The board of directors for
Carmen Schools of Science and Technology has named
Aaron Lippman as its new chief executive officer, effective July 1.
Lippman will be coming back to the Carmen Schools network after spending seven years as the head of the Milwaukee Jewish Day School.
He previously served as principal of the network’s flagship school, Carmen High School of Science and Technology, South, and as founding principal of its southeast high school campus. He left is position at the southeast high school in July 2017 to take his current job.
Founded in 2007, the independent charter school network, which runs three high schools, two middle schools and one elementary school in Milwaukee, announced in late September that former CEO Jennifer Lopez would be leaving her position at the end of January 2024.
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Aaron Lippman[/caption]
A national search was conducted to find the next CEO, which saw more than 200 individuals apply for the role, the organization said. The board also sought input from the Carmen Schools community, convening a staff advisory search committee with a diverse group of representatives across schools and roles. A panel of students was also invited to participate.
“We are delighted that Aaron Lippman will be returning to the Carmen family,” said Ivan Gamboa, chair of the Carmen Schools board of directors. “As a former Carmen principal and school founder, he knows our work inside and out. He is a transformational leader with deep integrity, and we know firsthand his skill at convening and managing dynamic teams of educators.”
During Lippman’s time with Carmen the high school had the highest average ACT scores of any non-selective public high school in the city, according to a press release, while maintaining a 95% staff retention rate from 2014 to 2016.
In his role at MJDS, he stewarded a $4.2 million budget and oversaw all aspects of the school’s operation, from curriculum and instruction to recruitment and retention. Originally, from New York, Lippman holds a master’s degree in school leadership from Concordia University, as well as a master’s degree in education from DePaul University.
“I am honored and humbled to be taking this next step at Carmen,” Lippman said. “This is such an exciting time for the organization, with talented educators and incredible students doing great work throughout our schools. I’m so pleased to be returning to an organization that means so much to me, and I’m committed to helping grow and nourish our collective work.”
“The passion that Aaron brings to urban education, and particularly to Carmen Schools, cannot be understated,” said Kathy Hamel, Carmen board member and co-chair of the CEO search committee. “He is a strong culture leader who holds high expectations and has a deep belief in the great heights that our students can reach. We are confident that he is the right leader to guide Carmen through our next chapter as an organization.”