PORTLAND, Ore. — The nonprofit Maurice Lucas Foundation has hired Sheila Zachry as its Academy Manager. She previously worked at KIPP Memphis Collegiate High School, a high performing charter school in Tennessee, since 2013. She started there as chair of the Humanities department and rose to become interim principal last year.
In her new role, the Portland resident will oversee the organization’s teachers, mentors, tutors and coaches who provide education, sports programs, outings, sports camps and post-secondary education scholarships to underserved Portland-area middle school students though its Maurice Lucas Foundation Academies. The programs help children develop skills to help them succeed in school and life.
Previously in her career, Zachry also worked at Oregon City High School for 29 years. She started there as an English teacher, eventually taught virtually every English course, created a course to help students and families navigate the college process and later served as its English department coordinator.
A native of Oregon, Zachry graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English from Western Oregon University in Monmouth. She earned a master’s degree in teaching at Lewis & Clark College in Portland.
About the Maurice Lucas Foundation
The foundation is named in honor of the late Maurice Lucas (1952-2010), the starting forward and leading scorer on the 1977 NBA champion Portland Trail Blazers team. Besides his outstanding achievements on the court, Lucas also gave selflessly of his time and energy to Portland youth. Since its formation, more than 400 students have successfully completed the foundation’s academies and hundreds of others have participated in its sports programs. www.ml20.org
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Maurice Lucas Foundation ^ P.O. Box 1661 ^ Lake Oswego, OR 97035 ^ www.ml20.org