PROVIDENCE – Todd D. Flaherty, president and CEO of The College Crusade of Rhode Island, will retire in June, and the nonprofit has launched a search for his successor.
Flaherty, who will assist the board of directors in preparing for the transition, has led the organization since 2009. He guided development and implementation of the five-year strategic plan, strengthened partnerships with Rhode Island educators and policy makers, and oversaw a federal 2011-2017 GEAR UP grant that provides $3.1 million to increase college and career readiness for low-income students, according to information from College Crusade.
The College Crusade is a nonprofit funded by a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s GEAR UP program, by the state of Rhode Island, and by private corporations, foundations and individuals.
Recent awards the nonprofit has received include the National College Access Network’s College Access Organization Award of Excellence in 2015; the College Board’s CollegeKeys Compact Innovation Award in 2012; and Providence Business News’ Business Excellence in a Not-for-Profit in 2011.
“We are grateful to [Todd] Flaherty for the inspiring and visionary leadership he has offered the College Crusade for the past seven years,” said Paul E. Moran, chairman of the Board. “Thanks to his professionalism, expertise and creativity, our organization has refined its research-based practices and become more effective than ever at implementing programs that equip our state’s young people for college and career success.”
The board expects to name a new president and CEO in late April, and that person will assume the post in July.
Before joining the College Crusade, Flaherty served as Rhode Island deputy commissioner of education, deputy in residence for the Council of Chief State School Officers, and senior policy consultant for the National High School Center in Washington, D.C. He also served as president of the Rhode Island Superintendents’ Association and principal of two high schools. In 2014, Flaherty received the Paul W. Crowley Award in recognition of his long-standing commitment to improving the quality of education for the children of Rhode Island.
