___________________________________________________________________

Chief Executive Officer

Lorain (Ohio) City School District | Lorain, OH

Eric Thomas

Candidate Packet

CONFIDENTIAL
910 W Van Buren, Suite 315, Chicago, IL 60607 www.atlanticresearchpartners.org

Catalyst Transforming Education 1

Real. Trusted. Advisors.
 ___________________________________________________________________

Chief Executive Officer

Lorain (Ohio) City School District | Lorain, OH

CANDIDATE
PACKAGE

910 W Van Buren, Suite 315, Chicago, IL 60607 www.atlanticresearchpartners.org

Catalyst Transforming Education 2

Real. Trusted. Advisors.
Eric Thomas, Ph.D.
1534 Winford Court
Cincinnati, OH 45240

June 28, 2017

Dear Lorain City Schools CEO Selection Committee:

Please accept this letter of interest for the Chief Executive Officer position in the Lorain City
School District. As I reviewed this opportunity and its unique responsibilities, it became
apparent that my experience, skills, and leadership competencies are distinctly aligned to this
role. The following areas highlight this distinctive alignment.
School and District Transformation. As the Chief Support Officer for the University of
Virginias School Turnaround Program, I lead turnaround strategy design and implementation
for school districts across the country. Our organization is widely considered the top turnaround
organization in the country. I am familiar with Lorain City Schools and Ohios distress
commission protocol. The obstacles impeding Lorain are similar to those in a myriad of rural,
urban, and suburban districts I have supported over the past five years. Through our strategic
and data-driven approach our partners have enjoyed remarkable success. Prior to my present role
I led and supported successful turnaround efforts as a building principal and cabinet member in
Cincinnati Public Schools.
Organizational Leadership. My role at the University of Virginia, and the Darden Business
School, has afforded me a world-class experience in organizational and change leadership. This
training, supported by previous practitioner opportunities, has allowed me to guide districts in
creating coherence, aligning resources, strategic planning, and implementing a research-based
approach to leading change.
Equity Mindset. My dissertation focused on whether district leaders led via a compliance or
equity mindset. This equity emphasis was launched nearly 15 years ago when school data clearly
identified struggling sub-groups of students. This data-driven priority, accompanied by a moral
purpose to educate all students, led our schools transformation from the lowest performing in
the district to one of the top performing schools in the state. Ensuring all students receive a
quality education and closing achieving gaps continue to be my lifes work.
These areas of alignment make the Chief Executive Officer role an energizing opportunity. I
welcome the opportunity to further discuss how my experience, commitment to students, and
leadership competencies can be an asset to the states team. I can be contacted at

Thank you,

Eric Thomas
Attachment: Resume

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 Eric Thomas, Ph.D.
1534 Winford Court
Cincinnati, OH 45240

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Collaborator that learned the strength of collaboration and shared decision-making via 20+ years as a
school, district, and university leader.
Strategic thinker that understands and appreciates change and organizational leadership.
Instructional leader that promotes alignment of standards, instruction, assessment, and intervention.
Talent manager that inspires and honors the pivotal importance of teachers and school leaders.
Equity-oriented innovator informed by data and research to ensure all students learn.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2012- Present University of Virginia Darden/Curry Partnership for Leaders in Education
Chief Support Officer
Facilitating all support initiatives to twenty school districts from across the
country. Mission-driven organization is recognized as the most successful
turnaround program in the nation.
Promoted and collaborated with team to redesign organizations framework to
focus on four targeted levers; instructional infrastructure, talent management,
leadership, and differentiated support & accountability.
Leading organizations focus on the role of the Principal Supervisor.
Engaging in world-class executive education from the Darden Business
School. Focus areas include organizational effectiveness, change leadership,
strategic planning, communication, and resource alignment.
Collaborating with state department of educations, district school boards, and
senior district leaders.
Led design and implementation of a cadre of experts as part of strategic
support system.
Led the organizations focus on promoting enhanced internal and external
communications, marketing, and branding practices.

2014 Present Ohio Department of Education Academic Distress Commission

Consultant
Leading District Review Team to assess the strengths and weaknesses of
Ohios lowest-performing districts.
Providing on-site and written feedback to superintendents and senior leaders.

2005-2012 Cincinnati Public Schools, Cincinnati, Ohio

Chief Innovation Officer
Coordinated Principal Development Academy for cohort of assistant principals
from five southwest Ohio school districts via a blended-learning format.
Led the District of Choice model for the school district. Model included a new
Digital Academy, planning for a Boarding School, New Tech High School, and
district-sponsored charter schools.

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 Developed a district-wide initiative to support African-American and other at-
risk males (M.O.R.E. Men, Organized, Respectful, & Educated).
Represented the Superintendent in negotiating a multi-year agreement between
the district and its professional development provider.
Led the design and implementation of the districts new teacher development
and evaluation system.
Collaborated with teachers association to develop a performance-based
compensation system.
Facilitated the districts School Performance Team. Team responsible for
categorizing each school and identifying improvement needs.
Facilitated the districts Educational Initiatives Panel. Team responsible for
considering and approving all new district initiatives.
Responsible for nearly $40 million budget.
Principal Coach, Elementary Turnaround Initiative
Led team that provided instructional and school leadership guidance to a group
of schools as they implemented a turnaround initiative. Significant
improvement in these schools pushed the district to an Effective rating.
Provided weekly support, mentoring, and coaching to the cohort of principals
in the turnaround initiative.
Facilitated year-long training sessions with focus on special education to
ensure six schools met AYP requirements a second consecutive year.
Principal, Aiken College and Career High School
Collaborated with school community to implement strategies that led school's
rise from Academic Emergency to Effective on state report card.
Led redesign of Special Education Services; increasing inclusionary practices.
Initiated program to focus on 9th grade males to decrease achievement gaps.
Implemented positive behavior supports that significantly reduced discipline
infractions.
Conceptualized the campus new College Bound Program.
Facilitated the development of grade-level academies (Learning Communities)
as a strategy to promote increased student achievement.
Initiated marketing and recruiting efforts that led to annual enrollment
increases of 75% over four year period.
Collaborated with teaching staff to design on-site professional development
activities; peer observations, literature reviews, classroom video-taping, etc.
Other District-Level Experiences
Performance Review Panel Teamed with teacher and administrator
representatives to oversee districts Teacher Evaluation System.
Administrator Appraisal System Committee Member of team that redesigned
the districts appraisal process for central office and building administrators.
Collaborative Culture Committee Member of district team designing ongoing
strategies to promote a collaborative culture at individual school sites and
within the district.

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 Principal Professional Development Led design and facilitation of monthly
professional development activities for building principals.

2004-2007 University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio

Adjunct Instructor, Leadership Development Academy.
Teamed with university faculty to provide daily learning activities to post-
graduate students pursuing master's degree and administrative licensure.
Facilitator, Educational Administration Program.
Responsible for leading a cohort of seventeen graduate students as they
completed an on-line Masters Degree Program in Educational Administration.
Examined educational best practices from school districts from across the
country.

2002-2005 Middletown City School District, Middletown, Ohio

Administrator, Garfield Alternative School
Teamed with school staff to implement strategies that led to the schools
improved rating on state report card.
Led implementation of Positive Behavior Support (PBS) strategies to reduce
discipline violations and award positive student behavior.
Collaborated with school social worker and psychologist to develop systematic
counseling format and academic interventions for low-performing students.

District-Level Responsibilities
Led development and implementation of new alternative to
suspension/expulsion program.
Teamed with district Curriculum Coordinator to redesign delivery model of
Summer School Program (400 students) to a blended learning format.
Teamed with district and community stakeholders to redesign alternative
education services.
Facilitated District Recruitment Team. Developed strategic plan to recruit and
retain effective teachers and administrators.

1994-2002 Cincinnati Public Schools, Cincinnati, Ohio

District Coordinator, 8+ Program
Led state sanctioned school-to-work program for over-aged eighth graders.
Concentrated all academic instruction on 9th Grade Proficiency Test learning
outcomes, resulting in 22% average increase in annual proficiency rates.
Designed and implemented individualized instructional format to allow each
student to work at his or her own pace and on targeted deficiencies.
Teamed with building personnel on the schools Instructional Leadership Team
(ILT) to implement schools overall instructional plan.

Teacher, Aiken High School and Robert A. Taft High School.

Taught U.S. History, American Government, and Economics.
Coordinated State Proficiency Testing.

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EDUCATION
Concordia University of Chicago Doctor of Philosophy, Educational Leadership 2016
Dissertation focus: Superintendents role in turnaround; communication and instruction as
priorities, equity-mindset, transformational leadership
University of Cincinnati Master of Education, Educational Administration 2001
University of Cincinnati Administrator Development Academy (ADA) 2000
University of Cincinnati Bachelor of Science, Secondary Education 1993

CERTIFICATIONS/LICENSURES
Ohio Secondary (7-12) Social Studies
Ohio Elementary, Middle, & Secondary Principal
Ohio Superintendent

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING (Selected)

Darden Business School (Present)
Data-Driven Instruction, Albuquerque (2017)
National Principal Supervisors Summit, Ft. Lauderdale (2016)
Ohio School Leadership Institute, Columbus (2012)
National GE Conference: Common Core Standards, Orlando (2011)
Portfolio Schools Network, Las Angeles (2010)

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Member, American Association of School Administrators (AASA)
Member, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)

PRESENTATIONS (Selected)
University of Virginia, Partnership for Leaders in Education. (Present and
Ongoing)
Midwest Leadership Summit, Cincinnati. Implementation and Execution of
Action Planning (June, 2015).
Ohio State Fisher Business School & Ohio Department of Education. SIG
Principals Academy. Columbus, OH. Executing School Improvement
(September, 2013).
Race to the Top National Conference, Columbus, OH. A District Approach
to Turning Around Low-Performing Schools (November, 2012).
ASCEND Performance Institute, Cincinnati. Consultant (2011-12).
Race to the Top National Conference, Columbus, OH. Developing Great
Leaders (November, 2011).
Ohio School Boards Association Annual Conference, Columbus. Developing
Great Teachers & Performance Based Compensation (November, 2011).
Council of the Great City Schools National Conference, Boston. Supporting
the Needs of African-American and Other at-risk Males (October, 2011).
Council of the Great City Schools National Assessment Conference, Memphis.
Supporting the Needs of African-American and Other at-risk Males (July
2011).

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 ___________________________________________________________________

Chief Executive Officer

Lorain (Ohio) City School District | Lorain, OH

CANDIDATE
QUESTIONNAIRE

910 W Van Buren, Suite 315, Chicago, IL 60607 www.atlanticresearchpartners.org

Catalyst Transforming Education 8

Real. Trusted. Advisors.
G. Eric Thomas

Cincinnati, OH

Enrollment (Current Employment): Chief Support Officer - University of Virginia Partnership for Leaders
in Education
Start Date: 8/1/2017
Previous Position: Chief Innovation Officer
Previous Organization: Cincinnati Public Schools
Enrollment (Previous Employment): 35,000
Start Date: 8/1/2004
End Date: 7/31/2012
Budget Responsibility (Current Employment): 1,500,000
Budget Responsibility (Previous Employment): 40,000,000
Advanced Degrees Held Areas of Interest: PhD, Masters Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent
/ Chief of Staff, Academics (Cabinet Level)
Do you currently or have you held the title of CEO? No

1. Describe a situation where you had a leadership role in a turnaround effort similar to the one in
Lorain City School District. What actions did you personally take? Who did you involve and how?
How did you measure success of the initiative? (Please limit your response to 300 words)

There are two examples that highlight my experience leading turnaround efforts similar to the one in
Lorain City School District. First, I led a cluster of schools in Cincinnati that was a part of a turnaround
initiative. Sixteen schools, representing grades K-12, were identified as a result of longstanding poor
academic performance. I was responsible for directly coaching principals, leading a support team, and
monitoring the implementation of each schools improvement plan.

Weekly I engaged with my team, made up of district support staff and master teachers. Along with
working directly with the principal at each school, I also engaged directly with each schools leadership
team. During monthly meetings I led professional learning activities for all principals. As a part of our
broad efforts we solicited support from external stakeholders. I met with volunteers, representatives
from United Way, local churches, and each schools business partner(s). We provided a weekly update
to the superintendent and monthly updates to the school board.

The school board established three academic indicators to measure success: 1) meet adequate yearly
progress (AYP), 2) meet or exceed value-added, and 3) improvement in overall proficiency rates. To
measure progress toward these goals we monitored several leading indicators. We monitored 3-4 week

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short cycle assessment and quarterly interim assessment data. We monitored staff and student
attendance monthly and student discipline data weekly. We also provided staff a quarterly survey to
measure the culture and overall morale of school personnel.

The second example is less specific. Instead, it involves my present role as the Chief Support Officer for
the University of Virginias School Turnaround Program. In this role I lead the strategy development on
supporting 20 districts across the country. Although customized for each district as needed, we
leveraged many of the same practices that we implemented in Cincinnati.

2. When have you been required to implement a change that you knew others would be reluctant to
adopt? What did you do to address resistance? How much time did it take to implement the change?
(Please limit your response to 300 words)

Many educators will recall initial efforts to use student outcomes as a part of teacher evaluations. In
Cincinnati I was charged with leading this effort a year before the state requirement. To move this work
forward the most important element was to effectively engage the teachers association. The following
steps were taken:
Solicited a union representative to be my partner on leading this effort.
Identified teachers and administrators to participate in this effort.
Created three sub-committees, each led by a teacher and administrator, to oversee three
components that were identified.
Engaged in comprehensive literature reviews related to our task.

These collaborative and strategic efforts ensured teacher ownership. Although we did not explicitly
speak about a change model, I was leading our work using Kotters eight-step change model. In my role
as Chief Innovation Officer for the district, I had become accustomed to leveraging variations or at least
key components of Kotters model as needed.

The key work took place in the three sub-committees. One group researched and ultimately mapped out
a potential approach to using student learning objectives (SLOs). A second committee investigated
Ohios present approach to value-added and the original value-added work of Sanders in Tennessee. A
third sub-committee researched what other districts across the country were doing, or at least
contemplating. Along with managing any conflicts on each sub-committee, my role was to ensure that
progress was taking place.

We had full-day monthly work sessions adjoined with report out opportunities. School board members
sometimes attended these monthly sessions and reported back to the full board on progress. In spring
of 2012 we completed our task on time after one year of work. Cincinnati was credited with
implementing the first teacher evaluation structure in the state that incorporated student achievement.
Our model was eventually used to support the development of the states Ohio Teacher Evaluation
System (OTES).

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