About

Our Mission

The Ithaca Public Education Initiative facilitates community connections and support for students and teachers of the Ithaca City School District through engagement, collaboration, gifts, and grants.

Our Values

  • Enhanced educational experiences: IPEI values enhanced educational experiences for all ICSD students, both in and outside of the classroom.

  • Community involvement: IPEI values and encourages partnerships between teachers and community members, colleges, foundations, and businesses, to advance the educational opportunities across the ICSD.

  • Creativity: IPEI values and supports teachers in their creative development of programs that foster high-quality educational activities.

  • Responsiveness: IPEI values opportunities to assist students and teachers in a timely manner when needs are identified. We are both proactive and reactive.

History

The Ithaca Public Education Initiative grew out of a challenge set forth in the Ithaca City School District Strategic Plan of 1996 calling for help in finding the extra resources required for the success of all students.

Our History

Staff

Picture of IPEI's director, Indi McCasey, smiling wearing a burgundy blazer and patterned shirt, against a plain light background.

Executive Director
Indi McCasey 

Indi believes in the power of collaborative creative practice to catalyze communities and foster change. They have spent the past 20 years working at the intersection of creativity, education, the environment, and community wellness with non-profit organizations, schools, and county departments of education in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Juneau, Kansas City, New York, Santa Fe, Seattle, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Indi is a co-founder of IDEAL Bay Area and also works as a Creative Education Consultant, facilitating professional learning communities and supporting organizational change through intergenerational collaboration, creative youth development, and educational equity. They continue to serve as a faculty member of Harvard’s Project Zero Classroom, engaging national and international educators and school leaders in Project Zero research and methodologies. Indi holds an Ed.M from the Harvard Graduate School of Education where they served as an Artist in Residence at Harvard’s Project Zero. You can learn more about Indi's work at indimccasey.com.

Board of Directors

Interested in learning more about joining the IPEI Board of Directors? Email ipei@ipei.org

View Past Board Members

President
Margery Brodhead

Vice President
Moira Lang

Treasurer
Kelly Cobb, CPA

Secretary
Kate Supron

Millicent Clarke-Maynard

Kathy Duell

Linda Duttweiler

Samantha Elebiary

Walaa Maharem-Horan

Esther L. Racoosin

Chris Savino

Ross Tate

Michael Thompson 

IPEI Student Liaisons
Ace Dufresne
Irene Chi
Camille Lindbloom