PENCIL (Public Education Needs Community Involvement and Leadership), the boots-on-the-ground community resource recruiter to Metro Nashville Public Schools, is pleased to announce that Olivia Blake has joined the staff as the organization’s first Chief Technology Officer in its 40-year history.
In this role, Ms. Blake will be a strategic analyst and vision setter. She will proactively oversee all of PENCIL’s data collection and technology to assure the greatest efficiency of staff, engagement of community volunteers, and investment of donors, which together leverage millions of dollars’ worth of community investment back into Metro schools each year.
“As an organization that nurtures more than 800 business and community partnerships supporting public schools citywide and distributes at least three million dollars’ worth of free classroom supplies to Metro educators each year, leveraging technology effectively is core to PENCIL’s ability to serve our district,” shares PENCIL CEO, Angie Adams. “That is why I’m so thrilled that Olivia is on our team to strengthen our existing systems and prepare us for strategic growth as I look to my own transition out of the CEO role in 2024,” Adams continues.
Ms. Blake has guided complex technology projects for PENCIL in the past in a consultant role. “I am thrilled and honored to be back working with the PENCIL team.” she shares. “Especially as a mother of three MNPS students, I see the challenges facing our dedicated educators and administrators, and I am excited to be a part of serving them in this role!”
Ms. Blake was previously the President & Founder of Kumwe Systems, a consultancy helping nonprofit organizations increase their impact through improving their technology systems. She also worked as a Salesforce Consultant with Idlewild Inc. She is a Salesforce Certified Administrator as well as a Salesforce Certified Nonprofit Cloud Consultant.
Ms. Blake is a native Nashvillian and holds a Masters in Civic Leadership from Lipscomb University and a B.A. in Economic Development from Eastern University.
Olivia can be reached at oblake@pencil615.org and 615-242-3167 ext. 1043.
