Harold Brown is president of EdWorks, which is a subsidiary of KnowledgeWorks. In this role, Mr. Brown oversees the Ohio High School Transformation Initiative (OHSTI), a more than $50 million initiative to transform large, struggling urban high schools into smaller, more successful schools. He also leads the Ohio Early College High School Network (OECHSN), which is part of a national effort to give underserved students the opportunity to gain an associate’s degree or sixty hours of college credit upon high school graduation. Mr. Brown serves on the board of directors for Cincinnati Youth Collaborative and the Buckeye Ranch in Grove City, Ohio.

Mr. Brown has a long history with KnowledgeWorks, even working for its predecessor, Student Loan Funding Corporation Inc., as its corporate communications and media coordinator. Before this, he served as director of multicultural enrollment services for Miami University (Ohio) and as chief of staff for its vice president for student affairs.

In keeping with the KnowledgeWorks and EdWorks hands-on leadership and management philosophy, Mr. Brown frequently travels to high schools to speak with students, teachers, and administrators about their needs, challenges, and victories. He says he works for education because he believes in its power. “I believe that education is the key for quality of life and advancement for all people, especially those who are racially, culturally, and economically ‘non-majority,’” said Mr. Brown. “Education opens doors to opportunities that otherwise might remain closed.”

Mr. Brown is frequently quoted in newspapers on key education issues including high school reform, higher education, and multicultural access. A native of Oxford, Ohio, he received his bachelor’s degree in government from Harvard University.