AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PelotonU, the Austin-based nonprofit leader that provides working Americans with a flexible and cost-effective path to college graduation, announced today it has appointed education nonprofit veteran Lacey Pittman Tomanek as its new executive director following a months-long, nationwide search.
As executive director, Pittman Tomanek will guide PelotonU’s growth strategy, fundraising and strategic partnerships with businesses and organizations seeking to improve employee retention and engagement by providing access to post-secondary degree opportunities. Her focus will be on deepening the organization’s footprint throughout Texas—including Austin, Fort Worth and Dallas, where she is based—as well as nationally.
“Expanding access to education has been a driving force in my life since I was young,” Pittman Tomanek said. “I’m excited to join PelotonU as it enters a new phase of growth in advancing equity in post-secondary education that creates new opportunities for students to pursue degrees while balancing work and family obligations. I look forward to working with our team, strategic partners and, most of all, our students to usher in this exciting new chapter.”
Pittman Tomanek joins PelotonU after 11 years at Teach For America (TFA), a national nonprofit that identifies and develops teachers and works with more than 9,000 schools across 300 urban and rural communities to expand educational opportunities for children. Most recently, she was COO of Teach For America’s Systems Impact Lab, an innovation initiative founded in 2018 to develop TFA’s leaders—and the field of education at large—to practice bold, rigorous and courageous systems-level leadership in pursuit of transformational educational change.
She also held several roles as vice president and managing director, overseeing learning and coaching programs, strategic partnerships and planning, recruiting, fundraising and long-term business impact.
“Lacey’s experience as a nonprofit executive is defined by her track record of building and overseeing successful educational programs. She is a proven and exceptional communicator, strategist, coach and leader who has demonstrated her passion to expand access to education throughout her impressive career to date,” said Nicole De Santis, PelotonU board chair and principal at BCG in the Education, Employment & Welfare practice.
Pittman Tomanek replaces former executive director Hudson Baird, who is vacating the role after more than 11 years to pursue a master’s degree in business from the University of Oxford. Baird will remain at PelotonU in an advisory capacity.
Founded in 2012 with one employee and three students, PelotonU now partners with major employers like the City of Austin to help its staff pursue higher education and open up opportunities for career advancement. Created with the vision to offer a better path for working adults to graduate from college quickly and without debt, PelotonU’s nationally recognized coaching and support model ensures first-generation students, working parents and older learners finish their degrees at an affordable price without putting their lives on hold.
For more information about PelotonU, visit www.pelotonu.org.
About PelotonU
PelotonU is an Austin-based nonprofit that has been unlocking opportunities for working adults to pursue college graduation in partnership with leading universities since 2012. Working with students who historically have a 10% chance of graduating, PelotonU’s model sees over 70% of students complete their degrees. Through its network of employer and nonprofit partners, aspiring students balancing work and family life can earn self-paced degrees in select fields such as information technology, data analytics and management, business, communications and health care management at a fraction of the cost of traditional post-secondary education. For more information, visit www.pelotonu.org.
