Pasadena’s College Access Plan Names New Board Chair

A Pasadena-based nonprofit dedicated to helping underserved students succeed in college announced the appointment of a new board chair this week.

Laura Zachar took over for LaWayne Williams as board chair at College Access Plan, the organization said in a written statement. Zachar has been a board member since 2019 and serves as the executive director for Reading Partners California.

“She holds a [certified fundraising executive] certification and has personally raised over $15 million to support youth-serving organizations,” according to the statement.

“I have been a proud CAP partner and supporter since moving to Pasadena in 2014. I am honored to assume this role and cannot give enough thanks to LaWayne and CAP’s Executive Director Mo Hyman for entrusting me to advance CAP’s policies and guiding principles,” said Zachar.

“I am committed to continuing to use education and literacy as a platform to close the opportunity gap for as many students as possible,” she said.

Zachar will preside over the rollout of CAP’s new five-year strategic plan, “which reinforces the organization’s long-held core beliefs to be student-centered and student-celebrating and critical of institutional barriers to college access,” the statement said.

“Zachar, like all CAP board members and staff, is optimistic in uplifting students and advocating for systems change,” the statement continued. “CAP provides essential college access and success resources and advocacy to students, their families, and their community of supporters as they create a path to and through higher education despite historical and persisting barriers, such as those based on family income, racial-ethnic identity, citizenship status, and rigid definitions of achievement.”

Zachar’s first public event as CAP board chair will come on Oct. 11 at the group’s socially distanced scavenger hunt fundraiser.

More information is available at collegeaccessplan.org/events.