 Adrienne Diercks is the founder and Executive Director of Project SUCCESS. Project SUCCESS is a youth-development organization that works with students over a seven-year period, from middle school through high school, to help them develop life skills that can transform their lives.
As a result of her passion of helping young people achieve their dreams, she began Project SUCCESS in 1994 serving 200 students and one school in Minneapolis. Today, she has grown the program to serving over 10,000 students and their families and 17 schools in both Minneapolis and Saint Paul. The creation of this innovative program has brought invitations for expansion both nationally and internationally. Her work has been written about in Paul Batz's book "Inspire, Persuade, Lead: Communication Secrets of Excellent Leaders." Adrienne's leadership has also been recognized in local and national press.
She was named a 2008 Minneapolis Saint Paul Business Journal “Woman to Watch”, and was honored with the Minneapolis Award for her outstanding accomplishments and contributions to the City of Minneapolis, the Community Member Arts Advocate Award from the Minnesota Alliance for Arts in Education and the 2000 Hispanic Heritage Month Award for work in education with the Hispanic community. Under her leadership, Project SUCCESS received the 2008 Ordway Center for the Performing Arts Sally Award for Excellence in Education. In 2010, Adrienne was honored with Ann Bancroft Foundation's Dream Maker Award for Achievement and Leadership and the first-ever Minneapolis Metro School Counselor Association Friend of Counseling Award.
In addition to her role at Project SUCCESS, Adrienne is a member of the Minnesota Women’s Economic Roundtable, and serves on the University of Minnesota Paddleford Scholarship Committee, the University of Minnesota Humphrey Institute Arts and Culture Study Group, the Minnesota Regional Arts Council Review Panel, the National Civic League Ambassadors in Education and Met Life Foundation National Selection Committee and is a recent graduate of the James P. Shannon Leadership Institute.
Previously, she served as the founder of Possibilities, Inc., a non-profit whose mission was to inspire kids to dream about their lives. In that role, she traveled throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin conducting inspirational workshops.
Adrienne has a B.A. in English from Whittier College, CA.
"I am fortunate to have worked all of these years with so many wonderful people to serve kids and facilitate experiences and conversations that can lead to a better future and a stronger community for us all."
 Jenny Batten, Program Manager. Jenny graduated with a B.A. in Theater Arts and a M.F.A. in Stage Management from the University of California, Irvine. She joined Project SUCCESS after having worked as a stage manager at the Guthrie Theater for ten years. There she served as a mentor to high school and college students who were interested in pursuing a career in the theater as well as worked with several young actors, ages 5 – 13, who were cast in the annual production of A Christmas Carol. She believes strongly in the educational power of theater and is thrilled that Project SUCCESS has allowed thousands of students to experience that vital part of their education.
In addition to theater, Jenny's strong love of the outdoors and the lessons we learn from nature makes the Anwatin Boundary Waters Canoe Trip one of her favorite annual Project SUCCESS events!
 Liz Bedard Halberg, Director of Development and Communications. (B.A. Journalism: focus Public Relations and Marketing, University of Minnesota). Liz has worked in development and communications for the last eleven years. She was with Children's Safety Centers for five years prior to joining Project SUCCESS. Prior to nonprofits, she worked on state and national political campaigns as a finance director. She is a 2007 graduate of the Saint Paul Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Saint Paul. Her volunteer work includes Children's Safety Centers (Board Member) and the Assistance League of Minnesota (Advisory Committee Member).
 Alex Brooks, Facilitator: South High School. Originally from Florida's Space Coast, Alex graduated from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia with a B.A. in Theater Studies, and before graduating he spent his last semester at a conservatory in Arezzo, Italy. Alex toured with Georgia Shakespeare to high schools all over the south and spent the following year acting in professional theaters around Atlanta. He then moved to Ohio to join the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company where a year of teaching workshops shifted his passion from being on the stage to being in the classroom.
 Jason Brown, Program Manager. Jason completed his B.A. in English Literature with a concentration on Education at Mount Union College in Alliance, OH. He was an AmeriCorps member for two years working as a VISTA with the Urban Corps and as an AmeriCorps Promise Fellow at the Volunteer Center. In both jobs he helped young people develop marketable skills through volunteering and service work. He also worked at the Bridge for Runaway Youth as a Counselor in their Emergency Crisis Shelter. He has worked for several theaters and theater companies, including the Guthrie Theater, Chaos Theories and Outward Spiral Theatre Company, and co-founded Emigrant Theater.
 Harleigh Gabrielson, Facilitator: Washburn High School. Harleigh is a graduate of Minneapolis Public Schools and a beneficiary of Project SUCCESS’s work in her middle and high school. After studying history and community development at the Evergreen State College in Olympia Washington, she’s returned to the Midwest to participate in the continuing growth and development of her beloved Twin Cities community. In college, Harleigh interned with two youth development organizations, Gateways for Incarcerated Youth, a co-education partnership between Evergreen and the Washington Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration, and a farm-based community and youth development organization, Garden Raised Bounty. Harleigh believes that inspired, supported youth are integral to the vibrancy of communities and this guides her work at Project SUCCESS.
 Laura Garcia, Facilitator: Olson Middle School and Patrick Henry High School. Laura is excited to be part of a program that incorporates both her passions; theater and education. Laura grew up in Boulder, CO where she attended the University of Colorado at Boulder. Her major was Theater Performance and her minor was Ethnic Studies. She grew up in a family of educators and therefore pursued a career in education, but never leaving out theater. She traveled and studied Drama in Prague, Czech Republic, as well as toured Europe in order to change her perspective on life. Acting brought Laura to Minnesota which she is now calling home.
 Emily Heagle, Director of Development and Communications. Emily most recently came from the Minnesota Medical Foundation at the University of Minnesota. Emily has also worked in development and communications for the Guthrie Theater, Intermedia Arts, and the Madison Civic Center. Emily graduated with an M.A. in Business from the Bolz Center for Arts Administration at the University of Wisconsin – Madison School of Business, and with a B. A. in Fine Arts from St. Olaf College. She is excited to be able to bring together her passion for youth development and for the performing arts by joining Project SUCCESS.
 Naheeda Hirji-Walji, Facilitator: Southwest High School, Washburn High School and Anwatin Middle School. Naheeda is very thankful to be with Project SUCCESS. She graduated from the University of St. Thomas, where she double-majored in Education and Sociology. She has worked with a variety of youth organizations, community centers, schools, non-profits, and with the government. Through her experiences she has seen the value and need of Project SUCCESS for young people. Most recently she worked to help inspire and motivate students to get civically involved in Washington, D.C. Naheeda is passionate about the world around her; she loves traveling. She has been to over 20 countries, most recently as a volunteer in Morocco.
 Julia Hutchinson, Facilitator and Special Projects Coordinator: North Community High School, Northeast Middle School, and Washburn High School. Julia joins the Project SUCCESS staff after being involved with the program, in many capacities, over the past 13 years. A Minnesota native, Julia was introduced to Project SUCCESS when she was a student, first at Anwatin Middle School and then at Southwest High School. Julia received a B.A. in both Sociology and Religious Studies from Colby College in Maine. She spent a year traveling, working, and studying abroad after graduating in 2007. She is passionate about community and the idea of being a global citizen. A dancer at heart and a closeted singer, Julia is thrilled to be back in the vibrant Twin Cities working for an organization in which she believes in so deeply.
 Cassie Karan, Theater Coordinator. Cassie studied English at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and spent a year studying abroad in London, England. She has four years experience working with non-profits in Minneapolis. Cassie loves the arts, yoga, reading and writing. She feels honored to be a part of Project SUCCESS and its awesome power to inspire youth.
 Jeffry Lusiak, Resident Artist: Jeffry has been working with Project SUCCESS for the past seven years as co-director of the Anwatin Musical, andjust completed his fifth year as a facilitator at Southwest High School and Northeast Middle. Jeffry has been also working in Minneapolis for eleven years as a director and performer and is currently the Artistic Director of Outward Spiral Theatre Company. Locally, he has worked at: Illusion Theatre as an educator and director; the Guthrie Theater as a Directing Intern, and has directed and produced new shows at the Bryant Lake Bowl. Jeffry began working with young people at the Illusion Theatre where he traveled to small towns around the country helping kids to become peer educators and performers. He is originally from Toledo, Ohio and is a graduate of St. Mary's University of Minnesota in Winona with a B.A. in Theater.
 Pierangelo Rossi, Facilitator: Anwatin Middle School, Anne Sullivan Communication Center, Marcy Open School, and Sanford Middle School. Pierangelo ("Pier" works as well) was born and raised in Lima, Peru. After high school, he came to Minnesota and attended Macalester College in St. Paul. In May he received his B.A. in Educational Studies and Latin American Studies, with a minor in Political Science. For his last two years in college, he worked at Macalester’s Civic Engagement Center organizing volunteers in regards to college access. He also served as a board member of Adelante!, the Latino student organization, and was the co-founder of a student-run magazine about global issues. He loves playing soccer (fútbol!), walking on stilts and taking pictures of sunsets.
 Ginny Snow, Facilitator: Humboldt Middle School, Hazel Park Middle School, and Battle Creek Middle School. Ginny was born and raised in Paducah, Kentucky. She received her B.A. in English at Murray State University and was an active participant in the dance, theatre, and choral departments. In 2002, Ginny followed her heart to Minneapolis and eventually earned her teaching license through Hamline University. Ginny has observed, volunteered, and taught at many schools throughout the Twin Cities, as well as in the surrounding suburban districts, and just finished a year of teaching English at Fridley High School. In her free time, Ginny enjoys reading, going to the movies, discovering new restaurants, and working off her new finds at dance class.
 Paige Ware, Theater Partnerships Associate. Paige graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. She worked in the television news business for six years before joining Project SUCCESS. Paige has volunteered for theaters in both Minnesota and Wisconsin and loves that her job combines her passions for the performing arts and education.
Liz Welsh, Administrative Manager. Before joining Project SUCCESS, Liz worked in Washington, D.C. for six years at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a non-profit dedicated to providing leadership, education, advocacy, and resources to save America's diverse historic places. She’s a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.S. in Conservation Biology. Raised in Minnesota, Liz is thrilled to be home with her family and friends! |
