A star member of Team Kinexus in Benton Harbor who once taught kindergarten on the south side of Chicago has earned a new role today as the statewide head of a program committed to raising graduation and employability rates for Michigan youth, and best of all, she'll continue to be headquartered in Benton Harbor.
Kinexus' associate Kristin Harrington has been named Executive Director of the statewide program known as Jobs for Michigan's Graduates and her office will be at the Kinexus business center on Main Street in downtown Benton Harbor.
Harrington joined the company’s parent organization of Kinexus in April 2011 and has played a critical role in ongoing statewide expansion efforts. Under her leadership, the organization has increased its statewide impact for total number of students served by 300-percent in the past two years.
Todd Gustafson is CEO at Kinexus. He says, “With a proven organizational track-record as a Kinexus senior leader, we are confident Kristin is the right person to lead Jobs for Michigan’s Graduates towards the vision of measurable impact on education and workforce outcomes.” He adds, “Our exponential growth under Kristin’s leadership has laid the foundation for the systemic impact that the organization will have on Michigan’s future workforce pipeline.”
Headquartered in Benton Harbor, Harrington will be responsible for leading Jobs for Michigan’s Graduates strategic and operational efforts on a statewide scale. The executive role is an extension of her professional experiences in the skills and training sector.
Harrington is a Teach for America alumna, who taught kindergarten on Chicago’s south side and in Gary, Indiana before re-locating to Michigan and joining team Kinexus. Harrington has held leadership roles across the Kinexus Talent Division, including tri-county Michigan Works! service center operations and the Kinexus Bridge Academy for re-engaged high school dropouts. During her tenure, she has also helped to secure over $10-million in organizational funding. Harrington has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan, a Master’s of Science in Education from Dominican University, and is currently completing a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan-Flint.
Kristin was enthusiastic in her response to this major new role with team Kinexus, saying, “I have had the distinct pleasure of leading a dedicated team that consists of partners across the public and private sectors.” She adds, “In my new role, I look forward to building and leveraging statewide partnerships to expand dropout prevention, recovery, and school-to-career services that make a measurable impact on Michigan’s economy.”
For more information on Jobs for Michigan’s Graduates, visit the newly launched website by clicking the link below:
