CEO, Chiefs for Change

Robert Runcie is a chief in residence and leads the day-to-day operations at Chiefs for Change. He provides coaching, advising and thought partnership to fellow members of the network and participants in the Future Chiefs leadership development program.

As the former superintendent of Broward County Public Schools, Runcie led the nation’s sixth-largest district, with more than 260,000 students and 35,000 employees, and oversaw an annual budget of $4 billion. He has blended his two decades of private sector technology, management consulting, and entrepreneurship experience with 18 years of leadership in urban public schools to deliver innovation, organizational and systems change and improved student outcomes. He is nationally recognized for his expertise in communications, technology and innovation, crisis management, enterprise risk management and for building effective leadership teams.

Runcie has been recognized as Superintendent of the Year by Florida Association of District School Superintendents; National Alliance of Black School Educators; Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents; and Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools. In addition to the KnowledgeWorks Board, Runcie serves on boards for several organizations, including Code.org and National Education Equity Lab.

Runcie was the first in his family to finish high school and graduate from college, earning his bachelor’s from Harvard College and his MBA from Northwestern University. He later founded a management and technology consulting company and held several strategic leadership positions with Chicago Public Schools.