 | |
| Established | 2008 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Gerda Weissmann Klein |
| Location |
|
Executive Director |
Alysa Cooper |
| Website | citizenshipcounts |
Citizenship Counts is a non-partisan 501(c)(3) organization based in Arizona.
History
In October 2004, Gerda Weissmann Klein was asked to speak at a naturalization ceremony that was hosted by Three Rivers Middle School in Cleves, Ohio.
Klein shared her experience with her granddaughter, Alysa Ullman Cooper, and her friend, Rita Schaefer, then President of McDougal Littell, a publisher of educational materials for middle- and high-school students. After learning that Klein and Ullman were invited to attend a special naturalization ceremony at the White House, Schaefer encouraged Ullman to author a civics-based curriculum about the naturalization process. In February 2008, The Path to Citizenship was published, and in August 2008, Citizenship Counts was founded to implement the program in schools across the United States.
On March 23, 2009, the inaugural naturalization ceremony under the stewardship of Citizenship Counts was held at the Phoenix Convention Center. Fifty new citizens from twenty-six countries took the "Oath of Allegiance," which was administered by former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
Board members
Citizenship Counts has a variety of educational, political, business, and community leaders who serve on its advisory or governing boards.
Advisory board
- The Honorable Sandra Day O'Connor, retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice
- Kirk Ankeney, Executive Director for Curriculum and Instruction for the San Diego Unified School District
- Dr. Jesus Garcia, former President of the National Council for the Social Studies
- Carlos M. Gutierrez, former United States Secretary of Commerce 35th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce
- Sam Harris, former President of Northbrook United Way of America, author and Holocaust survivor
- Benjamin Johnson, Executive Director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association
- Thomas H. Kirk, Jr., former Deputy Commander of Special Forces in Europe
- Carrie Martz, former CEO and Founder of The Martz Agency
- Ted McConnell, Executive Director of the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools
- Marney Murphy
- Jason Steinagle
Board of directors
Roger Cohen Dr. Eric Mondschein Syd Golston Don Streets Jim Ullman