A Conversation with Evelyn M. Strauch ’60: Lessons from A Distinguished Career in Education

Evelyn M. Strauch, ’60, has taught foreign languages and literature over a thirty-year period. After completing undergraduate work at Queens College, CUNY and the University of Paris, Sorbonne, she earned her graduate degrees at Columbia University in linguistics and education. She has taught Advanced Placement French Literature, Spanish, elementary Russian and English as a Foreign Language on the secondary school level and in adult education programs in New York, New Haven, Baltimore andNorthernVirginia.

In both public and private schools she has developed system-wide curricula and materials, created foreign language departments, directed foreign student exchange programs and served as a judge in regional foreign language tournaments. She has researched comparative approaches to the study of foreign languages and has written a textbook on Black Francophone Literature which was accepted for publication.

For twenty years, Evelyn Strauch served as Chair of Community Relations for the Community Development Support Collaborative (CDSC), a consortium of corporations, financial institutions and private foundations that provided capacity building grants, training and technical assistance to nonprofits dedicated to revitalizing distressed neighborhoods in the District of Columbia. She was one of the original members of its Steering Committee that monitored and governed the complete range of revitalization projects. Presently, she serves on the Board of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (USC) that supports revitalization initfatives inurban centers and rural areas inthe U.S.

For twelve years, Evelyn Strauch served on the Board of Washington Grantmakers, a member organization representing nearly half a billiondollars annually incharitable investments intheWashington, DC region. For four of thoseyears, sheservedasTreasurer oftheBoard.

Evelyn Strauch has chaired two Galas for lnova Fairfax Hospital, setting up a first-time protocol for its administration and presently serves on the Board of the Inova Health SystemFoundation where she chairs theCommittee on Engagement and Education.