Three Central College employees were elected to serve as officers with the Educational Opportunity Association and Iowa TRIO.

Ellie Burns, director of pre-college programs at Central, was named secretary of the EOA. Kristin Lewis, assistant director of Educational Talent Search, was re-elected treasurer for Iowa TRIO, while Mollie Kingma, Educational Talent Search coordinator, was elected to the board of directors as a member at-large.

Burns has served on the EOA board as Iowa TRIO President-Elect, President and the chair of the Legislation and Education Committee. She also participated in the Emerging Leaders Institute in 2011. EOA has a board of 21 members that works to offer a variety of professional development opportunities for TRIO professionals and students.
Kingma has served Iowa TRIO as a member at-large, specifically focusing on public relations and communications for two years. She is currently participating in the MILE Program (Members Involved in Leadership and Engagement), a one-year leadership program designed to support members as they learn about the organization and seek leadership opportunities.

Kingma has been elected as President-Elect of Iowa TRIO. She will be sworn into the role in November and serve for one year. The following year she will take the position of President of Iowa TRIO. In the third year of her term, she will serve as the Past-President of Iowa TRIO. As President-Elect and President of Iowa TRIO, Kingma will also serve on the board of EOA.

Lewis will be serving her second year as Iowa TRIO Secretary. Iowa TRIO has a board of nine members, representing TRIO programs throughout Iowa. Iowa TRIO provides professional development opportunities and connects professionals with best practices. There are currently more than 125 members in Iowa TRIO.

TRIO is a federal outreach and student services program designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. TRIO includes eight programs targeted to serve and assist low-income individuals, first-generation college students and individuals with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to post-baccalaureate programs. TRIO programs provide academic tutoring, personal counseling, mentoring, financial guidance, and other supports necessary for educational access and retention.