The Alliance for Education announced today that Lisa Chick has been named as its new President and CEO, bringing with her more than two decades of experience in education and nonprofit experience.
“We are delighted to welcome Lisa as the new President and CEO of the Alliance for Education,” said Jane Broom, Alliance for Education Board Chair. “She is an unwavering champion for kids with a record of delivering student-centered, equity-driven results that benefit the entire community. Lisa has deep relationships with our schools and community organizations and is passionate in her conviction that all children deserve a chance at an excellent education. Lisa’s leadership approach, based on listening and collaboration, will energize this organization and strengthen community support for the incredible students in our city’s public schools.”
A Seattle native, Chick is the daughter of a public school teacher and began her career as a Humanities teacher. These experiences solidified a deep commitment to public service and provided a solid understanding of the promise of public education.
Chick went on to serve nearly 20 years with City Year, a non-profit focused on helping students in high-poverty communities succeed in school. She was Executive Director of City Year Seattle for seven years, and successfully led the organization through the challenges of start-up to become a well-respected, financially and operationally sustainable organization. She has served the past nine years as Regional Vice President for City Year’s western region. Chick has also served as a member of the Alliance for Education Board of Directors for the past five years.
“I’m honored to join the Alliance for Education as President and CEO,” said Chick. “As an Alliance board member, I’ve had the opportunity to connect and contribute to the well-being of Seattle’s public schools, and to understand the role of the organization and the challenges it has faced in recent years. I’ve dedicated my career to improving equity for students in public schools, and as a mother of two public school students, I am personally committed to ensuring our schools are the best they can be. We must take bold, innovative and collaborative action to eliminate the achievement gaps that exist along the lines of race and income if we are going to improve educational results for all students. The Alliance can and should play a central role in that effort.”
In November 2015, Seattle Public Schools voted to formally restructure their relationship with the Alliance for Education after 20 years of partnership, prompting a period of introspection for the Alliance. The organization embarked on a community-wide listening circuit with the goal of understanding how they could better serve students in Seattle.
Emerging from this process, the organization determined that it would serve as a community partner in eliminating the opportunity gaps among low-income students and students of color by investing in strategic, evidence-based, school-based initiatives in Seattle. Examples of this include the Alliance’s recent offer to shoulder part of the cost of International Baccalaureate at Rainier Beach High School, and continuing its commitment to the Seattle Teacher Residency in Title I schools.
“We believe that Lisa embodies the lessons that we have learned and the new direction we are taking,” said Broom. “She is committed to equity in our schools, ensuring that our most vulnerable students have access to the teachers and resources that can give them their best chance at success. She is adept at making connections across the community by listening and finding common ground. Most importantly, she knows this community and understands the education landscape.”
“Lisa Chick is a great choice to lead the Alliance for Education,” said Dr. Larry Nyland, Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools. “I’ve interacted with her in her role at City Year and am confident that she is the kind of leader the Alliance needs to move forward and continue serving students in our community.”
Chick is scheduled to formally begin her role at the Alliance on October 3.