A NEW KEEPER AT THE GATES: Robert “Bob” Hughes has been tapped as the Gates Foundation’s new director of K-12 strategy and grantmaking efforts starting June 1, 2016. He’ll take over the position vacated by Vicki Phillips in October 2015.
Since September 2000, Hughes has served as president of New Visions for Public Schools, a New York nonprofit that operates and supports a network of 70 district schools and six charter high schools. He also sits on the board of Fund For Teachers, a nonprofit that provides grants for teachers to travel and pursue their own professional development.
Hughes is no stranger to the Foundation. During his time at New Visions, the organization received over $75 million across 18 grants from the Gates Foundation to support a range of efforts including Common Core implementation, creating small high schools and building adaptive learning platforms.
Interesting factoids: He’s a Stanford-trained attorney who has put in time as a Green Giant pea picker in Oshkosh, WI.
