CIS Board of Directors 2025-2026

Ms. Allen is a Retired Educator of Rome City Schools.

She has served on the CIS Board of Directors since 2014.

“I have always wanted to work with children, which is what led me to teaching special education for 32 years. Even through this, I still wanted to find some way to give back to the children and to our community. I jumped at the chance to become involved with Communities in Schools of Rome-Floyd County initially as a mentor, which evolved into a position serving on the Board of Directors. CIS is an organization who is out there for the students who are looking for help or believe that they need a little more of a push in order to become successful. We are here for motivation, as someone they can turn to if they are having a problem, etc. I have enjoyed being a part of the success of Communities in Schools and are looking towards the future in excitement for all that we can accomplish.”

CIS Board Chair 

Ms. Cisneros is a Member Service Specialist at Coosa Valley Credit Union.

She has served on the CIS Board of Directors since 2019.  

“As a teen mom who attended the Phoenix Performance Learning Center (PLC) and worked firsthand with Communities in Schools, I knew that I wanted to continue to stay involved and help other students, like me, succeed. Ms. Gail Veal and the other staff at the PLC pushed me through each and every class, which enabled me to graduate with my high school diploma. When I was approached about serving on the CIS Board of Directors, I knew that this was my chance to serve as an example to students, so they see that anything is possible if you set your mind to it. To have a group of people, like CIS, looking out for your future is so incredible and I knew that I wanted to be a part of that once I made it out. I couldn’t have done it without the help of Communities in Schools, and I hope other students realize that the entire community is rallying behind them in hopes of helping them succeed.”

Eric Collins, College and Community Engagement Manager at Georgia Highlands College

Eric is instrumental with assisting CIS with student individual and group Mentoring as well as Family Engagement. He has a varied background in Community Coaching, Boys & Girls Club, and as Director of Programs at the Rome-Floyd Chamber. He assists the college with the 100 Black Men of Northwest Georgia Foundation Camp.   Eric also is a John Maxwell Certified Coach and has vast experience in leadership development.  

CIS Vice Chair

Ms. Lively is the assistant director at The Free Clinic of Rome.

"I first became involved in Communities in Schools by being a judge in their annual Cardboard Challenge. I had also met Greg beforehand because he serves on the board of directors for the non-profit I work for, and our non-profit is a sponsor of the Cardboard Challenge! The work that CIS does closely ties with the work I do at Blue Ridge AHEC. I provide K-12 students with resources to help them figure out what they want to do after high school, and also show them what the healthcare field has to offer. Together, we both just want what is best for the students and show them that they can be successful! Communities in Schools goal is to support students in any way, no matter the circumstances, and help them accomplish their goals. Showing students that someone is there to support them is probably the thing I love most about CIS. I am so thankful for all the work that Greg does and the opportunity to be a part of Communities in Schools!"

Ms. Mullis is the Health Education Coordinator

at Blue Ridge Area Health Education Center (AHEC).

“It is a great honor to be a part of Communities in Schools Rome-Floyd County and contribute to the mission of surrounding students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. There is no greater reward than seeing the glow of success in a child’s eyes!

As Health Education Coordinator at Blue Ridge AHEC, I have the honor of leading programs for K-12 students across 20 northwest Georgia counties. Programming includes education about careers in healthcare, preparing for college, professional and academic resumes, resources, test prep, summer camps, and most of all, encouraging them to follow their dreams of pursuing higher education.

Prior to my role at Blue Ridge AHEC, I enjoyed working in various healthcare leadership roles that enabled me to serve Rome-Floyd County families for the past 20+ years.

I feel that my background as well as my current role at Blue Ridge AHEC aligns perfectly with the mission of CIS. I look forward to serving the students in our community alongside Communities in Schools of Rome-Floyd County.”

Ms. Perkins is the Director of Secondary Curriculum and Professional Learning  for Rome City Schools.

"I was actually the first principal of the Phoenix Performance Learning Center in 2010. I was part of the initial conversations to partner with CIS and Rome City Schools PLC. I worked closely with CIS to develop our partnership when I opened up the PLC until I left in June 2021 (This was my last day as principal and I started at Central Office July 2021). Mr. Wooten was my site coordinator many years ago. We have come full circle because he is now the Executive Director and I am on the Board of Directors. 

  "I believe in the mission of CIS because I saw for 11 years the impact CIS has directly on students with all of the support they provided whether it be supplies, incentives, or encouragement. CIS provided so much to my students while I was the principal at the PLC.  We had an amazing relationship!  Attendance was once an issue when we first opened the PLC but CIS quickly assisted us with this. Ms. Veal would call our students daily if they were absent and would often go on home visits with Mrs. Willis to check on our students. Our students knew that their attendance was important to us. Ms. Veal would provide incentives to encourage our students to have good attendance. 

"CIS worked closely with our amazing partners (100 Black Men of Rome, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, & Omegas) to sponsor field trips for our students and to provide the best Mentors in Rome, Georgia!   We had one of the strongest mentor programs that I have ever seen. I still run into former students who ask me about Mr. Wooten or Ms. Veal because of the impact they had on their life. We are blessed to have CIS in Rome City Schools and I look forward to us expanding our relationship in the future."