From chief operating officer to executive director.

Denise Lemmon, the chief operating officer of LEAP of Noble County Inc., the Literacy Empowering and Advocating Project, has accepted an offer to become the organization's executive director effective Thursday, according to LEAP of Noble County's board president, Dr. Matt Will.

"LEAP is thrilled to announce that Denise Lemmon has agreed to serve as its executive director," said Will. "We were extremely fortunate to have such a qualified, trusted, and enthusiastic person within our ranks. Of course, this comes as no surprise. In the conversations that I've had with the executive committee, general board members, staff members, and several loyal LEAP donors, all conversations ended with the hope that Denise Lemmon would be the new executive director."

Lemmon joined LEAP as a board member in 2004, later serving as LEAP's vice president. By request of the board of directors, Lemmon joined the LEAP staff as the chief operating officer in 2005. Since joining the organization, Lemmon has played a leading role in LEAP's fundraising activities, as well as administering several of LEAP's large grant funded programs.

"LEAP has given me a nice chance to meet and work with exceptional talents," said Lemmon. "I am thankful for the confidence the LEAP board has expressed in me. I feel very comfortable with LEAP's staff and board leadership. We have strong potential to continue to do great things. It's important to maintain the legacy LEAP has established and to build on it for years to come."

"Since the moment Denise joined the LEAP Board, she has been a leader in the effort to create a more literate Noble County," said Will. "Denise has demonstrated her considerable abilities in a variety of areas within the organization. LEAP could not have chosen a better person to continue our fight to build a more literate Noble County."

Lemmon holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Purdue University where she studied audiology and speech sciences as well as communications-special education. She subsequently attained a Masters of Arts Degree in special education. She served as a speech clinician at the Central Noble School Corp. where she worked in speech therapy between 1975-1978. Lemmon spent 19 years as the office manager for Whiteshire Hamroc, a swine genetics company.

Prior to joining LEAP, Lemmon served as the program officer at the Noble County Community Foundation.

Serving the Noble County Community has been a hallmark of Lemmon's life. She has served as the president of Albion Tri-Kappa, the Noble County Community Foundation Board of Directors, the Albion Rotary Club, and is the immediate past president of the Parkview Noble Hospital Board of Directors. She has served as parish council president, religious education instructor, lector and organist at the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. Lemmon served as a panel review and campaign representative for the United Way of Noble County, a member of the Celebrate Diversity Project's advisory committee, and she is currently the board secretary for Drug Free Noble County.

Denise has been married to Mike Lemmon, CEO of Whiteshire Hamroc, for 35 years. The Lemmon's have four children and four grandchildren.

Over the past seven years, LEAP has positioned itself as a premier provider of community based literacy services. Between July 2005 and June 2009, students have spent 289,030.25 hours in LEAP programs across Noble County.

Between July 2008 and June 2009, 1,423 students attended LEAP programs. In other words, nearly 3 percent of Noble County's population attended a LEAP literacy program during the 2008-2009 program year. The vast majority demonstrated significant academic success:

. 84 percent of students in the after-school program demonstrated academic growth

. 82 percent of students in one-on-one tutoring demonstrated academic growth

. 95.1 percent of adults pre- and post-tested in English as a New Language classes demonstrated growth

. 18 students earned their GED

Throughout the county, LEAP programs offer access to needed resources and provide educational opportunities for Noble County families. LEAP offers GED classes in English and Spanish, ENL (English as a New Language) classes, and a comprehensive after-school program, New DAWN (New Dimensions at West Noble). In Albion, Kendallville, and Ligonier, LEAP's Learning Centers provide small group tutoring, job skills training, computer training, and college preparation. LEAP programs serve, on average, more than 400 participants each week.