Category: Blog

Don’t Just Hand Them a Mic—Give Them a Seat
By: Chuck Khoury

Earlier this week, Bo Wright and I shared why this summer needs to mark a turning point in strategy and mindset. Today, I want to take that conversation further by focusing on the most powerful and overlooked lever we have for transformation: student agency.

When the U.S. recently announced new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and semiconductors, business leaders were reminded once again that we live in a world of constant, unpredictable interconnection. These weren’t just political moves—they were global tremors, reshaping supply chains and shifting the stakes for innovation and diplomacy. The lesson? In today’s world, relevance requires the ability to hold complexity, adapt in real time, and lead across differences.

And no one understands that better—or is more prepared to navigate it—than this generation of young people.

Yet the dominant narrative we’ve constructed about them tells a very different story.

Scan the headlines and you’ll see it: “The Most Anxious Generation Ever.” “A Crisis of Belonging.” “Stuck in Screens.” Over and over, these stories pile up—and in many ways, they’ve begun to solidify a dangerous perception in the minds of adults. One that paints young people as fragile, distracted, and disconnected. One that suggests we should manage them, rather than trust them.

We beg to differ.

The young people in our classrooms and communities are not a cautionary tale. They are a blueprint for what’s next.  Informed, digitally fluent, and attuned to identity, equity, and change, they’re not passively consuming the world. Young people today are shaping the world. And they’re doing so with more awareness and intentionality than many adults give them credit for.

And the pace of change they’re living through is unprecedented. A 2023 McKinsey report found that the rate of technological and social transformation over the past 20 years has outpaced the previous 100. Let that sink in. This generation has come of age in a world being rapidly rewritten by climate change, by artificial intelligence, by geopolitical instability, and by cultural flux. And yet we’re still asking them to learn inside a model built for the Industrial Age.

We are blocking their brilliance with outdated structures. And it’s costing all of us.

Earlier this week, my colleague Bo Wright reflected on the opportunity summer gives us to rethink what it truly means to be “prepared.” I want to build on that. Because the truth is, we’ll never prepare students for what’s ahead by keeping them at the margins of their education. The only path forward is to turn schools into communities—ones where students don’t just have a voice, but have power.

This is their education. Their future. They’ve evolved beyond being passive recipients of content, and our failure to evolve with them is a big part of why so many are disengaged.

The role of any educator has fundamentally changed. The mandate now is clear: build systems with students, not for them. For years, we’ve treated student voice like a side quest. We have reduced student voice to focus groups, a checkbox on a survey, or a panel at a conference. But that’s not leadership. That’s symbolism.

Don’t just hand them a mic. Give them a seat. Because when young people are co-designers of their learning environments, everything shifts. Engagement deepens, retention improves, and staff feel more energized and aligned. The whole system becomes more human, more responsive, and more sustainable.

Forget what came before. This is now. And no one understands now better than they do. They live on the cutting edge of culture and technology. They know how to build digital communities, how to source global perspectives, how to question, remix, and reimagine. If you’re looking for innovation—real, functional, future-ready innovation—start there.

Go back to the basics.
Get to know them.
Don’t invite student voice as a PR move.
Do it because it makes sense.
Do it because it works.
Do it authentically.

After years in this work that include countless initiatives, reforms, and cycles of “transformation”, I’ve learned that the most powerful shifts come when we stop underestimating young people and start listening and building beside them. 

They aren’t the problem. They’re the point.

Let’s stop talking about the future and start building it—with the people who are already living it.

By: Superintendent Bo Wright and Chuck Khoury

Each year as the school year closes and another begins to take shape, we find ourselves in a familiar rhythm: report cards filed, lockers cleaned out, and calendars already filled with deadlines for the next year. But this summer feels different. 

The world our students are growing up in is shifting fast. And while we’ve tried to keep up, we often find ourselves doubling down on what’s familiar. We adopt new instructional materials. We invest in professional development. We pilot the next promising program to boost outcomes in literacy or math. All of this matters. But too often, we skip over a more fundamental question: 

What exactly are we preparing students to do?

Not in theory. In practice. In the real, complex, beautiful lives they are living now. 

Beyond the Narrow Path 

For too long, readiness has been defined by test scores, GPAs, or college enrollment. We’ve encouraged students to walk a straight line through a system that often ignores the realities of the world they are stepping into— realities marked by economic uncertainty, climate stress, threats to safety, and belonging. 

Young people today need more than content. They need to understand how their learning links to their own purpose and to the problems and possibilities around them. They need confidence to navigate complexity and the capacity to lead through change.  

Education must be more than preparation for a job. It must be preparation for life: dynamic, unpredictable, and shared.  

Students Are Ready. Are We? 

At a recent gathering of students, educators, and community members in Geneva, New York, we asked young people what they wanted from their education. Their responses were direct and deeply insightful. They want more voice. More relevance. Access to internships and college credit. Classrooms led by teachers who listen and adapt. They want to feel like school matters to them, to their futures, and to the world around them. 

And perhaps the most striking of all? The adults in the room didn’t push back. They asked, listened, asked questions, and built on the students’ ideas. Everyone could see it: our education system needs to evolve.

That kind of alignment doesn’t show in a strategic plan or in annual goals. It comes from conversation, trust, and an openness to rethink how we have always done things. 

The Superintendent Role is Shifting

For decades, the job of the superintendent has been rooted in structure. Superintendents worry about building plans, meeting targets, and protecting continuity. Today, that is not enough. The role is changing. Our responsibility isn’t to manage a system. It’s to lead a transformation side-by-side with the community they serve.

Strategic plans, goals, and data dashboards are still useful, but they can’t be the centerpiece. Not when the ground beneath us is shifting so rapidly. What we need now is broader participation. We need to be asking:

• What do students see that we don’t?
• What are families hoping for in their children’s future? What do they want us to hear?
• What kind of schools are our communities ready to help us build?

This Summer Is Critical 

This season isn’t about slowing down. Anyone in this work knows that’s a luxury we don’t have. But it is about being intentional. About choosing to focus our time and energy on what truly matters: deep listening, meaningful reflection, and bold, community-driven action.

And that includes how we engage with our communities. Authentic engagement isn’t a one-time focus group or a survey tucked into a newsletter. It’s an ongoing relationship—one that’s built on trust, reciprocity, and shared responsibility.

We saw what this could look like in Geneva. That gathering wasn’t the end of a conversation—it was the beginning of one. Students and families were clear about what they wanted. And now, the district is committed to looping back. To closing the feedback loop. To continuing those conversations in ways that are transparent, respectful, and enduring.

We’re making that commitment, too.

We’re building systems that center community voice. We’re practicing shared decision-making, not just input collection. We’re expecting all school staff—not just administrators or family liaisons—to engage with families as partners. And we’re backing that expectation with real resources—because family engagement is not a “nice to have.” It’s a prerequisite for student success.

We’re also rethinking how we communicate: making sure our outreach is inclusive and transparent—culturally and linguistically appropriate, timely, accessible, and clear. Because if families don’t feel seen, heard, and informed, we’re not doing our job.

This is what reimagining readiness looks like. Not just for students—but for systems.

This Is The Work

We are not preparing students for our future. We are preparing them for theirs. And while we can’t predict exactly what that future will hold, we can ensure they leave our schools equipped to lead with curiosity, empathy, adaptability, and courage.

This season doesn’t call for more hustle. It calls for alignment. For imagination. For leadership rooted in purpose and grounded in community. 

Let’s not waste it. 

Teaching Belonging: A Thank You to the Educators Who See Us
By Allison Aliaga, Chief Growth Officer, World Savvy

I became an American by accident.

My parents fled violence in Peru, crossed a desert with nothing but faith and grit, and found themselves in a Southern California hospital after a car crash. My mother, bruised and scared, barely spoke the language. But she understood one sentence: “Congratulations, you’re having a baby.”

That’s how I became an American. 

I was born an American, but my childhood was shaped by fear. Fear that one day my parents, who were undocumented, wouldn’t come home. Fear that they’d be taken, and my brother and I would be left behind.

If you’ve never lived with that kind of fear, it’s hard to explain. It weaves itself into you. It teaches you how to disappear. How to quiet your voice. How to scan a room faster than you can read a book. How to shrink yourself just enough to fit in—but never stand out.

School was supposed to be a safe place. But in many ways, it made the fear of not belonging sharper.

There were teachers who changed my experience in school. Educators who saw me. Who didn’t ask me to leave parts of myself at the door. Who named my strengths before I could fully recognize them. They helped me find my voice—as Allison, and as an American.

So when I saw that Denver Public Schools sued the federal government to prevent immigration enforcement from entering their schools, it was a clear act of choosing courage over comfort. Although a federal judge denied their request, the district’s efforts highlight the unwavering commitment of educators and the community to assert: You are safe here.

At World Savvy, this belief—that students can only truly thrive when they feel they belong—is at the heart of everything we do. We work with schools and educators to reimagine classrooms as spaces where identity isn’t erased, it’s celebrated. Where students don’t have to choose between achievement and authenticity. Where belonging is foundational—not an afterthought.

We begin with connection. We help educators create environments where students are not just present, but known. Where trust and psychological safety aren’t nice-to-haves—they’re the first step in a transformative learning journey.

Because when students feel safe, they take risks.
When they feel seen, they speak up.
And when they feel they belong, they flourish.

And when we make that possible for young people, we’re not just transforming classrooms—we’re shaping a generation of adults who will thrive in their communities, lead with empathy, and live into their full potential.

This Teacher Appreciation Week, I want to say thank you—not just for teaching content, but for creating conditions.

To the educators who ask the deeper questions.
Who stand up for the students whose stories the world doesn’t always make space for.
Who understand that every child brings stories, struggles, and brilliance that deserve to be honored.

You make it possible for students to show up fully.
And you make it possible for our schools to become what they were always meant to be:
Places of possibility. Of purpose. Of belonging.

A New Way to Do School—And Why It’s Working

By Hamse Warfa, CEO of World Savvy

If we want students to be more engaged, we need to design learning that actually engages them. That means leaving behind outdated models and embracing experiences that reflect the world students live in—and the future they’re stepping into. And it’s already happening.

At Sejong Academy in Minnesota, students explored how to build belonging for neighbors experiencing homelessness. What began as a conversation turned into action—interviews, local research, and projects rooted in empathy and dignity. It wasn’t just about civic learning—it was about community leadership.

At St. Anthony Middle School, students addressed hunger through capstone projects, connecting their research and storytelling to real-world solutions. For many, it was the first time they were asked to apply what they were learning to something they cared about. That made all the difference.

In Denver, George Washington High School has woven global competence across every subject—infusing inquiry and real-world problem-solving into the core of the curriculum. It’s not an add-on; it’s how learning happens.

And at Hanger Hall in North Carolina, students tackled financial literacy through a project called “Myself at 30.” They used math to project their future budgets and imagined careers and reflected on the lives they hope to lead. The result? A deeper understanding of their education’s real-life value—and their own agency within it.

These stories aren’t isolated wins. They’re part of a growing shift toward student-centered, purpose-driven learning. When we trust students with real work on real problems, they rise. And when their voices and identities shape what happens in school, they thrive.

This isn’t an enrichment activity. It’s the future of school—and it’s long overdue.

The root of disengagement isn’t apathy—it’s irrelevance. When students don’t see themselves, their communities, or the world in their learning, they disconnect. And who could blame them?

What brings students back is connection. Relevance. Challenge. It’s classrooms that invite curiosity and honor differences. It’s schools that see students not just as future workers but as present-day changemakers.

The most effective educators we see aren’t just delivering content—they’re cultivating meaning. They create space for students to reflect, wrestle with complex questions, and take action. And they treat learning not as preparation for the “real world” but as a part of it.

We don’t need to abandon structure or standards. Rather, we need to connect structures and standards to students’ lived experiences. We also need to be clear on what we’re aiming for. Are we preparing students to thrive in a fast-changing, polarized world? To solve problems we can’t yet imagine? If not—we have to ask: what are we preparing them for?

The good news is that a different way is possible. And it’s already underway.

What Today’s Students Know That We’re Ignoring

By Hamse Warfa, CEO of World Savvy

We are living through a profound moment of reckoning in education.

Across the country, young people are showing up to school, but many are no longer showing up to learn. Nearly three-quarters of third graders say they enjoy school. By 10th grade, that drops to just one in four. This isn’t just about adolescence—it’s a widespread disengagement that cuts across geography, school type, and income level. And the consequences today are more serious than ever.

We’re asking students to navigate a world shaped by generative AI, climate change, global conflict, and disinformation—yet many say their education feels disconnected from all of it. When they look at what’s happening in the world and then at what’s happening in school, the gap isn’t just wide—it’s a chasm. They’re not apathetic. They’re paying attention. And they know the world requires creativity, collaboration and bold thinking—skills they don’t always see nurtured in their classrooms.

This is happening as our national education landscape grows more unstable. With calls to dismantle the Department of Education and threats to funding that supports our most vulnerable students—those with learning differences from rural areas and low-income communities—we face real uncertainty about the federal role in delivering equitable education.

At World Savvy, we believe this moment is a call to action. Disengagement isn’t inevitable. It’s a symptom of a system that hasn’t kept pace with the world around it. But if the problem is systemic, the solution can be too. We need to design learning environments that reflect students’ lives and the world they’ll inherit—because education should prepare young people not just for work but for life in a diverse, dynamic democracy.

As a father of two teenagers in the Prior Lake-Savage School District—one entering her senior year and the other close behind—I see these challenges up close. Like any parent, I want my kids to build lives of purpose and to find work that’s meaningful not just for them but for the world around them. My father used to pray that his children would grow up to be useful to society. I carry that wish forward every day—for my own kids and for every student I have the privilege to serve.

That’s why this work matters so much to me, personally and professionally. Last fall, Prior Lake-Savage partnered with World Savvy to host a Changemaker Hub, where more than 100 students and 35 educators, leaders, and community members gathered to explore a powerful question: What would it take to make school a place where every student thrives?

The answers were honest and refreshingly clear.

Students talked about the need for collaboration—not just in projects but in shaping their education. They wanted learning that felt relevant, classrooms that honored different ways of thinking, and schools where failure wasn’t punished but used as a way to grow. They imagined new approaches: mental health classes, career-focused electives, experiments with teaching methods, more choice, and more voice.

What gave me hope wasn’t just what students shared—but how the district responded. Prior Lake-Savage is shifting the power dynamic, inviting students and families into the process of defining success and reimagining the path to get there. They’re not just listening—they’re acting.

As a parent and an education leader, I see this as a model worth emulating. When we stop designing school for students and start building it with them, everything changes. We make learning more engaging. More inclusive. More human.

Coming up in Part II: What a new way of doing school looks like in action—and how it’s already happening across the country.

World Savvy is thrilled to welcome the latest addition to our team: Joy DeMarais-Lanz, our new Chief Operating Officer (COO)!  In the midst of World Savvy’s ambitious goals for growing our reach and impact across the country, the COO is responsible for supporting the internal scaling of the organization, leading the executive management team, and developing a performance culture throughout the organization. 

Prior to joining World Savvy, Joy served as an Executive Director at Synergos, an Association Management Company where she led a portfolio of 13 association and not-for-profit clients. Before her tenure at Synergos, Joy held leadership positions at HOBY (Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership), the National Youth Leadership Council, and three higher education institutions. Praised for her commitment to mentorship, Joy invests her time and energy in nurturing talent, providing guidance, and empowering others. 

We recently got to sit down with Joy and hear more about her story. Follow along with us to learn more about her, her journey to World Savvy, and her connection to our mission to educate and engage youth to learn, work, and thrive as responsible global citizens.

What was your journey with school/education like, and how has it led you to the desire to reimagine education with World Savvy?

In school, I was a bit of an overachiever and very involved—especially because I had educators willing to take some risks and engage me in unique ways. This is how I first began to engage in reimagining what education could be. I attended a school that was initially fairly traditional; however, during my junior and senior years, the school started a “school within a school” model. It was all thematic units and experiential education, combining math, science, social studies, and English, and it was team-taught. I absolutely loved it. This model was funded by the Blandin Foundation, from the Center for School Change. I was so engaged, and even began accompanying the teacher team to workshops at the Center for School Change and talking about young people’s role in school change—how young people needed to have a voice and a seat at the table, something closely aligned with World Savvy’s values and approach. That, combined with being involved in many student organizations, career and technical education, and doing advocacy and training other young people about how to get involved—I was very active even as a student in reimagining what education could be.

After high school, I attended college at St. Catherine University, where I learned the language of social justice and social change, a rich tradition at the school. I also started interning, first at the Center for School Change and then at the National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC), learning the language of service learning and experiential education. That led to me writing a federal grant that resulted in a full-time job at NYLC during my senior year of college. I started there as the Director of Youth and Strategic Initiatives while still a student, after which I transitioned into a full-time role. 

If it weren’t for my high school teachers who were willing to take a risk and do some innovative, collaborative teaching and learning, I wouldn’t be in the career that I’m in today. I have immense gratitude for that group of teachers for being risk-takers. Because they were willing to think about teaching and learning differently, it had a direct impact on my life and my career—and my journey to World Savvy.

Could you tell us more about the rest of your career that has led you to this point—to joining the World Savvy team?

At NYLC, I was doing a lot of work training teachers and young people how to work together through youth-adult partnerships and service learning, school change work, and opening space for youth to serve on boards. I then decided that I wanted to be an educator myself. So I left NYLC for graduate school and, afterward, I went into higher education for eleven years, teaching at three different institutions. During that time, I really dug into teaching methodology, and I stayed connected to K-12 education—even though I was in higher education—through some training and consulting, including with the Department of Education. This work led me to Anoka-Ramsey Community College, where I launched the service learning program there. 

After that, in the role I’m transitioning out of at Synergos, I’ve now worked in Association Management for ten years. I wanted to be an Executive Director of a nonprofit, and I saw this role that looked so similar—and in the process learned that there was this whole world of association management that I hadn’t known existed. So for the last ten years, I’ve worked with professional societies and trade associations as their fractional Executive Director, helping them lead the charge around strategic plans, governance, and operationalizing their goals. 

Recently though, I’ve been craving a return to my roots in the school change world and working with young people. Especially now as a mother—my kids are currently in the Anoka-Hennepin school district, which is the largest school district in Minnesota—and helping my middle school student navigate this period of their education, I realized I wanted to be working with change agents who are committed to reimagining education. I want to play some role in that again with World Savvy.

It’s clear that the mission of World Savvy resonates deeply with you. Can you tell us a bit more about that?

The goal of educating for global competence—preparing students with the skills, attitudes, and behaviors necessary to thrive in an ever-changing and complex world—and especially through the lens of preparing young for jobs that don’t yet exist, is so important. The ability to learn, and unlearn, and relearn is so critical in our current economy, and our education system is just not set up to do that. It is critical that we, as stakeholders in education, ask questions and push the system to start thinking about the imperative of preparing young people differently.

I’m so excited to join the World Savvy team as the new COO. I’m excited to work with people who I think are smarter than I am—that will make me smarter. Throughout the entire process, I’ve been so impressed by everybody, and so impressed by the mission and the values of the organization—especially the commitment to recognizing that we are all human, that we focus on collaboration, and that not only what we do but how we do it matters. The idea how we communicate with one another, how we make decisions, and how we serve in leadership is just as important as what we achieve, I am very aligned with. I’m excited to be a sponge, to absorb and learn, but also to contribute in this type of professional community that is in some ways modeling what we hope World Savvy’s work in schools will yield for young people.

As a final question, a fun one: tell us a bit about yourself outside of work.

I have a 13-year-old, and then I have a bonus daughter who is 24 and another who is 27, and I am a bonus grandma to my 27-year-old’s 5-year-old. I also have fourteen nieces and nephews! So I spend a lot of time with my family—I just love hanging out with them, especially as my nieces and nephews are getting older and starting their lives. It’s so fun to see where they are going. I also love to travel. My husband for many years had a job with Delta, so we had many adventures flying standby. We love to see new places, see new things, and expose ourselves to new ideas. I’m also a reader, and my guilty pleasure is binge-watching TV—which I used to feel guilty about, but not anymore! I feel I have fairly typical hobbies, but the throughline is that I just love learning about people, love learning about different ideas—whether through travel, relationships, or reading—I just love consistently exposing myself to new things.

Thank you, Joy. We are so thrilled you’ve joined the World Savvy team!

We live in unprecedented times. New challenges, opportunities, and technologies present themselves almost daily. The future of work is a moving target, and changing demographics and global challenges require new skills and dispositions to successfully navigate our communities and workplaces.

New York Times columnist Tom Friedman says we are living through a “Promethean moment.” We cannot slow the pace of change, but we can transform our education system to meet this moment and adequately prepare all young people to thrive in their communities, locally and globally.

Here are three important ways to reimagine learning and create a system that helps students know more, care more, and do more.

Elevate skills

If we want young people to be responsible and engaged citizens, we need to teach them the skills and dispositions this requires. We must rethink and reimagine the classroom experience, along with the traditional assessments teachers have used. No longer should we be grading to see if a student knows dates, facts, and definitions—they can find that information on their phones. Instead, we should be grading their ability to think critically and creatively about the information before them, ask deep and probing questions, seek out multiple perspectives, form opinions based on fact and exploration, and find comfort in ambiguity. 

In life, there are no easy answers. Why should school be different? 

It is also time that we shift our language when describing empathy, resilience, and collaboration. These are not “soft skills.” In our complex and interconnected world, they are essential skills, and they should be taught and assessed with intention and urgency.  

Elevate relevance

At a recent event in rural Minnesota, I shared a series of statements with students and asked them to stand if it applied to them. “I use the internet everyday.” Everyone was on their feet. “What I learn in school feels relevant to my life outside of school.” No one moved.

Students can practice critical thinking, research, empathy, and collaboration with any topic, so why not give them topics relevant to their lives right now and that prepare them to engage in a world that is complex, interconnected and rapidly changing? 

This shift requires a reimagining of the role of school. So much of K-12 education is about core requirements and checking boxes. It is based on what adults think kids should know, just in case. But a just-in-case education is not getting it done. We need a just-in-time model that encourages curiosity, perspective taking, and deep thinking. We can give students work that directly connects to the world beyond the classroom so that they can begin to make sense of the present and get prepared for the future. 

Elevate student choice and agency

Many schools offer students choices when it comes to the classes they take. It is good for kids to have options, but none of those choices matter as much as the choices they get to make once they are in the classroom.  

Students need to have a voice in their own learning. Essential skills like critical thinking, coping and resilience, and questioning prevailing assumptions can be demonstrated in a myriad of ways, so let’s give students some power over how they show growth in these areas. When teachers move from the center of the classroom, a place where they are the keepers of knowledge, and into the role of facilitators of their students’ learning, they empower students to fully and authentically engage with the material and learn to think for themselves. There is nothing more powerful than asking a student, “What do you care most about?” and seeing their curiosity ignited. Schools can and should help students identify their passions and prepare them to take informed action on the issues that matter to them.

School should not be a place that kids have to get through in order to do something more exciting; it should not be a box that has to be checked. School should be a place where important and complex work gets done, where students feel seen and valued, and where they learn how to see and value others. By centering the development of the essential skills and dispositions that young people need to thrive in this ever-changing world, schools can create learning spaces that are relevant, inclusive, and engaging—places where students want to be. We can transform classrooms into places that move beyond what kids know and instead focus on what kids can do with what they know. This is what the world needs: a generation of young people who are curious, empathetic, critical thinkers who will take action on issues of global significance. 

The time is now to start reimagining what is possible, so that young people can graduate not only with the skills and dispositions they need, but that the world needs.

— Mallory Tuominen

Mallory Tuominen is the chief program officer at World Savvy. Beginning her career as a classroom teacher, Mallory was quickly exposed to the inequities in public education and worked diligently to create a classroom that was inclusive, relevant and real-world based, while holding all of her students to high standards. A desire to work more closely with educators to develop their cultural competence inspired Mallory to leave the classroom and join the Minnesota Humanities Center. Working closely with community members in Minneapolis, St. Paul and Greater Minnesota, Mallory developed and facilitated humanities-based professional development offerings for educators. 

Prior to joining World Savvy in 2015, Mallory worked as an Assessment Manager in Chicago Public Schools providing leadership around assessment for student learning for the district’s high schools. She also worked as an Instructional Supports Manager for Minneapolis Public Schools, collaborating to support the district’s new and tenured educators through professional development and mentorship. Throughout her 15 year career in education, Mallory’s focus has always remained on high-quality teaching and learning and providing educators with professional learning opportunities to transform practice. 

Mallory holds a BA in History and an MEd in Social Studies Education, both from the University of Minnesota. She also holds an MEd in Education, Culture and Society from DePaul University and a certificate in Instructional Design from the University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign. She can be reached at mallory@worldsavvy.org.

Greetings, World Savvy community, 

This coming spring will mark 22 years for me as the CEO of World Savvy, and we continue to reach milestones that I could scarcely have imagined back in 2002. Together we have built an incredible organization: trusted, sustainable, and relied upon across the country to empower educators to make schools inclusive, relevant, and engaging for all students, inspiring young people to learn, work, and thrive as responsible global citizens. One of our core values as an organization is that we “intentionally grow and change”, and so, the news I am sharing today is offered in this spirit and with deep gratitude.

I am proud to share that now is the right time for me to start a thoughtful transition out of the CEO role. One of my deepest desires, always, was to build a leaderful organization that could meaningfully change the K-12 system, beyond my leadership. We’ve arrived in that place in the last year at World Savvy: the most experienced, talented national team we’ve ever assembled, rising demand and new partnerships across dozens of states, a stable and growing network of funding partners, and a proven approach that is now changing the conversation about what constitutes a quality education. Since 2002, we’ve reached more than 904,000 students and 7,300 teachers across 45 US states and 32 countries, and we’re positioned to impact millions more in the decade to come. And all of this is happening at a time when the world needs this work more than ever before–as we grapple with unprecedented levels of polarization and division, and complex global challenges that impact us wherever we live. Because of this, I know it is the right time to make space for a new executive to collaborate with our team to grow the organization to the heights we imagine in the decade to come: a thriving network of 10,000 schools centering global competence and building equitable, inclusive, and future-ready learning environments for all kids. 

Those who know me well know that I often stress the “Co” in my Co-Founder title, because I wouldn’t have begun this journey without my fellow Co-Founder, Madiha Murshed. I wouldn’t have stayed the course for so long without Madiha’s foundation, and without the tremendous team members and supporters who grew this work alongside me for more than two decades. I love this work, and it will always be an extension of my values and beliefs in the deepest way. It fills me with pride and optimism to see what began as such a small, ambitious endeavor making such an impact through the leadership of so many. 

As for what happens next, working closely with a Founder Transition Coach, we have created a Transition Team comprised of board members and staff to ensure that the entire process from now through the onboarding of a new leader minimizes disruption to our daily activities and supports our new leader as they take on the CEO role. Additionally, the Board has assembled a dream Search Team of board members and World Savvy stakeholders to lead the way in finding our next leader. A message from our Board Chair, Linda Ireland: 

As Board Chair, I am tremendously proud of what Dana has contributed over 20 years to bring World Savvy to this juncture. She is a marvel, living our values, inspiring so many to share in our mission, and working tirelessly to make World Savvy a leader in reimagining education to be what our young people deserve and our world needs. We are proud of the leaderful organization Dana has built. Our World Savvy staff, clients, stakeholders, and investors are incredible. As Chair of our Search Team, I am excited for what will come next for us all, especially the educators and students who will thrive as global citizens during World Savvy’s next remarkable chapter. We have a strong, experienced, and engaged Board committed to leaning into this transition with the intentionality, thoughtfulness, and enthusiasm it deserves. We have retained Good Citizen, a national search firm, to conduct a search beginning next month, with the intention of welcoming a new CEO by July 2024. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me at any time with questions or suggestions. ~Linda Ireland, Board Chair

Until next July, I will remain World Savvy’s very active and engaged CEO. Once our new leader begins, I will remain in a Founder-in-Residence role through the end of 2024, available to support new leadership and the organization in intentional ways that promote a smooth and effective transition. 

In this unique time of inflection, it is rising to the surface for me in visceral ways: we would never be here, at this place of national impact, without our phenomenal community of supporters, advocates, and partners. Many of you have already come forward pledging your continued full support when the day of my transition arrives. Thank you. It fills me with pride to know you see World Savvy as I do–a vibrant, strong, innovative, sustainable, essential organization much more powerful than any one person. My deep gratitude for each of you is hard to encapsulate, but it’s been the fuel for a movement that I have always believed, and will continue to, is changing education in the most important ways. 

In the coming months, we will transparently share our progress not only with respect to this transition but also to the critical work we continue to lead in schools nationwide. If you have any questions, concerns, or ideas about our transition process, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me, or to our Board Chair Linda Ireland, at ireland@humanvenn.com. 

Thank you, always, for continuing to be a part of this special community.

With gratitude,

Dana Mortenson
CEO and Co-Founder