Next Door, the leading provider of early education and support services in Central City Milwaukee, announced today that President Carol Keintz, Ed.D will retire on September 3 after seven years with the agency.

Following an extensive nation-wide search, the Board of Directors has hired Tracey Sparrow, Ed.D to succeed Keintz.  Dr. Sparrow’s deep expertise in early education and her focus on creating a better future for at-risk youth makes her ideally suited to lead an organization so vital to Milwaukee’s future.

Under Dr. Keintz’s leadership, Next Door has grown into a nationally-renown education resource for at-risk children and families. Keintz’s initiatives include: the successful expansion of Head Start Programs; a high-performing K4-K5 charter school; health collaborations with Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin; integrated mental health services for children; “Books for Kids” that collects and distributes over 100,000 books to children all over the city; and most recently a new partnership with 10 child care centers, where Next Door will be sharing their nationally-recognized early education expertise.

“Carol’s commitment and genuine dedication to our at-risk children and families has helped create a strong legacy for Milwaukee that will continue to flourish,” said Next Door Board Chair Tom Arenberg. “On behalf of our community and the families we serve, we thank Carol for everything she has done to positively impact thousands of childrens’ lives over the years.”

As incoming president, Sparrow brings with her experience in urban education and development. She received her Doctoral degree in Education, Leadership and Service from Cardinal Stritch University and a Master’s in Organization Theory from UW- Milwaukee. She is particularly focused on urban schools and has authored articles and presented on topics such as “Voices of African American Males” and “Urban School Partnership.”  Sparrow’s prior positions as a founder and president of a Milwaukee multi-million dollar budgeted charter school and vice president for Children’s Programs at the Milwaukee Center for Independence suit her well for this position. She teaches college courses both in Nonprofit Management and Issues in Education.

“Without question, Tracey is an excellent fit for Next Door and is well positioned to continue to build on the legacy and quality programming delivered by Next Door,” said Dr. Keintz. “She is a strong partner in the community and she has already established herself as an advocate and thought leader for improving early education and services for Milwaukee’s at-risk children and families. It will be exciting to watch how far she will take Next Door in the future.”