Ross Danis, the inaugural president and CEO of the Newark Trust for Education, announced that he is stepping down after five years at the helm of the non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring children in Newark have access to high-quality public education.
Danis, a former teacher, principal, district administrator, foundation executive, and college dean, worked with a distinguished Board of Directors to establish the Trust as an independent, credible source of information and support for school and community leaders striving to work together to improve the Newark Public Schools.
“The Board of Directors of the Trust applauds the contributions of our inaugural leader for his stewardship of the organization. We look forward to continuing the work of the Trust to engage civic leaders as advocates for quality public education in the City, ” said Shané Harris, Executive Director of The Prudential Foundation and Chair of the Newark Trust for Education’s Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors of the Trust will begin the search for new executive leadership who will further serve and engage the community.
Under Danis’s leadership, the Trust developed a host of programs designed to empower parents, policymakers, principals, students, and district leaders with credible data to inform policy and practice at the system level and to enhance collective impact through collaboration among Newark Public Schools, the charter schools and the City.
Among the signature initiatives that Danis helped launch at the Trust was the creation of NET Navigator, the first online tool to track foundation investments at the school level, allowing foundations, program providers and schools to avoid duplicating efforts, or worse, introducing conflicting, or uncoordinated or aligned programs.
