Meralis Hood, executive director of City Year Milwaukee, is taking a new position with the education nonprofit’s national parent organization.
The Milwaukee affiliate of Boston-based City Year, Inc. announced on Friday that Hood will transition to her new role as market president on Oct. 12.
Hood joined City Year Milwaukee as its managing director of impact in December 2015 and was later named executive director the following year. Previously, she was assistant principal at Bay View High School in Milwaukee Public Schools, a City Year partner school.
In her new role, she will lead and support executive directors from 10 City Year sites across the country.
“The time I have spent at City Year Milwaukee has been a true gift,” Hood said. “I’m grateful to have spent the last five years alongside staff and corps. I’m looking forward to continuing to invest in the professionals that work with our nation’s young people every day.”
City Year, which includes a network of branches in 29 cities, places young AmeriCorps members into schools with the goal of helping students stay in school and on track to graduate high school. The Milwaukee organization has about 120 participating AmeriCorps members serving in 13 Milwaukee Public Schools.
In 2018, City Year Milwaukee received a $520,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support a pilot program aimed at helping MPS leaders work to close opportunity gaps and improve school performance.
