Featured Alumni

ROBERT W. RUNCIE

The Broad Superintendents Academy Class of 2009
Superintendent
Broward County Public Schools, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

“The battle for quality education is the social justice cause of our time. If you believe that every child has the right to a quality education, then there is no more important work than providing the right leadership to dramatically transform public education in this country. I have found my passion and purpose in life – to improve the human condition by giving every child an equal chance to excel and achieve happiness. It all starts at the top with one of the most challenging and important jobs in America – the urban school superintendent.”

In September 2011, Robert W. Runcie was appointed superintendent of the Broward County Public Schools in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the sixth largest school system in the country with nearly 257,000 students. Previously, Runcie served as chief of staff to the Board of Education of the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), the third largest school system in America with over 430,000 students. During his tenure in CPS, he also served as chief area officer for Area 17 and as chief administrative officer. During this time he provided leadership in implementing the largest web-based student information system in the country, guiding the district’s performance management strategies and transforming business process to drive more effective collaboration at all levels of the district. Prior to joining the Chicago Public Schools, Runcie served as president and founder of a management consulting and technology service company specializing in project management, large scale systems implementations and organizational strategy. Runcie holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard College and a master’s degree in business administration from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.  Runcie is a graduate of the 2009 class of The Broad Superintendents Academy.