Superintendent of Schools

"The battle for quality education is the social justice cause of our time. If you believe that every child has the right to a quality education, then there is no more important work than providing the right leadership to dramatically transform public education in this country. I have found my passion and purpose in life – to improve the human condition by giving every child an equal chance to excel and achieve happiness. It all starts at the top with one of the most challenging and important jobs in America – the urban school superintendent." Robert W. Runcie

Robert W. Runcie is Superintendent of Broward County Public Schools (BCPS), the nation's sixth largest public school system. Runcie was appointed by the School Board to become the 20th Superintendent of the BCPS on October 5, 2011 .

Runcie was the first member of his family to attend college. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Harvard College and a master's degree in business administration from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management. He is a Broad Fellow and graduate of the 2009 class of The Broad Superintendents Academy.

Runcie formerly served as Chief of Staff to the Board of Education, Chicago Public Schools in Illinois, the third largest school district in the nation, with over 430,000 students. During his tenure in Chicago, he also served as Chief Area Instructional Officer and Chief Administrative Officer. He also served as the district's Chief Information Officer where he provided leadership in implementing the largest web-based student information system in the country, guiding the district's performance management strategies and transforming business process to drive more effective collaboration at all levels of the district. Prior to joining the Chicago Public Schools, Runcie served as president and founder of a management consulting and technology service company specializing in project management, large-scale systems implementations and organizational strategy. He began his career as a staff consultant for Arthur Andersen (now Accenture).

Runcie firmly believes that dramatically transforming public education is among the most important work to be done in this country, so that all children can receive the quality education they deserve. He has successfully applied the best business practices acquired in the private sector to improving public education operations and instructional strategies.