Having a unique perspective as a parent with students currently in the system, with a background in both economic development and education and well aware of challenges facing the Board, Katie C. Ickes has submitted her name as a candidate for Greenbrier County Board of Education.
Identified as a trouble shooter early on, Katie served as a national field representative for her Tri Sigma sorority after college traveling throughout the U.S. to help chapters with financial issues, recruitment and development. Her career continued as Education and Program Director for the American Lung Association in Charleston. She worked with six school systems and presented educational programming in a six county region, as well as fund-raising and public relations.
Throughout the years, her career has encompassed both education and economic development. Ickes served as a substitute teacher in Greenbrier County, as well as taught in a private school; and she was even asked to “home school” a group of four students on a contract basis.
In the economic development vein, she served as the Program Director and President of Main Street White Sulphur Springs and received more than $2 million in grant funding to replace an abandoned gas station with the very functional Midland Trail Park and streetscape that section of town. Ickes served as the Greater Greenbrier Chamber of Commerce director for seven years, initiating many programs that are still in place including the Chamber sponsorship of Career Day for Greenbrier County Schools and Mega Business.
Recognizing needs that were not being met, she left the Chamber to form her own company, VisAbility LLC, to help further develop a culture of entrepreneurism in this region. She developed a school program, the Mindset of Success – Entrepreneurial Thinking, which will have been presented to about 1,000 students by the end of this year in the county. She also completed the Kauffman Foundation’s Ice House – Entrepreneurial Mindset facilitator’s training certification at the Entrepreneur Learning Initiative in Cleveland, OH.
Ickes partners with Communities in the Schools for the Mindset program and has been helping high school students be college ready. Her programs have empowered many students to see themselves as creative problem solvers not limited by their present circumstance to achieve their dreams. Ickes also presents the Mindset curriculum at the Seeds of Recovery drug rehab program in Rainelle. Ickes works with New River Community and Technical College, Greenbrier Valley Economic Development, New River Gorge Regional Development and Workforce WV to present “Shark Tank” like entrepreneur competitions in the region. She was recently asked to serve on the Planning committee for the first Governor’s Honors School for Entrepreneurism, which will be held at Marshall University for three weeks this summer. She has also served as a judge for the WVU High School Business Plan competition. Ickes has served for years on the Career and Technical Advisory Committee of Greenbrier County Schools, as well as on the Business Advisory Council at Greenbrier East.
Ickes has a passion and vision to see each student realize their full potential and purpose with a satisfying career benefiting the common good. Serving on the Board of Education seems a natural progression in line with her vision. And, as a mother of five continuing to raise students in the system, she is invested in Greenbrier County schools and has much to contribute to the Board.
