Wendy Correll says she has “a special place in her heart” for public education, especially since she came from the first generation in her family to graduate from college.

The executive director of the Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation explains, “I wouldn’t have gone if not for teachers in high school who said, ‘You’re smart enough to go. Why don’t you think about going?’ I know that education can change the experience of generations, and Ann Arbor is a great community for education.”

After earning a bachelor’s degree in sociology, Correll decided she couldn’t make a living in the field and pay off her student loans, so she went on to earn an MBA. Once out of college, she began working in the health care field.

During that time, she met and married her husband, Rich, who had grown up in Michigan, and the couple moved to Ann Arbor in the late 1980s. There, Correll started a family and held a variety of jobs, working from a home office and also volunteering in the schools.

She eventually joined the Educational Foundation as a board member for three years. When the organization decided to seek an executive director, Correll thought her experience in the world of health care, her MBA and her experience volunteering in the public schools would make her a good candidate. The board agreed and hired her in 2006.

Since then, Correll has overseen a large expansion in the number of grants the foundation doles out to area schools for supplemental programs. In 2006, the foundation gave about $35,000 in grants to area teachers. By 2009, the organization gave out $130,000.

“We’ve grown slowly and steadily and have created awareness in the district of our organization,” she said. “Things have changed dramatically in school funding… and there is more need than ever.”

Correll said that recent reductions in state aid to schools have been a challenge, but, on the positive side, she said, “It has at least created heightened awareness of the need for quality programs.”

As part of that effort to make people aware that donations are needed to continue innovative programming in the Ann Arbor schools, the foundation has launched its “One Million Reasons” campaign. The campaign aims to raise $1 million by Aug. 1.Funds raised through the campaign will be directed to four main “areas of interest”: Arts and humanities, math and science, early childhood education or college and career readiness.

“It’s time to be bold and aggressive and work on vital projects,” Correll said. “Our $1 million fund-raising goal averages out to $60 per student per year. That doesn’t seem insurmountable.”

Correll said that with the recent news that dozens of Ann Arbor schoolteachers will be receiving pink slips due to budget cuts, many parents have been asking if they can make donations to the foundation so that their child’s teacher won’t lose his or her job.

“The direct answer is, no, we don’t do that,” Correll said. “We fund programs, not staff.” However, Correll said, staff have to deliver the programs that the foundation funds, and so in that, way, the foundation is indirectly supporting staff.

“The foundation’s support means schools will be able to free up funds to use in other ways, possibly in keeping staff on and trying to keep those class sizes as low as possible.”

Background

Age: Still under 50.

Education: Bachelor’s degree and MBA from Western New England College in Springfield, Mass.

Family: Husband Rich, daughters Leeya (21) and Allison (19), and two cats Yuki and Punkin.

Residence: Provincial Drive in Ann Arbor for the past 22 years.

Business Insights

Best business decision: To work in the nonprofit world. I’m not competitive enough for the for-profit world, and I’m okay with it.

Worst business decision: I can’t think of a single worst business decision, but I do hope that it’s behind me.

Best way to keep a competitive edge: Listen to everyone, read as much as possible, and allow myself time to develop a plan based upon these inputs.

Personal hero: My mother. Her mantra is “Just do the right thing.” It can be applied to all situations, business and personal.

How do you motivate people? I hope by example. I work hard and believe in what I do. I don’t ask more of others than I am willing or able to do myself.

What advice would you give to yourself in college? Trust your instinct.

Word that best describes you: Determined.

First Web site you check in the morning: MSNBC - It’s been my home page since the advent of Web sites, and I’ve never changed it.

Confessions

What keeps you up at night? There is always more to be done than there is time to do it. Knowing that I didn’t complete the day’s work frequently keeps me up at night.

Pet peeve: Only 24 hours in a day. There is not enough time in the day to achieve the balance in my life that I seek between work, family and volunteering. A 27-hour day might just do it!

Guilty pleasure: Potatoes.

First job: My first paying job at about age 12 was babysitting for a family with six children between the ages of 1 year to 9. The job I didn’t last long at was a change maker at a pinball arcade - I only lasted 1.5 shifts,

First choice for a new career: I’d like to develop my artistic side, and it would have to involve natural elements, so my first choice for a new career would be wood carver.

Treasures

Favorite cause: Young people.

Favorite book: I have been a member of the same monthly book group for 20 years; I can’t possibly pick a single favorite!

Favorite movie: Just about any black and white film. I am not a big fan of contemporary movies.

Favorite hobby: When I can find the time, gardening.

Favorite restaurant: Breakfast: Zola’s. Lunch: Zingerman’s. Dinner: Mediterrano.

LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter? Facebook.

Typical Saturday: Sleep in until the cats wake me, coffee, touch base with family and friends, read, then finish with date night with my husband.

What team do you root for? Boston Red Sox.

Wheels: Ford Fusion.

Who would play you in a movie? Meryl Streep.

Sarah Rigg is a freelance writer and a frequent contributor to AnnArbor.com. You can reach her at sarahrigg@yahoo.com.