Aspire Institute Welcomes Peg Sprague as Interim Executive Director

The Aspire Institute at Wheelock College is pleased to welcome Peg Sprague as Interim Executive Director as of October 13, 2015. Ms. Sprague has over 35 years of experience as a teacher, administrator, and consultant to children and family serving nonprofits. As a Wheelock Alumna and adjunct faculty member at Wheelock for 12 years, she brings a wealth of experience and expertise to Aspire’s role as an “innovation lab” for Wheelock College.

To fulfill Aspire’s mission to advance knowledge and solutions in response to social and educational challenges, Ms. Sprague will have overall management responsibility for the Aspire team, continue to advance the work, oversee collaboration and relationships with internal and external partners and collaborators, and continue efforts to seek funding for Aspire initiatives.

he Institute collaborates with Wheelock faculty, staff, and community partners to envision and develop effective policy and practice in the fields of education, child and human development, and health and wellness.

“I am thrilled to be joining Aspire Institute where there is the opportunity to invite new thinking and dialogue to address the enduring challenges within our communities,” said Peg Sprague, interim executive director. “By bringing the collective resources of talented program staff and faculty together with knowledgeable and experienced community partners, we can incubate innovative solutions and learn from them.”

Ms. Sprague most recently served as Senior Vice President for Community Impact at United Way Massachusetts Bay and the Merrimack Valley (UWMBMV), which serves more than 100 cities and towns in Massachusetts, Southern New Hampshire, and Maine. In her role, she oversaw the development and implementation of community investment strategies in United Way’s three impact areas - Healthy Child Development, Increasing Youth Opportunities and Family Financial Stability, and the distribution of more than $20 million annually. United Way currently funds more than 190 community-based agencies. Her prior experience includes the Families and Work Institute, a nonprofit research-to-action institute in New York dedicated to providing research for living in today’s changing workplace, changing family and changing community and a variety of consulting positions.

Additionally, Ms. Sprague has served on a number of statewide task forces and committees, including Governor Patrick’s Readiness Task Force, the Massachusetts Birth to School Age Task Force (Co-Chair), and the Massachusetts Early Childhood and Out of School Time Workforce Development Task Force (Co-Chair). She has also served as a member of the Advisory Committee for the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care and serves on the board of the Children’s Trust Fund and the Children’s Investment Fund. She was Co-Chair of the Boston STEM Network and helped to develop and launch a citywide initiative to increase middle school students’ access to high quality STEM experiences. In collaboration with the Mayor’s Office, she co-led the effort to create Thrive in 5, Boston’s citywide school readiness roadmap.

Ms. Sprague graduated with distinction from Simmons College with a B.A. degree in education and she holds a Master of Science degree in Organizational Leadership from Wheelock College.