Dr. Heath Morrison Named Chief Executive Officer of Teachers of Tomorrow

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Jul 26, 2023, 07:10 ET

Award-winning Houston-area superintendent and proven education leader committed to solving the national teacher shortage

HOUSTON, July 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Teachers of Tomorrow, the nation's largest alternative certification program for teachers, today announced the appointment of Dr. Heath Morrison as Chief Executive Officer, effective August 1, 2023. Morrison succeeds Trent Beekman who will remain with the company as a Senior Advisor while he pursues a new leadership opportunity.

Dr. Heath Morrison, CEO of Teachers of Tomorrow

Morrison brings to Teachers of Tomorrow over 30 years of education experience in both the private and public sectors, having worked as a teacher, principal, superintendent, and corporate executive. After being named AASA's National Superintendent of the Year in 2012 for his turnaround of Washoe County School District, one of the largest in Nevada, Morrison spent six years in a variety of leadership roles at McGraw Hill including serving as Senior Vice President of Education Policy and Government Affairs, Chief Sales Officer, and ultimately President of McGraw Hill's 1400 person K-12 division.

In 2020, Morrison joined Montgomery Independent School District (ISD), a suburb of Houston, TX, to become the district's superintendent. In his time at Montgomery ISD, punctuated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Morrison reversed a budget deficit and maintained a balanced operating budget while simultaneously investing in aggressive teacher pay raises and quality professional development. This not only earned the district the highest financial rating given by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) but also an "A" rating on state accountability measure for academic results. Through his leadership, initiatives, and commitment to excellence, Montgomery ISD was recognized as one of the top school districts in Texas and his board nominated him for Texas Superintendent of the Year this spring.

"I have always sought the opportunity to make a positive impact on public education, add value to the heroic work being done by teachers across the country, and improve the quality of education for all children. The teacher shortage is the biggest challenge facing public education today, and I am energized to now be in a position to help solve it," Morrison said. "As the largest alternative certification program in the country, Teachers of Tomorrow has the capacity to not only ensure that more classrooms open this school year with a credentialed teacher in place but also ensure that these educators have the preparation and training needed to make a positive impact for their students."

Morrison joins Teachers of Tomorrow at a time of considerable momentum for the company. Over the past two years, Teachers of Tomorrow has completed a number of improvements and undertaken a variety of initiatives to enhance its teacher certification process. The company has also bolstered its leadership with the appointment of an education sector veteran as Board Chair:

Peter Cohen recently joined Teachers of Tomorrow as Chair of the company's Board of Directors. Peter has more than 25 years of experience leading and growing education services companies including serving as President of McGraw Hill, CEO of Pearson Education School Division, President of University of Phoenix and CEO of Educate Inc., Sylvan Learning Center; and as a board member of several leading education organizations.

"As an educator, award winning superintendent, and proven executive, Heath has a deep understanding and appreciation for the needs of our candidates and the districts we support," said Cohen. "Heath knows first-hand the effects of the teacher shortage on Texas schools and what it takes to solve it. Teachers of Tomorrow is uniquely positioned to meet this challenge and with Heath's blend of passion and experience he is the perfect candidate to lead our organization."

Morrison noted the board's commitment to social impact. "A leader like Peter Cohen understands how to drive quality at scale which is the only viable path to addressing the shortage of certified teachers in the classroom."

Morrison's appointment adds to the over $6 million that Teachers of Tomorrow has invested under its new ownership and new management team to upgrade its processes and procedures related to compliance and academic quality. Those investments have resulted in:

The appointment of a new leadership team that is dedicated to the State Board for Educator Certification's core principles of ensuring Teachers of Tomorrow's certification program demonstrates transparent systems for continuous improvement.
Improved screening and assessment of candidates in the admissions process.
Additional layers to the curriculum and additional training for candidates.
3x increase in customer service resources dedicated to answering candidate questions, improving customer response time to 24 hours or less.
Substantial enhancements in training for field supervisors and in engagement between field supervisors and teaching candidates.

About Teachers of Tomorrow
Teachers of Tomorrow has been the nation's most comprehensive provider of teacher services since 2005. Committed to helping educators excel in the classroom and beyond, Teachers of Tomorrow provides holistic support across the entire lifecycle of the teacher. To provide teachers with the requisite skills to successfully enter – and stay – in the teaching profession, Teachers of Tomorrow provides accredited pre-certification training, research-based test preparation, and ongoing professional development. For more information, visit teachersoftomorrow.org/

SOURCE Teachers of Tomorrow