Ron Fairchild is president and CEO of Smarter Learning Group, a national consulting firm that helps communities disrupt generational poverty through education and youth development. The firm’s clients include local, state, and national nonprofit organizations and foundations that are committed to achieving population-level impact in their work to expand learning opportunities for children growing up in economically challenged, fragile, and otherwise marginalized families.
In Ron’s capacity as a senior consultant to the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading since 2011, he has been a lead strategist in designing, growing, and supporting the Campaign’s network of community and state lead organizations across the country.
Before launching the firm, Ron served as founding CEO of the National Summer Learning Association and led its predecessor organization, the Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University from 2002 to 2010. His earlier roles include directing education programs for Boys & Girls Clubs of America and working with the Public Education Network in Washington, DC. A former public school teacher, he holds a B.A. and master’s degree from Vanderbilt University.