Overview:
The former Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent, Lisa Herring, was named as the President of PROPEL according to a release by the company.
The former Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent, Lisa Herring, was named as the President of PROPEL according to a release by the company. Headquartered in Atlanta, PROPEL Learn is an app designed to empower Historically Black College and University students in bridging the gap between them and their professional aspirations.
This past June, the Atlanta Board of Education opted not to renew Herring’s contract with the school district past June 30, 2024. While it was expected Herring would stay with the district through the transition, in August the board elected to have Dr. Danielle Battle as the interim superintendent and Herring’s contract ended on August 30, 2023.
Previous to coming to Atlanta Public Schools, Herring was the superintendent of Birmingham City Schools and before that, she was the Chief Academic Officer for Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, KY. and served as the Deputy Superintendent of Academics for the Charleston County, SC School District.
In the press release to the public, Anthony Oni, Founder and Board Chair of PROPEL, praised Herring for coming on to the company.
“Dr. Lisa Herring is a highly regarded and transformational leader in education, who has charted a longstanding and distinctive record of stewarding innovative approaches to learning. We are pleased to welcome her as the president of PROPEL. Dr. Herring’s wealth of experience in building and leading effective teams, pioneering technology integration in learning, and cultivating impactful industry partnerships clearly sets her apart as a leader. We are confident that under Dr. Herring’s stewardship, PROPEL will continue to empower HBCU students with significant opportunities for future-focused learning, economic opportunities, and leadership development.”
Created in 2019, PROPEL was created to break down systematic barriers that impacted HBCUs. Both Apple and Southern Company are founding partners and in August they launched PROPEL Learn, an app designed to prepare for the workforce after graduation. Clark Atlanta University has a partnership with the PROPEL Center in an effort to bring career development to its students.
“Being a proud graduate and a recent visiting lecturer at Spelman College, I am incredibly humbled by this opportunity, as it stands as a rare chance to bring the innovation that has long been my hallmark to this organization. My goal with PROPEL is to continue to do just that, while we blaze broader paths of opportunity for the coming generations of young HBCU scholars and leaders.”, according to Lisa Herring.
Herring will officially take the role as President on September 18, 2023.