Dear partners and innovators, 

Today — Aug. 1 — is a big day in Education Design Lab history, as Founder Kathleen deLaski officially hands the management reigns to Bill Hughes, our new President + CEO. 

Kathleen began prototyping the Lab in 2012 with a passionate group of higher ed innovators and incorporated as a national nonprofit in 2013. When Kathleen decided in early 2021 that she wanted to encourage a new generation of executive leadership, the Lab’s Board began a national search and chose Bill to succeed Kathleen. He began as President last fall, and takes over as CEO today. Kathleen will remain involved as Board Chair and as a senior advisor.

We mark this transition with brief letters from both leaders. 

Kathleen writes:

"Bill has already enriched our lives since joining as President last October. He brings wide and deep experience in ed tech, digital transformation, organizational change management, and even micro-credentialing, which as a new field and a signature strategy for the Lab, is very lucky for us. And most importantly, he has a huge passion for rewiring the broken pipeline between school and work that has left 60% of American adults without the 'golden ticket' … a college degree."


Bill writes:

"I am honored Kathleen has entrusted me to lead the Lab through this transition from groundbreaking start-up to an organization that fully realizes its potential for impact and transformation at the intersection of learning and work. I look forward to expanding and applying the Lab’s discoveries and learnings in an evolving skills-based ecosystem that is more important than ever before."