New Executive Director for North Carolina

After a diligent and thorough search, we are pleased to share that we have hired a talented new Executive Director to lead Citizen Schools North Carolina. Jacob (Jake) House will join the North Carolina team on January 15th. Jake comes to Citizen Schools with a proven track record in both the private sector and education. He has held multiple leadership positions at Pittsburgh Public Schools both in central office and school based administration, most recently leading the turnaround of an under-performing elementary school. Jake will join a strong and very talented team here in North Carolina and will lead the region through the next phase of growth. His full biography is included below.

Please join us in welcoming Jake in the new year!

Biography: Jake House

In his most recent role with Pittsburgh Public Schools, Jake served as the first ever Design Director of Faison, a K-5 turnaround school. In this role, Jake was responsible for developing and executing on a teacher-led turnaround of the lowest performing elementary school in the district. Prior to his work at the school level, Jake worked in central office overseeing an athletics reform steering committee and led central office restructuring which resulted in savings of $11.5 million annually. While at Pittsburgh Public Schools, he completed the Broad Residency program and earned his Master of Education in Educational Leadership from the Broad Center for Urban Education.

Prior to joining The Broad Residency, Jake worked for Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide in White Plains, NY where he held positions in brand management, operations, owner relations and sales. In these roles, he crafted segment strategies, worked with customers and sought to enhance the guest experience for Starwood's brands.

During business school, Jake worked with the International Business School in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and the Harlem Children's Zone in New York City to develop a corporate sales fundraising strategy. Prior to business school, Jake worked for a global media firm selling advertising for a variety of national and international publications. Jake earned his bachelor's degree in marketing from the University of Maryland and his master's in business administration from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Jake is fluent in Spanish.

Originally from Boston, Jake is a self-proclaimed "sports lover." Though originally from Boston, he is, wait for it, a Yankees fan. He also loves the Boston Celtics and the Miami Dolphins. Jake and his wife, Betsy, have two small children -- Madeline (5) and Teddy (3).