Kenzie News

Former White House Official Joins Kenzie Academy Board

John Bailey

By Alex Brown, Multimedia Journalist

This piece was originally published on Inside Indiana Business (Mar. 25, 2019).

INDIANAPOLIS – Indianapolis-based Kenzie Academy has added former White House and cabinet official John Bailey to its advisory board. Bailey is a former domestic policy advisor in the White House and also previously served as the deputy policy director to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.

Bailey joins Tom Willerer, former chief product officer at Coursera, Venture for America Founder Andrew Yang, Emily Chiu, who oversees strategic development at Square, and others on the board.

“At Kenzie, we pride ourselves on providing students with a top-notch education that results in a rewarding career in the technology industry as a programmer, designer or marketer,” said Chok Ooi, Founder of Kenzie Academy. “John’s extensive experience in transforming education in communities across the country provides invaluable expertise to our students, faculty and partner technology companies.”

In addition to his new role on the Kenzie advisory board, Bailey serves as an advisor to the Walton Family foundation and a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

“Kenzie Academy is a highly innovative and thoughtful program that is paving the way for those who don’t currently live in major tech hubs to launch successful careers,” Bailey said in a news release. “When students graduate from Kenzie, they leave with the skills and resources necessary to begin their career as well as the hands-on experience required to complete technical tasks with confidence.”

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Kenzie Academy appoints former White House and cabinet official John Bailey to its Advisory Board

US education advocate to act as an advisor to growing Indianapolis-based tech school 

 

INDIANAPOLIS, March 28, 2019  – Kenzie Academy, a cutting-edge apprenticeship program that trains a new pool of talent in the American Heartland with the necessary technical and workplace skills to launch a rewarding career in technology, today announced the appointment of John Bailey to its Advisory Board. Bailey, a policy advocate, philanthropist and former White House and cabinet official, joins Tom Willerer, the former Chief Product Officer at Coursera, Andrew Yang, the Founder of Venture for America, Emily Chiu, who oversees Strategic Development at Square, and other prominent board members, where he will advise the tech school as it creates a pipeline of highly-talented technology professionals to help close the opportunities gap.

“At Kenzie, we pride ourselves on providing students with a top-notch education that results in a rewarding career in the technology industry as a programmer, designer, or marketer,” said Chok Ooi, Founder at Kenzie Academy. “John’s extensive experience in transforming education in communities across the country provides invaluable expertise to our students, faculty, and partner technology companies.”

Kenzie Academy was founded to tackle a major opportunities gap in America. Fast-growing technology companies concentrated in expensive coastal cities were struggling to hire tech talent. Meanwhile, a large population of aspiring individuals across the country could help fuel these talent needs.

“Kenzie Academy is a highly innovative and thoughtful program that is paving the way for those who don’t currently live in major tech hubs to launch successful careers,” said Bailey. “When students graduate from Kenzie, they leave with the skills and resources necessary to begin their career as well as the hands-on experience required to complete technical tasks with confidence.”

John has decades of experience in the education industry and uniquely understands the opportunities gap across America. He currently serves as an advisor to the Walton Family Foundation and is a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.  As a domestic policy advisor in the White House, he was instrumental in working on and advocating for initiatives that include ESEA, the Higher Education Act, job training, and the Trade Adjustment Assistance reauthorization.

Previously, John served as the Deputy Policy Director to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and Director of Educational Technology at the U.S. Department of Education. He co-founded the strategic advisory firm Whiteboard Advisors, and served in senior roles at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Governor Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in Education.

John currently serves on advisory committees for the Aspen Institute’s Future of Work, the Bush InstituteCenter for Democracy and TechnologyData Quality Campaign, and National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

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About Kenzie Academy
Kenzie Academy is building a modern-day force for tech, armed with the skills and expertise employers want to hire. Through immersive learning and a cutting-edge curriculum adapted in real-time by industry professionals, Kenzie Academy delivers project-based training in person or online to prepare students with the skills and professional experience needed for high-demand tech jobs. Based in Indianapolis, Kenzie is paving the way for people from diverse backgrounds to access these opportunities by removing financial barriers and expediting the pathway to a meaningful career.

Media Contact:
Jake Ciorciari
Ditto PR
516-647-4168

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