Eric Schwarz is the Co-Founder and CEO of the College for Social Innovation, which brings together colleges and social sector organizations to create fully-credited, semester-long experiential learning opportunities that are meaningful, accessible, and life-changing. College for Social Innovation was incorporated in July, 2015 and began enrolling students in the 2016-17 academic year. The mission of the organization is to educate and inspire the next generation of social problem solvers.
Eric is also the Co-Founder and former CEO of Citizen Schools, a successful social enterprise that scaled to a $30 million annual budget and has had a positive impact on the after-school and extended learning time fields across the U.S. Schwarz is the author of the critically-acclaimed book, The Opportunity Equation, published by Beacon Press in 2014, the co-editor of The Case For 21st Century Learning, and the author of numerous articles and book chapters, including “Calling All Citizens” in The New York Times best-selling Waiting For Superman.
Prior to starting Citizen Schools in 1995, Schwarz served as vice president of City Year, the national service program, and as a journalist at The Oakland Tribune and The Patriot Ledger (Quincy, MA) where he was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. He is a member of the board of Beyond12, an organization focused on college completion for first-generation college students, and of Citizen Schools, and chair of the board of US2020, a national STEM mentoring initiative launched at the White House. Schwarz is a frequent speaker on education, opportunity, and the social sector at national and local conferences and convenings. He graduated from the University of Vermont (B.A.) in 1983 and from the Harvard Graduate School of Education (M. Ed) in 1997. Schwarz lives in Brookline, MA with his wife and two children. Twitter: @ericschwarz1984; Web: www.CollegeforSocialinnovation.org
Economic Opportunity • Education • Post-Secondary Education • Youth Job Skills
