Contact Us: The people behind Whole Schools
Judi Holifield
WSI Director
501 North West Street
Suite 1101A Woolfolk Building
Jackson, MS 39201
Office: 601-359-6040
Fax: 601-359-6008
E-mail: jholifield@arts.state.ms.us
Judi Holifield is Director of the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Whole Schools Initiative. She has led the nationally recognized school reform model since 2002 and has represented the Whole Schools Initiative at national, state, and local meetings and conferences. She frequently accepts invitations to serve as a guest panelist or speaker, helping to raise awareness of the impact of this federally funded school reform model. During her tenure with the Whole Schools Initiative she has established partnerships with the Metropolitan Opera Guilds Creating Original Opera, and with Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute Communities LinkUP! orchestra program. Prior to becoming Director of the Whole Schools Initiative, she was a Field Advisor for the initiative and taught music at Nora Davis Magnet School, a Model Whole School site in Laurel, Mississippi.
Ms. Holifield has twenty-five years experience teaching vocal music at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. In addition, she has conducted numerous orchestras for community theatre productions and has served various churches as choir director throughout her career. Ms. Holifield judges solo, choral, and show choir competitions throughout the south as her schedule permits. She holds the Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Southern Mississippi. Her graduate work is focused on issues of self-esteem in gifted and talented children.
Kim Whitt
Arts in Education Director
501 North West Street
Suite 1101A Woolfolk Building
Jackson, MS 39201
Office: 601-359-6037
Fax: 601-359-6008
E-mail: kwhitt@arts.state.ms.us
Kim Whitt serves as Arts in Education Director for the Mississippi Arts Commission where she administers grants and provides technical assistance to schools throughout the state. She previously was the Project Director for an arts-focused model Whole School(Nora Davis Magnet School, Laurel, MS) where she taught visual art, drama, and dance. As a teacher/consultant for the MS Arts Commission, she has taught and designed arts integration professional development programs. Whitt is a fiber artist and holds a B.A. in anthropology and dance from The University of Southern Mississippi and is certified to teach K-12 in visual and performing arts. She is a member of the Mississippi Craftsman’s Guild and has taught weaving to all age levels, beginner to advanced.
Karen Burke
Special Project Coordinator
105 Ridgelawn Drive
Vicksburg MS 39183
Office: 601-636-8980 h/fax
E-mail: kburke_vwsd@hotmail.com
Karen Burke is a retired teacher and administrator from Mississippi’s public schools. She received her bachelor’s, master’s and specialist degrees in elementary education from the University of Mississippi and is certified as a classroom teacher, reading specialist, and administrator. Her administrative job experiences include professional development, elementary curriculum, accreditation, grant management, and long-range planning; and she presents sessions on test development, grant writing, and professional development. Burke currently serves as field advisor and project facilitator for the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Whole School Initiative and assists the Mississippi Staff Development Council as their executive director.
Echo Olander
Events Coordinator
3455 Constance
New Orleans, LA 70115
Office: 504-410-1990
Fax: 504-410-1994
E-mail: echo@kidsmart.org
Echo Olander is Executive Director of KID smART, an organization that teaches positive life skills through hands-on arts activities to under resourced children. Based in New Orleans, she has a background of 20 years in arts administration with an educational focus. Echo also works as Events Coordinator for the Whole Schools Initiative with the Mississippi Arts Commission. Previous employers and clients include the New York State Council on the Arts, the Louisiana Division of the Arts, the Arts Council of New Orleans, WWOZ-FM, and the Louisiana Alliance for Arts in Education.
