The Battle Ground Education Foundation is entering a new chapter in 2026 following the recent appointment of its first executive director and a shift in how the nonprofit connects with the community it serves.
Jennifer McCoy, a longtime educator with deep ties to local schools, stepped into the new role in November. The position was created as the foundation looks to expand its reach, stabilize funding, and raise awareness about its work supporting student access across the Battle Ground School District.
McCoy brings more than a decade of classroom experience to the role, along with prior experience as a special education assistant and a Title I reading assistant. She said those early roles shaped how she sees education and equity.
“So I worked with one student to help him access everything about school from classroom lessons to how to navigate the playground, so it was a nice step into education to be able to focus on one child and see what their access needs could be and it was really formative for the rest of my career in education,” McCoy said regarding her first role in education.
After earning a master’s degree in K–8 education, McCoy taught elementary grades for 13 years in the Evergreen School District. She later stepped away from the classroom to start a small furniture restoration business and volunteer in the community, including tutoring students who needed extra academic support at Literary Leftovers in Battle Ground.
The foundation’s new executive director role marks a major shift for both McCoy and the organization. The new position allows longtime foundation leader Colleen O’Neill to step back from daily operations while remaining involved. McCoy said her focus is on operations and strengthening the foundation’s community presence.
“I think one of the most important things that I am working to do is get the story of the foundation out into the community,” McCoy said. “I think a lot of our community is unaware of the good work that they do.”
The foundation works alongside the district to remove barriers for students, funding essentials like school supplies, food support and access to academic opportunities. In 2025, the Battle Ground Education Foundation continued to anchor its work around several well-known community events while delivering tangible support across the district. Through its grants and programs, the foundation donated $65,000 to support Battle Ground Public Schools, provided 850 fully stocked backpacks to students in need and gave 900 first graders books and hats to celebrate reading during its Read Across America event.
The foundation’s signature events, such as Stuff the Bus, held each August in partnership with local retailers and volunteers, helped ensure students started the school year with essential supplies, while ongoing support for the Family and Community Resource Center addressed food insecurity, shelter needs and holiday assistance. The foundation also funded nearly $20,000 in overdose preparedness efforts, expanded access to healthcare and education resources through its Kids in Need Fund and awarded $10,000 in grants to high school drama programs.
One area McCoy emphasized is helping students participate fully in school life, even when cost is a barrier.
“It just comes down to access,” McCoy said. “They’re making it so that students who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford their backpack and their school supplies to walk into their classroom on the first day feeling prepared and on a level with the rest of their classmates.”
As the foundation looks ahead to 2026, McCoy said some of the biggest changes will involve fundraising and outreach. The foundation plans to step back from its traditional fall gala auction and instead host smaller events focused on donor appreciation and education.
“So we do have a few changes coming in 2026,” McCoy said. “We’ll do a couple of smaller events to thank our donors and educate them more about what we do.”
New events include informational gatherings in April and October, as well as a first-ever fun run tied to the city’s annual Harvest Days celebration during the third Weekend in July. While BGEF is currently planning the route, they plan to host a 5K run ahead of the annual Harvest Days parade. Proceeds from the run will support student activity fees.
“We’ll register participants, they’ll get a t-shirt, lots of fun,” McCoy said. “We will use that event to help fund student activity fees.”
McCoy said the emphasis for 2026 is visibility and connection, especially as schools face increasing financial strain. Battle Ground Public Schools will ask its voters to fund an EP&O levy to avoid $20 million in cuts. BGEF volunteers plan to spread the word door-to-door, educating voters about the school’s budget needs.
“The need is great, and with these things with the levy, the need is not going to get smaller,” McCoy said. “We have this opportunity to make our presence larger in the community because I know our community members want to take care of our schools.”
When asked what BGEF’s success looks like under her leadership, McCoy pointed to both awareness and sustainability.
“One of my success metrics is when I introduce myself, that I hear back, ‘oh, I’ve loved following what the foundation does’ rather than ‘what does that foundation do?’” McCoy said.
For McCoy, the role is a continuation of what she sees as her life’s work in education, even outside the classroom.
“I’ve been hungry to be able to do good work in education,” McCoy said. “Through my career in education, I see how critical these seemingly softer periphery things are; the food, the supplies, the activities and what a big impact those make for students and their whole lives.”
She said that belief is what drives her commitment to the foundation’s future.
“It’s my life’s work to support education, whether it’s from inside the classroom or from outside, bringing these resources to kids,” McCoy said.
Readers can learn more about BGEF at bgef.org.
