Digital Promise announced today that Richard (Rick) Stephens was elected as its new board chair during the December 2023 Board of Directors meeting. Stephens succeeds Linda Roberts, who has been on the board since 2013 and served as a board chair since 2017.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I want to thank Linda for her steady leadership as board chair, and we are grateful that she remains on the board,” said Digital Promise President and CEO Jean-Claude Brizard. “I believe Rick’s wealth of knowledge and experience will strengthen Digital Promise’s efforts as we work to shape the future of learning.”
Stephens retired after 33 years at The Boeing Company as senior vice president for Human Resources and Administration and is co-founder of Birth2Work. During his career at Boeing, Mr. Stephens led a number of businesses with operations across the U.S. and overseas. He has supported the National Governors Association, served on the Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council, the Secretary of Education’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education, the U.S. President’s Board of Advisors on Tribal Colleges and Universities, and the National Science Resource Center Advisory Board.
Stephens has published numerous articles on workforce, education, and STEM, and is co-author of the book The System: Igniting the Soul of Commerce. A former U.S. Marine Corps officer, Mr. Stephens is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and is an enrolled member of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, serving as tribal chairman from 1988 to 1989.
“I am honored to serve as Digital Promise’s new board chair and support the organization however I can toward achieving its Impact Goals,” said Stephens, who has served on Digital Promise’s Board of Directors since 2012. “I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on the board and the Digital Promise team to expand opportunity for every learner.”
Roberts said, “I am confident in Rick’s leadership and know that he will bring invaluable perspective and guidance as board chair.”
