton, OH.

To participate, contribute or for more information about the Gail Benjamin Fellowship, please contact Foundation staff member Kerry Turner at 202.336.6711 or kerryt@imagine-america.org.