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Chad Wick is an innovator who seeks to create equity of education opportunity in order to prepare learners to thrive in the 21st century. Recognized by former U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley as “one of the outstanding education leaders in the country,” Wick led KnowledgeWorks in its vision to transform education in the United States from a world of schooling to a world of learning. As the founding CEO, he has led KnowledgeWorks to achieve this mission by developing innovative high school approaches, providing seed grants, operating funds and extensive technical assistance and training that promotes and supports sustainable, system-wide changes.

Wick believes that relationships provide the best hope we have for making necessary changes to our educational system so it can respond to the needs of 21st century learners. As such, KnowledgeWorks has worked actively to create partnerships with other funders and community organizations, often opening dialogue and enabling collaboration among entities that have not traditionally worked together.

High School Transformation
KnowledgeWorks is one of the nation’s leading partners with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The foundations worked together in Ohio to implement the most comprehensive statewide high school transformation initiative in the country converting large, urban “factory model” schools into student-centered small schools. The initiative has created more than 70 new autonomous small schools from 17 existing high schools in 10 urban districts. Under Wick’s leadership, KnowledgeWorks has had a profound impact on the educational experiences of more than 165,000 students of all ages throughout Ohio every year.

Co-founder, Strive Partnership
Wick was a co-founder of the Strive Partnership in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky that brings together leaders from across sectors to work together to support every child, every step of the way from cradle to career.  The work of Strive is now acting as the framework for a network of ten cities across the country doing similar work to drive improved student outcomes.”

Other initiatives
KnowledgeWorks initiatives under his leadership have included efforts to establish 12 regional career pathways in Ohio to provide low-wage workers easier access to training designed to increase earning potential and improve their overall quality of life, as well as the convening of a regular forum for Ohio’s school district superintendents and teachers' union presidents with an end to establishing a common framework aimed at meeting the needs of students.

As a dedicated community leader, Wick has worked to achieve equity and respect for diversity inside and outside the education arena. He played a key leadership role in amending the Ohio constitution to make housing a ‘public purpose,’ which permitted the government to provide funding support to residents and developers for low-income housing.