Schwartz Joins National Academy Foundation Board

Professor Robert Schwartz was recently added to the National Academy Foundation (NAF) Board of Directors to help further connect career and college readiness.

"I'm honored to have been asked to join NAF's board. I've long admired the work of the organization, and I share its goal of increasing access to meaningful academic and career preparation for America's young people," Schwartz said.

NAF cited Schwartz's long history of advocacy for high quality school-to-career programs, especially in his current position cochairing Pathways to Prosperity, a foundation-funded initiative designed to increase public support for the creation of multiple pathways linking work and learning to enable more young people to successfully complete high school and go on to obtain a meaningful postsecondary credential.

"We are very excited for Bob to join our board. Bob has dedicated his professional life to help reform education and improve the lives of our future leaders," said Sanford Weill, founder and chairman of NAF.

"Mr. Schwartz's accumulation of leadership roles and knowledge in both educational and governmental positions in the past years make him a great fit for our Board," added JD Hoye, president of NAF.

The National Academy Foundation (NAF) is an acclaimed network of career-themed academies that open doors for underserved high school students to viable careers. For nearly 30 years, NAF has refined a proven model that provides young people access to industry-specific curricula, work-based learning experiences, and relationships with business professionals. NAF academies focus on one of four career themes: finance, hospitality & tourism, information technology, and engineering. Employees of more than 2,500 companies volunteer in classrooms, act as mentors, engage NAF students in paid internships, and serve on local Advisory Boards. During the 2009-10 school years, 500 NAF academies served more than 53,000 students across 41 states, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. NAF's national graduation rate of 90 percent testifies to the effectiveness this effort.