When Alejandro Gibes de Gac was 7, his family immigrated to the U.S. escaping political persecution and seeking educational opportunities. In his upbringing, he learned firsthand that parents’ love for their children is the single greatest—and most underutilized—natural resource in education.
After graduating from Harvard in 2009, Alejandro joined Teach for America and spent two years as a first-grade teacher in Philadelphia. There, he became frustrated that our school system treats Black and brown parents as liabilities rather than as assets. He founded Springboard Collaborative in 2012 to address these challenges. Springboard coaches teachers and parents to help kids learn to read at or above grade level by 4th grade.
Alejandro has since received numerous accolades, including being honored as ‘one of the world’s best emerging social innovators’ by Echoing Green and receiving the People of Promise award from America’s Promise in 2017.
