Colleagues,
Last week, we announced the next chapter of our long-term U.S. education strategy—a focused effort to help accelerate progress so that 10 million more learners (than current trends would predict) earn credentials that open doors to economic opportunity by 2045, when the foundation closes its doors. The strategy reflects what we've learned from decades of partnership with educators, institutions, and communities, and focuses our work on the moments in a learner's journey where the right support can have the greatest impact. If you haven't yet, I encourage you to read Allan Golston's blog outlining the vision and our new strategy overview.
As Allan shared, this strategy also marks the beginning of a leadership transition. After 27 years at the foundation, including two decades as President of the U.S. Program, Allan will be stepping down. I first met Allan back in 2010, and in 2013 it was the combination of his personal outreach and the foundation’s mission that drew me to apply, and I am so glad I did. As so many of you know firsthand, Allan is an incredible leader. His unwavering commitment to students, his vision for what’s possible through education, and the care he’s shown in building strong teams and partnerships have helped define this work.
I’m so grateful to Allan for his mentorship and friendship. Beginning September 1, and with his support, I'll have the privilege of serving as Interim President of the U.S. Program.
Over the past year, I’ve worked closely with Allan and the U.S. Program leadership team to help shape this strategy and the vision it represents.
Throughout my 25 years in education—including more than 20 years working with the Gates Foundation and 13 years as a member of the foundation team—I've had the opportunity to work across many aspects of the US Program strategy: partnering with institutions to redesign how they serve students, advancing new solutions and technologies, and strengthening the policy, communications, and data infrastructure that make lasting progress possible. Those experiences have spanned K-12, pathways, and postsecondary, and they've reinforced a simple truth: these efforts are deeply connected. When we design systems around the needs of learners—and take a holistic approach across the education continuum—we create more opportunities for students to thrive.
That lesson also feels deeply personal. As the son of a third-grade teacher in Houston, I saw early on how a great educator could change the trajectory of a student's life. This strategy is rooted in that same belief.
One of the many reasons I'm excited about what's ahead is that this work will continue with exceptional leaders who have helped shape it from the beginning—Jamie McKee, Director of the Advocacy & System Improvement Team, Matt Gee, Director of the Data & AI Team, Carrie Douglass, Director of the Office of the President, and Angela Jones, Director of Leadership Advising. During this interim period, Dale Whittaker will join the leadership team to serve as Interim Director of Postsecondary Learning and Navigation, and Lewis Leiboh will serve as Interim Director of K-12 Teaching and Learning. Both Dale and Lewis bring exactly what this moment calls for—deep expertise, strong relationships across the field, and a real command of the work—so the strategy keeps moving forward without missing a beat.
Many of you already know Dale through his leadership across higher education. Before coming to the foundation, where he’s been deeply engaged in our postsecondary transformation work, he spent more than 30 years of his career working inside colleges and universities, serving as a faculty member, researcher, provost, and university president. Few people understand more deeply the opportunities and challenges facing today's higher education system. He also understands that helping more learners succeed means strengthening the connections between high school and postsecondary education, so students can navigate those transitions with confidence, and these experiences make him an outstanding person to guide our postsecondary work.
As Lewis steps into the interim director role of K-12, he brings more than two decades of experience in educational technology and product design. Perhaps most important to name, though, is his time as a middle school math teacher. Trained as an engineer at MIT, Lewis is an insightful leader, equally comfortable in conversations about strategy development and bold, innovative big picture thinking, as he is with technology specificity and pedagogical grounding. As the K-12 work moves into this next phase, Lewis’ firsthand insights will help sustain the momentum we’re already seeing in our work to help students gain the math skills they need to pursue their dreams.
The strategy we've announced is ambitious because the opportunity before us is significant. We believe education remains one of the strongest drivers of economic mobility, and by focusing on the moments that matter most—and working alongside partners across education—we can help millions more learners reach their goals. Thank you for everything you do to make that possible. I hope you'll take a few minutes to explore the strategy and join us as we begin this next chapter.
Regards,
Patrick Methvin