The Northshore Schools Foundation recently announced the appointment of Carmin Dalziel as executive director.

Dalziel, a native of Bothell and a Northshore School District alumnus, brings extensive leadership and years of professional experience working with youth and family programs.

After 20 years of service in nonprofits around the region, Dalziel was ready to return home to serve the community where she lives and grew up.

“This work is important to me,” says Dalziel, “because my education in this district turned my life around.”

Coming from a broken home in grade school, Dalziel’s father and stepmother moved her to Bothell with them to make a new start.

“Given what I know now about youth at risk,” Dalziel said, “I was certainly in that category. Once I walked into Mrs. Glandon’s fifth-grade class at Maywood Hills, my life turned around. It was through loving teachers like her, and enhanced curriculum funded largely from teachers’ own pockets, that I became a successful contributing member of society.”

Short-term goals for the foundation, according to Daziel, include raising awareness about education and enrolling business members along with Northshore alumni to take an active part in support of education and schools. She would like to see a 500-percent increase in volunteer involvement, a significant increase in giving, expanded alumni events and an increase in grant programs.

“The effects of the economy,” she said, “have had a devastating effect on our ability to make substantial gifts to the district. That’s unacceptable because these causes need to be funded. The impact is more than on a classroom; it’s on a lifetime.”

Long term, Dalziel said, the Norshore Schools Foundation intends to be a major supporter of the Northshore School District with funds available to impact big change and be responsive to new and emergent issues that affect the district. Since its inception, the foundation has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and funded programs that have reached the majority of the Northshore School District’s approximate 18,000 students.

Dalziel starts strong with the foundation this fall as it recently announced its annual Calling For Kids phoneathon, Oct. 18-22.