Paul Kulpinski Named Partnership Director

FLAGSTAFF (October 20, 2016)

Former Flagstaff Unified School District Governing Board Member Paul Kulpinski will become the first Partnership Director of LAUNCH Flagstaff, the community-wide initiative to provide all children with a “cradle-to-career” world-class education.

Kulpinski was selected from a highly qualified pool of candidates by the LAUNCH Flagstaff leadership team, which includes representatives from the United Way of Northern Arizona, Northern Arizona University, the Flagstaff Unified School District, the office of the Coconino County Superintendent of Schools, the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce, Arizona Community Foundation of Flagstaff and the Wharton Foundation. In addition to serving on the interview team, both foundations are major funders of this important community initiative.

“Paul brings extensive knowledge of the opportunities and challenges facing our education system from his many years on the school board and as a parent,” said Steve Peru, President & CEO of the United Way of Northern Arizona. “His knowledge goes beyond the Flagstaff area to include awareness and involvement with statewide education issues. LAUNCH Flagstaff will benefit greatly from Paul’s knowledge and extensive network.”

Kulpinski created and is the owner of Spawning Fish, LLC, a multi-media production company that produces film, video and audio content that advances issues related to public K-12 education, especially related to funding, political action, advocacy and the promotion of outstanding educators. He also co-founded Mountain Waves Healing Arts, Inc., a multi-discipline collaborative wellness center of 10 health care providers.

As Partnership Director of LAUNCH Flagstaff, he will lead a diverse cross section of the community dedicated to improving educational outcomes in several areas. The group’s goals include increasing:

• The number of children entering kindergarten ready for school.
• The number of students reading at grade level at the end of third grade.
• The number of 8th grade students performing at grade level in math.
• The number of students graduating from high school within four years.
• The number of students entering college or technical training.

“I feel deeply honored and excited about the opportunity to expand my service to the Flagstaff community through the role of Partnership Director,” Kulpinski said. “I have great confidence that in harnessing the collective impact of every community member, we can create a community-wide culture that supports a world-class education for every child, in every school.”

Kulpinski added that he is looking forward to continuing his work with FUSD while also deepening his relationships with the charter and private schools in the community.

To learn more about LAUNCH Flagstaff, its goals and how you can help in the effort to improve education in the community, visit click here.