Pencils of Promise Names Michael Dougherty as CEO

NEW YORK, April 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Pencils of Promise (PoP) announced today that Michael Dougherty, of The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), has been named Chief Executive Officer, effective June 1, 2015. Adam Braun, who established Pencils of Promise in 2008, will continue to serve as Founder and to advocate for the Pencils of Promise mission to new audiences, in addition to his role as Director of the Global Education Platform, an initiative conceived by the UN Special Envoy for Global Education.

Braun believes that additional leadership will allow PoP to sustain and build upon the growth it has demonstrated over the past six years. "I made the decision to transition from Founder & CEO to Founder so that I can continue to prioritize advocacy and to expand PoP's vision and presence. It's an exciting point in PoP's growth, with new demands for leadership across our organization, but especially in impact programming as well as measurement and evaluation. I'm thrilled to have a partner of Michael's experience and caliber lead us in this next phase," Braun said. 

PoP's Board and Braun see an opportunity to enhance impact by expanding teacher support, technology enhanced literacy and numeracy programs and student achievement assessment. "Of the more than 700 applicants, Michael's keen business acumen, two decades of curriculum and training development experience, work at the forefront of assessment innovation and depth of compassion for the PoP mission make him uniquely qualified to lead PoP," said Board Chairman Brad Haugen.

"Michael Dougherty will manage the day-to-day business operations of our growing organization," Haugen stated. "This will allow Adam to continue to serve Pencils of Promise as its Founder and to tell the PoP story to as many people as possible. Michael will continue to improve the educational efficacy and operational efficiency of our programs, ensuring the very highest return on donor investments, as we scale the organization in the coming years. We are very excited to expand our team."

"Adam Braun had the vision to start Pencils of Promise six years ago and the talent to build an innovative, admired for-purpose organization," said Dougherty. "PoP just broke ground on its 300^th school, continues to implement quality programming and has a long waiting list of communities who want the best for their children too. I'm thrilled to join such an inspiring group of individuals and lead the charge on continuing the impact PoP has made within the international education community."

About Michael Dougherty

Michael Dougherty has over 25 years of progressive experience leading non-profit & for-profit social ventures, including a track record of building well-loved, global brands benefitting children and serving as a tireless advocate for educational equity.

Prior to joining Pencils of Promise, Michael was the COO at The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) Inc. He directed the $74M non-profit organization as it developed new, innovative, standards aligned assessments in twelve states measuring whether K-12 students are on track to be successful in college and in their careers.  

Before PAARC, Michael was the CEO and Chairman of Kindermusik International, where he directed over $60M in sales of music and movement programs serving young children and 1 million families in over 70 countries. Prior to Kindermusik, Michael was the President of Gymboree Play Programs, the Vice-President of Operations & COO at Leisure Sports, Inc., and a Consultant and Team Leader at Bain & Company.

Michael has a BA in History from Colgate University and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

About Pencils of Promise:

Pencils of Promise ("PoP") is a for-purpose organization founded in 2008 with the goal of increasing access to quality education for children in the developing world. PoP works with communities across the globe to build schools and create programs that provide educational opportunities for children, no matter where they are born or what resources they have. To date, PoP has built over 300 schools and provided access to education to more than 30,000 students throughout Laos, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Ghana, establishing itself as a leader amongst the innovative global nonprofits working toward sustainable social change. 

Media Inquiries:
Natalie Ebel | [email protected] | 212.777-3170

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150424/201590LOGO

SOURCE Pencils of Promise

Related Links

https://pencilsofpromise.org