CEO Announcement

We hope you’re enjoying the first signs of spring! We’re writing today with an update we’ve been looking forward to sharing, and to thank you, again, for the many ways you’ve shown up for this important moment in Ingenuity Prep’s story.

Search Progress
We remain deeply grateful to everyone who participated in our listening tour and has stayed engaged throughout this process. Your perspectives, your honesty, and your investment in this community have shaped every step of this search.

Next week, we will begin in-person interview days with our finalist candidates. This is a milestone we’ve been working toward since launching the search in December 2025, and we are so glad to be here.

Our search partner On-Ramps reviewed close to 200 applications and walked candidates through four rounds of thoughtful, rigorous assessment — including competency-based interviews and one round with a strategic thought exercise with Will and our Search Committee. The finalists represent a remarkable range of educational leadership experiences from charter networks across the country, and every one of them brings a genuine passion for the mission of Ingenuity Prep. We are proud that our finalists reflect the values at the heart of this community.

Over the course of the interview days, candidates will have the chance to meet with members of our Search Committee and Board, our Executive Leadership Team, Senior Leaders, and Staff. These conversations matter deeply, they are as much an opportunity for our community to shine as they are for us to learn about each candidate. Following the interview days, the Search Committee will gather feedback, identify a recommended finalist, and bring that recommendation to the full Board.

Staying Informed
As a reminder, we’ve created a dedicated page on our website where we’ll continue to share updates as this journey unfolds. We are so grateful to be moving through this process together.

Thank you truly for your partnership, your commitment to our students and families, and your trust in us as we navigate this next chapter. We can’t wait to share what comes next.

With appreciation and excitement,

We are deeply grateful to everyone who participated in our listening tour. Your perspectives and experiences have been essential in helping us define the leadership qualities, skills, and values we are seeking in our next CEO. 

The CEO position was posted prior to the holiday break, and the search is now well underway. Our search partner, On-Ramps, is building a strong and diverse candidate pool by sharing the opportunity broadly across its network and conducting targeted outreach to leaders whose experience aligns with Ingenuity Prep’s needs and mission. On-Ramps has begun initial interviews and has recommended a group of candidates to the CEO Search Committee. In early March, we will move into the next round of interviews, with finalist interviews tentatively scheduled for early April.

Thank you for your continued partnership and your engagement during this exciting next chapter in Ingenuity Prep’s journey.

Over the past month, we conducted a comprehensive listening tour with On-Ramps, engaging families, staff, the e-team, and board members, along with a survey. Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts – your insights have been invaluable in shaping our understanding of the qualities and experience needed in our next CEO.

Across these conversations, several key themes emerged. Our community emphasized the importance of a leader who is committed to being a part of the Ward 8 community, passionate about our mission, and able to build authentic partnerships with families, staff, and local leaders. Our community also highlighted the need for a CEO who can unify IPs school culture across academies, embed diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of leadership, and uphold high academic expectations while supporting students’ social, emotional, and identity needs. Your insights were embedded in our drafting of the job description, will guide the search process, and help us define the qualities we’re looking for in our next CEO.

The CEO job description is now posted online, and On-Ramps is actively reaching out to prospective candidates and will conduct initial screenings soon. To learn more about the CEO search process, we’ve created this page on our website to keep our community informed. We will continue to keep you updated as we move forward together in finding the next extraordinary leader for Ingenuity Prep.

As we shared last month, the Ingenuity Prep Board has partnered with On-Ramps to lead the search for our next Chief Executive Officer. Your voice is essential to the success of this search and in shaping the future of Ingenuity Prep. We are excited to partner with you during this important moment for our community.To learn more about the CEO search process, we’ve created this page on our website to keep our community informed.

We’ve started a listening tour that includes focus groups with IP staff, families, senior leaders, principals, the executive team, and the board. These conversations over the next month are an opportunity to hear directly from you about what matters most as we identify the next leader of Ingenuity Prep, particularly the qualities, values, and priorities that will best serve our students, families, and staff. Thank you to those of who have participated so far.

In addition to these focus groups, all staff and community members are invited to share input through a Search Survey. We want this process to reflect who we are as a community – our values, our culture, and what matters most for our next leader. We warmly encourage you to participate and share your perspective. This is a meaningful way for every staff member to help shape the process and ensure that candidates deeply understand who we are and our commitment to our students and families.

All responses are anonymous, and the Search Survey should take about 10 minutes to complete. Please share your input by EOD Wednesday, November 12th.

Dear Ingenuity Prep Community –

We hope this message finds you well and that the new school year is off to a strong and inspiring start. As we progress through this important year for Ingenuity Prep, we are excited to share an update about the leadership transition process.

CEO Search Firm Selection:

After a thoughtful and thorough review, we are excited to share that the Ingenuity PrepBoard has partnered with On-Ramps

to lead our search for our next Chief Executive Officer. Following our CEO and Co-Founder Will Stoetzer’s announcement this past July that he will depart Ingenuity Prep at the end of the school year, we posted a request for proposals, reviewed approximately 10 proposals from search firms, interviewed four finalists, and ultimately selected On-Ramps for their deep experience working with mission-driven organizations in the social sector and their strong focus on advancing equity and inclusion in leadership.

Our On-Ramps team – Nakia James-Jenkins, Shanna Masdea, and Andrew Sun-Acosta
– brings experience in education and charter networks and will partner with the Board CEO Search Committee to guide the process.

We want to take a moment to express our deep gratitude to Will for his continued dedicated service to Ingenuity Prep and for partnering with the Board CEO Search Committee to help guide this process and ensure a smooth transition.

Next Steps and Your Input:

An exciting part of their work will include a listening tour with staff and community members that will occur over the next month. This will be a chance for your voices and perspectives to directly shape the search – especially in naming the qualities and priorities we should look for in Ingenuity Prep’s next CEO. In addition to the focus groups, all staff and community members will have the opportunity to share input through a survey.
We’ll continue to keep you updated along the way and are grateful for your partnership as we take this next step inIngenuity Prep’s journey.

Board CEO Search Committee:

We are grateful to our Board CEO Search Committee that will partner closely with On-Ramps through this process. Members of the Board CEO Search Committee include:
Derrick Mashore, Board Chair
De-Lea Deane-Allen, Board Member and Search Committee Chair
Derrick Colbert, Board Member
Fred Walls, Board Member
Michael Bern, Board Member and Governance Committee Chair

With gratitude,
De-Lea Deane-Allen, Search Committee Chair
Derrick Mashore, Board Chair