Steven G. Seleznow, EdD, serves as partner and Chief Investment Officer at Venture Philanthropy Partners. Seleznow is responsible for developing and adapting investment strategies to guide and cultivate new investment and leverage portfolio investment partnerships, advising and supporting the managing partner and the Investment Team to apply the investment strategies, and managing the new investment selection process.
Seleznow brings to VPP twenty-eight years of management and educational experience in public education, having led the Montgomery County and District of Columbia Public School systems as Deputy Superintendent and Chief of Staff, respectively. He brings to VPP an in-depth understanding of the issues and learning challenges facing children of low-income families, a successful career of executive/managerial experience, and expertise in pre K-12 education and the network of nonprofit organizations with which schools in the National Capital region interact.
Seleznow was the founder and CEO of Humanitas Consulting, LLC, which served an impressive list of clients, including the Eli Broad Foundation, The World Bank, The George Washington University, New Schools Venture Fund, and several of the nation’s largest urban and suburban school districts.
Prior to opening Humanitas Consulting, LLC, he served as Chief of Staff for the District of Columbia Public Schools, where he led the reform strategy for the District’s public school system, which serves 68,000 students in 146 schools. In partnership with McKinsey and Company, he developed a multi-year “Business Plan for the Strategic Reform of the District of Columbia Schools,” considered a model reform blueprint that has been replicated in other major cities across the country. He was instrumental in engaging community support for educational change in the District, in creating partnerships with charter schools, and in opening up schools to nonprofit organizations and non-profits. Moreover, he was able to bring new investment to Washington’s schools by forging relationships with major local and national foundations and institutions such as the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Gates Foundation, the Kimsey Foundation, and The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Before joining the District of Columbia Public Schools, Seleznow served as the Deputy Superintendent for the Montgomery County Public Schools, where he managed the day-to-day operations of the school system and led all educationally related activities, programs, and services for over 200 schools serving 131,000 students. Notably, his expertise in educational assessment and measurement led him to redesign Montgomery County’s accountability systems and begin to evaluate teachers and principals based on student results and outcomes. During his tenure in Montgomery County, Seleznow served as a teacher, an elementary and a secondary school principal, and as associate superintendent for school administration.
As an ardent leader of change and an effective manager of complex educational organizations, Seleznow is passionate and committed to improving the lives of children of low-income families. His creative and innovative policy solutions have earned him a solid reputation for improving school effectiveness and the respect of his peers throughout the region and across the country. Seleznow earned a doctorate and master’s degree in administration, planning, and social policy from Harvard University, a master’s of arts degree from the University of Maryland, and is a graduate of Boston University.
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