BOSTON (September 20, 2010) — Jobs for the Future, a Boston-based nonprofit focused on education reform and workforce development, has promoted Joel Vargas to vice president of its “High School Through College” group. He will oversee projects that help underrepresented youth graduate high school ready for college success.
“Since joining JFF in 2002, Joel has developed and demonstrated the skills and expertise to be successful in this very important leadership position,” said Marlene B. Seltzer, president and CEO of JFF. “He has successfully led our multistate policy work aimed at improving college transitions for underserved youth, and he has demonstrated the qualities of a true leader.”
Prior to joining JFF, Vargas was a teacher, editor, and research assistant for the Civil Rights Project at Harvard University. In 2005, Chronicle of Higher Education identified him as one of “Higher Education’s Next Generation of Thinkers.”
Most notably, Vargas has helped JFF design and manage early college high schools. These schools enable high school students to earn a diploma and up to two years of college credit. He also co-created the Student Information System, the data system that has helped prove the success of the Early College High School Initiative, serving nearly 50,000 students across 24 states.
Vargas is also coeditor of two JFF books: Double the Numbers: Increasing Postsecondary Credentials for Underrepresented Youth and Minding the Gap: Why Integrating High School with College Makes Sense and How to Do It, both published by Harvard Education Press. He holds a B.S. in journalism from Boston University and an Ed.D. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
About Jobs for the Future
Jobs for the Future works with our partners to design and drive adoption of education and career pathways leading from college readiness to career advancement for those struggling to succeed in today’s economy.
www.jff.org
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