Sanford Community Adult Education hires Allen Lampert as new director

http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110421/GJNEWS03/704219803/-1/SANNEWS

Thursday, April 21, 2011
SANFORD — In 1996, Allen Lampert signed up to teach a class in business writing for the Wells Adult Education program. He had never taught a class before and, as he says, he hasn't left the classroom since.

Lampert was recently hired to head the Sanford Community and Adult Education (SCAE) program. He will take over as executive director on July 1, replacing Kathi Medcalf who has resigned (effective June 30) to move "back home" to the Tacoma, Wash., area to be closer to her family.

Education, specifically adult education, is Lampert's second career and he clearly enjoys it.

Lampert started out in banking in 1981 and held a variety of positions in the industry over the next 13 years, he said in a phone interview this week. When he left the business in 1994, he was president of Metropolitan Banking Group for Neworld Bank in Boston.

He then started a company, which, he said, he sold two years later.

It was when he and his wife were enrolling their son in elementary school in Wells that he saw a sign that said the Wells Adult Education program was looking for teachers. Lampert said he wasn't working at the time and his wife encouraged him to apply. He discovered that he loved teaching.

Lampert took a job in the Portland Adult Education program, where his primary responsibility was to create, implement, coordinate and teach a variety of job training courses. He has been with the Portland Adult Education program for 15 years. Among the courses he has taught are keyboarding, business communication and business English.

Lampert teaches Portland Adult Education's WorkReady program, a grant-funded program that helps out-of-work students of all ages improve their skills, polish their resumés and make contacts that will help them find jobs.

He is also an adjunct faculty member at the University of Southern Maine, where he teaches graduate-level adult education courses.

In addition, he has co-authored a book — with USM professor E. Michael Brady — titled "The New Teacher of Adults, A Handbook for Teachers of Adult Education," and has a business consulting company.

Lampert, who is a longtime resident of York County and currently lives in Old Orchard Beach, said he is really excited about the opportunity to work at SCAE.

"The Sanford adult education program is recognized throughout the state of Maine as a very well run program," he said. "Kathi [Medcalf] and her staff are well regarded throughout the state."

He mentioned SCAE's successful marketing and its staff development program as contributing to its "outstanding reputation" in the state.

Medcalf has been director of SCAE since April 2002. During her tenure in Sanford, she has "put SCAE on the map!" according to Sanford Superintendent of Schools Betsy St. Cyr. "She is very respected throughout the state." St. Cyr said Medcalf's work in the areas of family literacy and standards based curriculum are especially noteworthy.

Lampert said he sees the position as an opportunity to use his own skill set to promote SCAE and its programs, to learn what the program is doing well and make it even better.

"I think Sanford is a wonderful town and I think there's a tremendous amount of potential there," he said.

St. Cyr said Lampert plans to begin attending the school department's administrative team meetings, as well as SCAE faculty meetings, next month.

Posted by Margie Genereux  on April 25, 2011 | Read more in: News