Dear ConnectED Community:

It is with mixed emotions that we announce that ConnectED’s President and CEO, Ash Vasudeva, has been selected as the next Education Program Director for the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.  In recruiting Ash, Hewlett recognized the importance of college and career pathways as a key strategy for transforming US education.  Their concurrent investment in general operating support for ConnectED affirms our position and work in the field.  We are encouraged that Ash’s new role will allow him to scale the community-engaged, career-connected, Linked Learning strategies that ConnectED has pioneered. 

We are pleased that former ConnectED Board Chair, Richard Whitmore, will serve as interim CEO until a permanent selection is made.  Richard has served as the superintendent or chief executive in numerous California school districts, most recently in Lafayette. He was also the chief deputy superintendent in the California Department of Education, as well as the Chief Financial and then Chief Administrative Officer at WestEd. Richard also served 15 years as an elected school board member and serves on both the EdSource and the College Futures Foundation boards.

The ConnectED Board is working with the Storbeck Search firm to identify a small-group of high-potential candidates for the permanent CEO role. We expect to select a new candidate over the next several months. Ash will continue as CEO through the end of June, and Richard will begin his Interim-CEO role on July 1. The ConnectED Board will work closely with Ash and Richard and ConnectED staff to ensure as smooth a transition as possible. We wish Ash success in his new role and welcome Richard’s service as Interim-CEO.

Sincerely,

Sri Ananda,

ConnectED Board Chair