Brad Groff has been acting as our Interim CEO for a little over a year now. We're thrilled to announce that as of January 1, 2014, Brad officially became the Chief Executive Officer of Teachstone.
For more about Brad—and the boon he's been for our company—read the press release below.
Charlottesville, VA – Teachstone announced today that Brad Groff has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2014. Mr. Groff has served as the company's interim CEO since January 1, 2013, leading the company's sustained growth over the past year.
Selecting Brad to lead Teachstone wasn't even really a decision," said Dr. Robert Pianta, co-founder of Teachstone and Dean of the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. "Over the past year, Brad has transformed Teachstone, shifting the company's paradigms and pushing it to the next level. I've been particularly impressed with his focus on building our human assets, immediately recognizing the importance of building a team that is driven and passionate about the company's vision. Appointing Brad as CEO is a natural transition.
Under Mr. Groff's leadership, Teachstone has seen a shift in vision, structure, and culture. He immediately recognized the overlap between the challenges the early childhood education market faces and Teachstone's strength in providing high-quality, innovative products to meet these needs. Mr. Groff guided the board and management team to refine its focus on the birth–5 market and ensure that the company creates valuable offerings to the field. With this nuanced mission, Mr. Groff led a company-wide restructuring—both organizationally and culturally—to support Teachstone's ability to thrive. His positive energy and emphasis on team-focused values have been essential to the company's success.
Brad is disruptive," said board member, Ed Williams. "He is a change agent with an impressive strategic mindset and a proven ability—at Teachstone and throughout his career—to build organizational momentum, motivate and execute, and drive results.
A long-time business leader, Mr. Groff has a demonstrated track record of delivering growth while achieving recognition for outstanding customer satisfaction and gaining market share. Before joining Teachstone, he served as Chief Financial Officer of a venture-backed software company for five years, and prior to that, as Director of Operations of a closely held wireless company for ten years. Mr. Groff has focused on "growth stage" companies, helping them to strategically react to their rapid progress while building the infrastructure to sustain their success.
As interim CEO, Mr. Groff has proved to be an outstanding leader and partner, recognizing the need for internal cohesion and a focus on developing strategies for profitable growth. He has aligned the team's unmatched strength in developing programs to support the early childhood field with sustainable business practices," said co-founder and Curry School researcher, Bridget Hamre. "I have every confidence that Mr. Groff's vision and personal drive will continue to translate into remarkable success in leading Teachstone.
On his new appointment Mr. Groff commented, "It is a great honor to be named as CEO of Teachstone, a pioneer in the education industry. What an opportunity to work with the incredibly talented staff at Teachstone as we continue to innovate, expand dialogue around quality education, and partner with clients doing the most critical work in our nation—improving teaching and learning."