David “Pat” Wright grew up in a small town in Georgia. He had a passion for education at a young age being influenced by his ninth grade English teacher, who worked hard to ensure that he succeeded. Pat now has over forty (40) years of experience in the field. Along the way, Pat served as a high school principal, district office administrator and executive in the private sector. Most notably, he served as CEO of The Center for Advanced Research & Technology (CART), which is the country’s largest, most comprehensive high school reform initiative. CART was one of the first schools in the country to use project-based curriculum designed in collaboration with business and industry.
Pat has also led innovative school restructuring projects in Buffalo, NY, El Paso, TX and Milwaukee, WI. This eventually led him to Philadelphia, where he served as a consultant to school districts in the Philadelphia area. In Philly, he worked on projects to redesign neighborhood schools and help improve alternative education.
In the Summer of 2019, Pat accepted the role of CEO at Prep Charter High School. He is excited to be at a school that promotes diversity in culture and learning. Pat is confident that he can bring his experience in designing and operating innovative programs, developing critical partnerships, and grant writing to enhance the Prep Charter program. He is especially interested in expanding the Career Education program to include a wider range of student experiences in careers associated with the industries to watch in in the future such as: Cyber Security, Drone Technology, Data Analytics, Robotics, and the Space Industry.
Let’s all welcome Pat to our wonderful Prep Community.
