Alex Hernandez to help shape national efforts to strengthen higher education and advance high school transformation.

STANFORD, Calif. — The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (Carnegie) announced today that Alex Hernandez, President of Champlain College, has joined its Board of Trustees. An educational leader and champion of career-focused learning, Hernandez brings decades of experience in K12, higher education innovation and workforce development.

“Alex understands that the future of education is not just about access, but alignment – of student aspirations, workforce demands, and opportunity,” said Diane Tavenner, Chair of the Board of Trustees. “His leadership exemplifies Carnegie’s commitment to a K12 and postsecondary sector that delivers quality and opportunity for all.”

Hernandez, the son of public educators, has long believed in the power of education to expand opportunity. At Champlain College, he has led efforts to ensure the institution serves as an economic engine for Vermont by focusing on career-aligned programs that prepare students for long-term success. Under his leadership, more than 80% of Champlain graduates are employed in roles related to their field of study. 

“At a moment when higher education must evolve to meet the demands of today’s learners and tomorrow’s economy, Alex brings the kind of bold, pragmatic leadership we need,” said Timothy F.C. Knowles, President of the Carnegie Foundation. “His work exemplifies the type of transformation the Carnegie Foundation seeks to accelerate.”

Prior to joining Champlain College, Hernandez served as Dean of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) and Vice Provost of Online Learning at the University of Virginia, where he pioneered programs that blended digital and human skills to meet evolving workforce needs and launched SCPS’s first Master’s degree. He previously led the Innovative Schools practice at the Charter School Growth Fund, one of the largest national efforts advancing personalized and career-ready learning in K12.

Hernandez began his career as a high school math teacher in South Los Angeles and held leadership roles at Portland Public Schools and Aspire Public Schools. He also brings private sector experience, having worked with Steamboat Ventures, Disney’s venture capital arm, and at J.P. Morgan.

“It’s a tremendous honor to join Carnegie’s board at such a pivotal moment for higher education,” said Hernandez. “We know that education remains the most powerful pathway to opportunity, but only when it’s designed to help students launch meaningful careers and build fulfilling lives. That’s the transformation Carnegie seeks to accelerate and I look forward to helping bring that vision to life.”

Dr. Sydnee Dickson and Aaron Rasmussen join Board of over 100-year old organization amidst historic overhaul of the Carnegie Unit

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (Carnegie) today announced the addition of Dr. Sydnee Dickson, Utah State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Aaron Rasmussen, co-founder of MasterClass, to its Board of Trustees.

“Dr. Dickson’s pioneering efforts to scale competency-based teaching and learning in Utah have inspired both policymakers and educators nationwide. Aaron’s vision for combining pedagogical innovation with the art of filmmaking has captivated a generation of lifelong learners,” said Timothy F.C. Knowles, president of Carnegie. “Their appointments reflect a commitment to harnessing the potential of the most progressive thinkers as we work to create an entirely new education architecture.” 

An educator of over four decades who began her K-12 education in a two-room schoolhouse in rural Utah, Dr. Dickson was appointed as State Superintendent in 2016. She is now widely recognized for her leadership guiding one of the first statewide efforts to implement personalized, competency-based education.

“The willingness of an organization that has played such a foundational role in building our educational infrastructure to now reimagine the core tenets of our education system is inspiring,” said Dr. Dickson. “I’m eager to bring the Utah experience to the national stage.” 

A serial entrepreneur and inventor, Aaron Rasmussen co-founded MasterClass, which fused immersive filmmaking with learning to bring experts like David Mamet, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Margaret Atwood to more than 2 million learners worldwide. Rasmussen went on to found Outlier.org, which builds cinematic-quality college courses that transfer to top four-year institutions nationwide. 

“The Carnegie Foundation’s leadership understands the necessity of thinking beyond the traditional boundaries of our education system,” said Rasmussen. “Advances in AI and computing power offer tremendous potential and require us to rethink how we measure educational outcomes to better capture the kind of deep-thinking and analysis our fast-changing world requires. They’re tackling some of the hardest, most urgent, educational challenges today.”

About the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

The mission of the Carnegie Foundation is to catalyze transformational change in education so that every student has the opportunity to live a healthy, dignified, and fulfilling life. Enacted by an act of Congress in 1906, the Foundation has a rich history of driving transformational change in the education sector, including the establishment of TIAA-CREF and the creation of the Education Testing Service, the GRE, Pell Grants, and the Carnegie Classifications for Higher Education.