Graduation Alliance, a national leader in alternative education for youth and adults, has promoted a new chief executive officer, Dr. Shawn Smith.
Smith joined the company in 2023 as the chief operating officer and succeeded Ron Klausner as CEO, who assumed the role in 2015. Klausner will remain involved with Graduation Alliance as the board chairman.
“It has been the joy of my career to serve as the CEO of Graduation Alliance for the past nine and half years and grow the organization from a small online program to a team of almost 500 mission-oriented individuals,” Klausner said. “Dr. Smith brings nearly 30 years of education expertise to the role and demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and zeal necessary to magnify our impact and bring us to new heights. I will support him in any way I can.”
Dr. Smith is an author, speaker, entrepreneur, and rare book collector. Before joining Graduation Alliance, he served as chief innovation officer for McGraw Hill. He co-founded Modern Teacher and spent nine years as its CEO. Earlier in his career, he served as Chief of Schools at Chicago Public Schools. Dr. Smith is a national leader on issues surrounding digital education and pedagogy.
“I’m eager to build on the excellence Ron brought to Graduation Alliance,” Smith said. “Ron’s leadership skills and business acumen helped the organization grow exponentially over the past decade so it could effectively serve learners of all ages throughout the country. We are looking forward to a bright future at Graduation Alliance because of the strong foundation Ron built.”
Klausner came to the education market after a successful 27-year career with Dun & Bradstreet. From 2003-2015, he held leadership roles primarily as president or CEO with educational organizations, including Cambium Learning Group, Voyager Expanded Learning, ProQuest Information & Learning, and Academic Partnerships. He is now looking forward to focusing on the next chapter of his life, which will include taking his health to new heights, reading widely — one of Klausner’s lifelong joys — and traveling with family and friends.
Graduation Alliance has helped nearly 30,000 students graduate from high school since 2015. Under Klausner’s leadership, the organization expanded its programs to not only serve high school-aged youth but also adult dropouts. Now, Graduation Alliance:
- Provides an alternative graduation pathway to middle and high school students
- Operates adult Workforce Diploma Programs in nine states
- Partners with colleges and universities for enrollment and coaching support services
- Helps learners obtain post-secondary certifications and job-readiness skills
“This change in leadership marks the beginning of a new era of growth and expansion for Graduation Alliance,” KKR Managing Director and Graduation Alliance Director Kyle Matter said. “We are excited to support them in continuing to change lives for the better through the power of education.”
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