August 2022

IPS NEWSLETTER

Are you interested in supporting IPS but would like your donation to directly help our students? Check out our Amazon Wishlist, which includes items our students and staff will use this fall. Thank you for your support!

Making Our Vision a Reality! 

What a month it has been at IPS! Our summer has been filled with meeting new people and reaching more milestones toward our goal of launching our pilot program this fall. 

IPS is excited to announce that we are going to hold our fall program at a local community center called The PARC at Tysons. The County of Fairfax, which owns the building, and fellow nonprofit organization called Celebrate Fairfax Inc. is generously allowing us to use part of the space this fall. The program will be held at The PARC starting October 3 through October 31, 9:30am-4pm each weekday. The PARC is ideally located between two Metro stops, which will allow our students, families and staff to access our location more easily. We are delighted to partner with both the County of Fairfax and Celebrate Fairfax, an established local organization, to serve differently-abled citizens. 

On July 26, our team hosted our first in-person event at the PARC and welcomed interested families and community members. IPS Cofounder/Chief Administrative Officer, Hope Hohmann, Curriculum Specialist Ariel Matz and I spoke about all aspects of the pilot program: the daily schedule, safety lessons and carpentry projects as well as the community-based intervention, which includes visiting worksites to offer students a real-world view of construction and safety practices. 

We are also hard at work preparing for the pilot program with a focus on hiring more staff to add to our dynamic team and evaluating student applications. Our online application window closes on August 15. Please share this info with any interested participants and their families. 

Speaking of our team, in case you missed it, we recently welcomed a new Board Member, Chip Hollands. Read further in this issue about Chip, who brings his talents to our well-rounded and supportive Board of Directors. We are grateful for their time and energy as well as the many stakeholders in our community who have welcomed IPS with open arms. Stay tuned for more announcements next month as we continue to bring our vision to life and welcome students!

--Naina Narayana Chernoff

Cofounder/CEO

Chip Hollands Joins IPS Board

IPS is delighted to announce that Chip Hollands has joined our Board. A finance expert, Chip has served as an advisor to our organization since last year, providing insight into best practices and helping to establish sound financial policies.  

Chip brings extensive experience in finance as a professor at Marymount University and an extensive resume that includes serving as Chief Financial Officer to leading nonprofits such as the Student Conservation Association and the Boys and Girls Club as well as several national corporations and organizations. Read more in his bio here.

“We are thrilled to have Chip join the IPS board,” said Board Secretary Kate Howarth. “His experience in finance with not-for-profits will be invaluable as we grow and evolve.”

Chip will also serve on the IPS Board Finance Committee along with fellow board members, Ryan Davis, Hope Hohmann and Joan Piccariello. 

Welcome again, Chip!

Click here to watch a recording of our July 26 Info Session. 

IPS is continuing to accept applications for our fall program until Monday, August 15. Questions? Please email us!