We’re excited to inform you that Frank London Gettridge, Ed.D. will be the new Executive Director of the National Public Education Support Fund starting in early August 2019.

“Frank is a wonderful person to lead the National Public Education Support Fund and expand its role in the education philanthropy community,” said Dan Leeds, President of the Board and founder. “He was unanimously selected by the Search Committee and Board. He has had great success as a teacher, childcare center director and principal, as well as Program Officer at the Kellogg Foundation, rising to National Lead of Program Strategies. Frank has already played a significant role at the National Public Education Support Fund, actively participating in the Education Funder Strategy Group and co-chairing its Racial Equity Working Group, as well as deep engagement in the Partnership for the Future of Learning.”

Frank L. Gettridge is an educator who has dedicated his career working to improve the lives of the most vulnerable children and families. A New Orleans native, Frank possesses over 25 years of experience in education, with impressive time and variety as an early childhood, elementary and high school teacher and administrator.

Frank will bring his most recent experience as a program officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation where he oversaw the integration of national program strategies, and managed a team of officers and support staff to support the Foundation’s efforts to address issues of inequality, including creating the conditions that help vulnerable children to achieve. Frank elevated investments focusing on strengthening the teacher of color pipeline, transformative family engagement, and closing the 3rd grade achievement gap.

Earlier in his career, Frank was a dedicated elementary school principal in the Chicago Public Schools. During Frank’s time at Clara Barton Elementary School, academic achievement, parent engagement and school enrollment increased, while discipline, suspension, and expulsion rates significantly decreased. In 2013 when the City of Chicago attempted one of the largest school closing plans in this country’s history, it was Frank’s leadership and collaboration with the local community and organizations that lead to the successful removal of Clara Barton from the closure list.

Frank holds a doctorate of global education from the University of Southern California, during which time he studied public education systems across three different countries. He holds a master’s degree in child development from the Erikson Institute in Chicago, IL and a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Morris Brown College in Atlanta, GA. Notably, Frank was also selected as a National Head Start Fellow, an Association of Black Philanthropic Executives Fellow, a Children’s Defense Fund Fellow, and served as a National Association for the Education of Young Children Governing Board member.

Frank L. Gettridge presenting as part of the Education Funders Strategy Group in November 2018.

“Frank L.Gettridge’s arrival as the new Executive Director demonstrates our organizational commitment to invest in leaders who have a background in public education as well as strengthening our philanthropic work alongside our funding partners towards the promise of public education,” said Barbara Chow, Board Member and Co-chair of the Search Committee.

NPESF is a family of networks working together to improve public education. It is home to a growing number of funder learning communities and collaboratives that includes the Education Funder Strategy Group, Grantmakers for Thriving Youth, and the Partnership for the Future of Learning. Terri Shuck served as founding Executive Director for the last ten years and built a warm, collaborative community of funders. We look forward to Frank guiding the continuing growth of the organization and engagement with the larger NPESF community.

“I’m honored to join the NPESF family and look forward to working with staff, board, and network members to build on the current foundation that Dan and Terri began,” said Gettridge. “Throughout my career, my highest priority has been to improve the lives of the most vulnerable children and families. NPESF’s commitment to diverse, inclusive, and equitable public schools drew me to this position, and I am excited to advance this mission in the years to come.”

NPESF engaged Koya Leadership Partners, a national executive search firm that specializes in leading searches exclusively for mission driven clients, to conduct the national search for its next Executive Director.