Executive

Bob Craves
Chair and CEO
Bob Craves co-founded the Washington Education Foundation (now the College Success Foundation), a public/private partnership committed to providing college scholarships and mentoring to low-income, high-potential students.

Prior to that, Mr. Craves was appointed to chair the Washington State Higher Education Coordinating Board in 1997, which oversees budgets and policies of four-year public institutions and distributes financial aid to all eligible students, both public and private.

In 1998, Mr. Craves was appointed co-chair of the 2020 Commission on the Future of Post-Secondary Education. At the conclusion of the Commission, Craves and Ann Ramsay-Jenkins founded the Washington Education Foundation, bringing together community leaders from across the state of Washington to help the thousands of students who are left behind - the ones not adequately served or supported by existing government and scholarship programs.

Mr. Craves is a member of the Board of Trustees of Catholic University in Washington D.C., the Arizona College Success Foundation and the LeMay Museum.

He is married to Geraldine Maloney Craves of San Francisco, a registered nurse, and has one daughter, Dr. Stacie Vaughn Craves.

Ann Ramsay-Jenkins
CoFounder and Vice Chair
Ann Ramsay-Jenkins is co-founder and vice chair of the College Success Foundation Board. The Foundation provides college scholarships and mentoring to low-income, high potential students across the state. Currently more than 4,600 scholarships have been awarded to deserving youth.

Ms. Ramsay-Jenkins has chaired the UW Medicine Board, served two terms as a member of Washington's Higher Education Coordinating Board, chaired the United Way of King County Board, the Seattle Repertory Theatre Board of Trustees, and was founding Chairman of the Seattle Repertory Theatre Foundation. She is also active in a number of other civic, professional and community organizations.

Ms. Ramsay-Jenkins's professional experience includes a five-year stint as Director of the Office of Budgets at Harvard University, as Assistant Secretary of Administration & Finance for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and as a Management Associate in the Office of Management & Budget, Executive Office of the President, in Washington D.C. Ann was appointed a White House Fellow in 1972 and served in the Executive Office of the President, Office of Drug Abuse Prevention where she received the Distinguished Service Award in 1973.

She has authored a number of articles including:

• Managing in the Public Sector, Ramsay AS, Women in Management publication, Graduate Programs in Management, Simmons College, Spring 1978
• The Therapeutic Community Phenomenon, Bourne PG, Ramsay AS, presented to the American Psychiatric Association, March 1974, Journal Of Psychedelic Drugs, Spring Volume, 1975
• THE VICTIMS, Doreen, Jim, Jessie, Manny, Wong, Public Health Aspects of Adolescent Drug Abuse, Ramsay AS, ed. Vernon D. Patch, MD, National Marijuana Commission, 1973

Ms. Ramsay-Jenkins, a graduate of Skidmore College, has been a director of Indian Head Banks, Inc. in New Hampshire. She also served as a board member of the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and as a member of President Carter's Advisory Committee for Women.

Deborah Wilds
President and COO
Deborah Wilds currently serves as the President and Chief Operating Officer of the College Success Foundation. Before coming to the Foundation, Dr. Wilds was a senior program officer for education at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where her responsibilities included serving as the Foundation's liaison to the Gates Millennium Scholars Program, the Gates Cambridge Scholars, and the Washington State Achievers Program and developing other college access related programs for low-income and students of color. She was also responsible for the early college initiative to create 250 new early college high schools across the country.

Prior to that, Dr. Wilds served as the Deputy Director of the American Council on Education's (ACE) Office of Minorities in Higher Education, in Washington, DC. At the Council she was responsible for developing strategies and programmatic activities designed to increase and advance minority and women's leadership and achievement in postsecondary institutions. She also served as a Senior Research Associate in the Division of Policy Analysis and Research at the ACE.

Dr. Wilds has conducted extensive research in the area of college access for low-income students and students of color, and was the senior author of the Annual Status Report on Minorities in Higher Education. Prior to coming to the Council, she was the Co-Founder and Director of New Era Education, an independent school and pre-school located in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Wilds was awarded her Ph.D. in Education Policy, Planning, and Administration at the University of Maryland at College Park. She received her M.S. degree in Education Administration from Howard University and her B.S. degree from the California State University, San Diego, in Speech Pathology and Audiology.

Cindy Garcia
Assistant Development Officer
Cindy joined the Foundation in January of 2006 with 10 years experience in the public, private and non profit sectors. While attending Yakima Valley Community College, Cindy worked for the Yakima County Clerk's Office becoming the first bilingual staff member in the Clerk's office. Cindy also worked for the United States Immigration and Naturalization Services as a student aide in an effort to learn more about immigration policy and the process behind the legalization procedures. One of the more rewarding experiences was working with the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs and working with the Latino population of the State. Cindy received an Associate's Degree from Highline Community College and is currently completing her Bachelor's of Science in Psychology at City University. She is fluent in Spanish. Email Cindy at cgarcia@collegesuccessfoundation.org.

Jennifer Funk
Executive Assistant to Deborah Wilds and Ann Ramsay-Jenkins
Jennifer joined the Foundation in August of 2007. Before coming to the Foundation, she worked in education as both a high school classroom teacher and as a program coordinator for the Career Education Options program at Bellevue Community College. Jennifer is a graduate of Washington State University with a bachelor of science degree in home economics. Additionally, she holds a Paralegal Certificate from the University of Washington. Email Jennifer at jfunk@collegesuccessfoundation.org.