Site Coordinator Spotlight: Claire Williams

Site Coordinator Spotlight: Claire Williams

by Jenn Schultz

One of the things that makes our Site Coordinator team so strong is their diverse background and unique experiences prior to working with ACES. Claire Williams has been a Site Coordinator at Jerry Gamble Boys & Girls Club since 2015, but she actually got her start with ACES cleaning offices part-time while she worked in a bakery. As her time with ACES went on, her role in the office grew and she began taking on more responsibilities. After suffering a torn ACL, she was unable to continue her work at the bakery during her recovery, and she took a more prominent role at ACES. In the spring of 2015, Claire became an Academic Coach, co-teaching a class with another Academic Coach, and it was clear this was where her passion was.

As the oldest of three, Claire is a natural caregiver and has always loved working with kids. She was a babysitter when she was younger and later taught cooking to youth. She has a strong commitment to building relationships and connections with others, which comes naturally to her when working with her students. Having been a Site Coordinator at Jerry Gamble for the three years, she enjoys having ownership of creating a team and adapting as needed to the community there.

Consistently leading the same site over her time at ACES has also allowed Claire to see her original fourth-grade students progress into middle school. She loves the learning environment ACES creates and is proud of the long-term growth and change evident in the kids who have been ACES students over multiple years.

Claire is excited for the future of ACES; she’s pumped to see the growth of more sites as well as growing our reach in the Twin Cities. She believes in the opportunity we have to provide access and resources to more underserved students. Claire has grown especially fond of the northside community Jerry Gamble Boys & Girls Club is a part of and wants to help facilitate the continued growth of education and resources in that community.

Claire’s Stats

Hometown: North Branch, Minnesota
College: University of Minnesota, LeCordon Bleu
Major: Culinary Arts
Favorite Sport: Hockey
Favorite Subjects: Reading