Education Resource Strategies (ERS) announced today that Jonathan Travers will step into the role of CEO effective July 1, 2026, following a planned leadership transition. After more than 20 years of service, Karen Hawley Miles will step down as CEO and transition to the role of Founder in Residence and remain Board Chair.   

Travers brings more than 25 years of experience in K-12 strategic resource use, including 20 years with ERS. This transition has been planned intentionally over multiple years alongside the Board of Directors, dating back to Travers assuming the role of President in 2023. The transition reflects organizational readiness: ERS continues to be strong strategically, financially, and as a team.

“This work matters more than ever, and I’m excited, grateful and appropriately humbled by the Board’s confidence in my ability to lead the organization during such a critical moment.” said Travers. “ERS has a rare combination of content expertise and trusted partnerships with leaders in the field, and I want to ensure that we continue to play that much-needed role in the field right now.”

As Founder in Residence, Miles will continue to be involved as a thought partner and adviser, embark on new learning projects, and spend more time elevating ERS insights and research with partners and the field. Miles began her work on strategic resource use more than 30 years ago with ground-breaking research combined with consulting, and has grown ERS into an organization that now has 70 team members and hundreds of alumni, many of whom now work in school districts. In 2025 alone, ERS partnered deeply with 40 districts and 8 states and served over 140 district leaders in networks and cohorts, in total representing more than 6 million students.

“Jonathan brings strategic and energetic leadership to this important work, along with deep expertise in strategic resource use and in how to build from the current state to scalable and sustainable new ways of organizing schooling so that all students thrive,” said Miles. “I look forward to continuing to support Jonathan and our amazing leadership team in this work that we’re both so passionate about.” 

“We’re deeply grateful to Karen for her extraordinary strategic leadership of ERS and her decades‑long commitment to reimagining what’s possible for public education,” said Ann Clark, longtime ERS Board of Directors Member and former Superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Schools. “Under Karen’s stewardship, ERS has become a trusted partner to school systems and state leaders nationwide. The tools and insights ERS brings are especially important as we navigate through and past the pandemic into times of uncertainty and possibility.  We’re confident in Jonathan’s deep expertise and excited by his ability to lead ERS in this next chapter.” 

About Education Resource Strategies 

Education Resource Strategies is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit. For over 20 years, ERS has empowered school system leaders to make transformative shifts in resources, structures, and practices so that all students—especially those with the greatest learning needs and those furthest from opportunity—attend a school where they can learn and thrive.