Jacob Wertz

I'm an accomplished social entrepreneur with deep experience in K-12 education reform. My career is driven by a love of learning, strategic mindset, and passion for innovation. After graduating from Northwestern with a BS in Education and Social Policy, I created and launched a unique school-based mentorship and tutoring program which recruited diverse graduates of elite universities to provide services at a network of 3 all boys charter public high schools in Chicago. I collaborated with the charter network's CEO and was directly responsible for curriculum design, marketing, recruitment, program implementation, major grants, data collection, and evaluation. The program grew to be more selective than Teach For America and was featured in the Wall Street Journal. Driven by a belief that all children deserve access to high quality school options, in 2013 I moved to Los Angeles to design and launch a start-up charter school. Valiente College Preparatory provides a high quality middle school education in a low-income Latino community where traditional public schools are included among California's official list of "persistently lowest achieving." I led public affairs and outreach efforts that resulted in charter approval by Los Angeles County Board of Education, 501c3 status, and major gifts from individuals and national grantmakers. To execute the school's launch in Fall 2015, I recruited and trained the middle school faculty and staff; secured a school facility; orchestrated the student recruitment campaign enrolling over 100 students; oversaw a $1.6mm budget; developed curriculum for all core subjects in grades 4-8; and managed nutrition, safety, and all other aspects of daily school operations. In Winter 2016 I transitioned leadership to a credentialed administrator and began focusing my career on opportunities beyond school administration.