Chad Rountree promoted to ceo
Today, we are writing to share the exciting news that effective October 1, 2022, Chad Rountree will be Propel America’s new CEO.
Chad joined Propel early in 2021 as the organization’s founding Chief Program Officer and was promoted to President earlier this year. This is a natural next step from his foundational executive roles with the organization, as he deeply understands our program model, realizes the opportunities that exist ahead, and holds a strong connection to our mission.
Propel America’s Board of Directors is confident in Chad’s leadership and will continue partnering with him closely through this transitional phase. One of our co-founders, and outgoing CEO, Paymon Rouhanifard, will become Executive Chair of Propel’s Board and remain an active member of the Propel team.
We invite you to hear directly from them both about this exciting next phase for Propel America:
In 2018, I began working on Propel as a result of my experiences working in the K-12 sector. I recognized then that despite our best efforts to improve the quality of education for our students, scores of our graduates were floundering in 2 and 4-year colleges. John White (my co-founder) and I believed then as we do now that for many recent high school graduates, our country needs to provide a more structured transition to a living wage job that leads to career mobility. Now, more than four years into this work, I’m incredibly proud that Propel has developed a “jobs-first” higher education model to help address this need. And Chad Rountree is the right person to lead Propel as its CEO into the next chapter as we pursue continued impact and sustainability. Innovation is a core value at Propel, and Chad is constantly learning, reflecting, questioning the way we do our work, and driving toward the outcomes the young people in our program deserve. Chad believes in the potential of each young person and their right to economic prosperity. It will be my honor to serve as Executive Chair of the board and continue to work alongside Chad and our leadership team in this work.
- Paymon Rouhanifard, outgoing CEO
In my nearly two years with Propel, I have felt great urgency to provide our model and the opportunities it opens up to our country’s high school graduates. It is with humility and gratitude that I now step into the role of CEO to carry that forward. With my background at OneGoal and in K-12 leadership in Denver, CO and Jacksonville, FL, I am prepared to lead Propel and scale our model. And to me, this work is deeply personal. With all the talent and ambition coming out of high school, yet without an affordable or guided pathway to traditional college, I began my career by earning a culinary arts credential, leading restaurants before I attended college.
My experience is the lived experience of the fellows in our program; I will be tireless in our efforts to provide them the economic opportunities they deserve. Throughout 2023, I will work with our incredibly talented team to expand the reach of our model – securing hundreds of jobs for young people alongside our employer partners – while advocating “jobs-first” higher education as a legitimate postsecondary option to be widely replicated and endorsed. Thank you for your investment in Propel America, our partners and our fellows, and my leadership.
- Chad Rountree, incoming CEO
Please join us in welcoming Chad into this role! And to Paymon, thank you for your service, commitment to equity, and visionary leadership.
