Dear Envision Friends,

I am pleased to announce that the Envision Education Board of Directors has, at my recommendation, unanimously chosen Gia Truong as the organization’s next chief executive officer.  Gia, who currently serves as Envision’s Superintendent of Schools, will take over as CEO on April 1.  Gia has demonstrated, through her leadership, skills, and focus on educational equity, that she is the right person for this job.  And now more than ever, I am energized to pursue a new set of goals for Envision, related to transforming education in this country.  I am happy to report that I will be staying on with Envision as the Founder and Chief of Innovation, a position that will allow me to continue to expand the reach of the Envision model across the country.

Gia’s appointment as CEO comes as Envision Education celebrates a number of key milestones:

• Envision Learning Partners was recently selected to support the 19 districts that comprise the US Department of Education’s District Race to the Top initiative; ELP will be helping these districts from all over the country implement personalized learning strategies.
• 93% of Envision Schools’ 2013 graduates are going to college.  85% of Envision alumni who went to college are staying there, beating the national college persistent rate of 60% and far exceeding the rates for low-income youth. Studies show that only 8.3% of all low-income students nationwide earn a bachelor’s degree by their mid-20s.
• A recent Stanford University Study concluded that the student-centered practices happening in our schools can inform the efforts of schools, districts, education leaders and policymakers seeking to address the national opportunity gap for low-income and minority students.

Gia is a remarkable leader, one I have long hoped would become Envision’s CEO one day. As a first generation immigrant from Vietnam, and a first generation college graduate, her experiences serve as a powerful model for Envision students.  Gia has served as the Envision Schools’ Superintendent for the past three years.  She has a career in education that spans 18 years, as well as a series of classroom and administrative positions in Seattle, San Francisco and Oakland school districts and charter organizations.

Before coming to Envision, she led a curriculum and instruction department of over 60 members through strategic planning and reorganization, and led Oakland Unified School District’s Effective Principals and Leadership Task Force.  Gia is also a former New Leaders principal, and has supported and supervised principals in OUSD. Gia is well respected for her accomplishments as a principal, a systems leader, and her ability to engage, support, and lead a vision of educational equity and excellence for all.

I look forward to continuing to work with Gia, and to focusing in my new role on helping Envision grow.  Please join me in celebrating this exciting development in Envision Education’s history.  We look forward to sharing many more milestones with you, as Gia and I, and all of our Envisioners, continue to transform the lives of students by preparing them for success in college, career, and life.

Sincerely,

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Download official Press Release.