Clifton Park, NY - The Board of Directors of Project Lead The Way (PLTW), the nation's leading middle and high school STEM curriculum program, today named Vince Bertram as its chief executive officer. Bertram is currently the superintendent of the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC), Indiana's third largest school district serving nearly 23,000 students.
Jim Rahn, member of the PLTW Board of Directors and president of the Kern Family Foundation, said he is looking forward to seeing PLTW flourish and grow under Bertram's leadership. "The Project Lead The Way Board is delighted to bring Vince on as the new CEO," Rahn said. "He has a proven track record of bringing vision, leadership, and collaboration to the organizations he has led. PLTW has emerged as the most robust STEM education program in the United States. We are confident that with Vince's leadership, the PLTW team will take program quality and reach to the next level."
For the past four years, Bertram has led the EVSC to outstanding results and set the course for its future through the establishment and implementation of the corporation's strategic plan. During his tenure, Vince has focused on collaboration and creating engaging educational options for students. Those options have included the expansion of Project Lead the Way across the school district.
"STEM education is vital to the United States' global competitiveness. And I am excited to lead an extraordinary organization that is achieving great results and has the potential to transform American education," Bertram said. "I look forward to listening, learning, and collaborating with PLTW leaders, our extensive network of committed partners, as well as state and national policymakers to continue the positive trajectory of PLTW."
Prior to the EVSC, Vince served as an assistant superintendent, principal and teacher. He earned doctorate, specialist, master and bachelor degrees from Ball State University, and a master's degree in education policy and management from Harvard University. He also holds a certificate in strategy and innovation from the MIT Sloan School of Management and is an alumnus of the Chicago Management Institute at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business.
He is a member of the Indiana Education Roundtable, and serves on several boards including co-chair of the Indiana Mentoring Partnership, Ball State University Teachers College Board of Governors, Western Governors University Indiana Advisory Board, Southwest Indiana Chamber of Commerce and the Institute for Global Enterprise in Indiana.
About PLTW
Project Lead The Way, Inc., is a national, non-profit organization that is the leading provider of rigorous and innovative STEM education curricular programs used in schools. PLTW's comprehensive curriculum has been collaboratively designed by PLTW teachers, university educators, engineering and biomedical professionals, and school administrators to promote critical thinking, creativity, innovation and real-world problem solving skills in students. The hands-on, project-based program engages students on multiple levels, exposes them to areas of study that they typically do not pursue, and provides them with a foundation and proven path to college and career success. For more information, visit www.pltw.org .