Cincinnati-based national nonprofit working toward educational innovation
William Hite Jr., superintendent for the School District of Philadelphia, will be the next CEO and president of KnowledgeWorks, beginning July 1.
Hite will oversee an annual budget of $14 million, a $125 million investment portfolio and nearly 50 staff members. KnowledgeWorks is a national nonprofit organization that for more than 20 years has been partnering with states, communities and leaders across the country to “imagine, build and sustain vibrant learning communities.”
Hite has a doctorate degree in educational administration and a bachelor’s in education from Virginia Tech and a master’s in educational administration from the University of Virginia. One of many of his awards is being named the 2020 National School Foundation Superintendent of the Year.
“KnowledgeWorks will benefit tremendously from Dr. Hite’s significant experience in the K-12 space and his focus on innovation and quality, which will enable us to operationalize our personalized, competency-based learning model and scale up nationally,” said Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds, chair of the KnowledgeWorks board of directors. “We also look forward to his ability to help us refine our mission in the context of equity, refocus our strategic plan and maximize our investments”.
Being the superintendent of the Philadelphia school system since 2012, Hite oversees a $3 billion public sector organization with 206,000 students across 300 public and charter schools. His accomplishments there include increasing student academic performance and attendance as well as the number of minority teachers.
Before Philadelphia, he served as superintendent of Prince George’s County Public School District in Upper Marlboro, Maryland; area superintendent of Cobb County Schools in Marietta, Georgia; and director of instruction at Henrico County Schools in Richmond, Virginia.
“Nothing is more important than ensuring that our nation’s children have a strong education, and I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had in my career to work toward that mission, particularly with the School District of Philadelphia,” Hite said. “I’m excited to take on a new challenge in this journey and look forward to working with the KnowledgeWorks team to deploy innovative education approaches that position students to thrive in college, career and civic life.”
Holly Brinkman has been serving as interim CEO and president since the resignation of Dr. Charles Ambrose in March 2021. She will retain her roles as chief operating officer and vice president of finance.