ECS Selects Patrick Dowd as its Next CEO
Dr. Adam Tobias
Board of Trustees President
ecsboard@ecspgh.org
Sent on Behalf of Dr. Adam Tobias, ECS Board of Trustees President
Dear ECS Families,
I am pleased to inform you that during tonight’s public Board of Trustees meeting, the board voted to select Patrick Dowd, PhD, as ECS’s new CEO. Dr. Dowd’s unique career path of bolstering educational policy, advocating for school-based social and emotional supports, focusing on health equity, and developing students’ academic careers as a history teacher makes him the ideal candidate to move our organization forward.
Dr. Dowd is the current Acting Director of the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) and earned his Ph.D in history from the University of Pittsburgh. He joins ECS with a myriad of education-centered experiences in policy, advocacy, and instruction, including the following positions:
Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Acting Director at ACHD
Inaugural Executive Director at Allies for Children
Pittsburgh City Council Member
Pittsburgh School Board Member
Teacher at Ellis and Winchester
As an active member of the Pittsburgh community, Dr. Dowd has served on several boards including:
The Pittsburgh Foundation
The Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership
The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority
Dr. Dowd is also a life trustee for the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, where he has worked within and alongside educational institutions to ensure they are resourced and doing what’s best for students. As a father of six children, two of whom were ECSers, Dr. Dowd deeply understands the importance of school choice and that school is not a “one size fits all” approach.
Tonight’s historic decision concludes a thorough, 8-month process that involved more than 70 stakeholders and the executive search firm, OnRamps. Of great importance, our stakeholders were uniformly effusive in praising Dr. Dowd’s experience, curiosity, and student-focused concern as he met adults and students alike. I am sincerely grateful to the individuals, especially our parents/guardians, who participated in this process. Your collaboration, thought partnership, and dedication made history and helped ECS write the preface to its next story.
The board is dedicated to ensuring a smooth transition and the chance for all stakeholders to build connections and relationships with Dr. Dowd. Stay tuned for more information regarding meet and greets, listening sessions, and events to get to know Dr. Dowd. In the meantime, take a peek at Dr. Dowd’s snapshot.
Finally, the board is forever grateful to Mr. McCann for his 15 years of service to ECS, and we are thrilled to start this next chapter in our history.
ECS. We Grow Citizens.
Sincerely,
Adam Tobias
ECS Board of Trustees President