Ben Kleban is a seasoned chief executive and former elected official with nearly 20 years of senior leadership experience in the education, non-profit, government and business sectors. Ben is an independent consultant and the lead author of a premier school board governance model, Empowered Governance, that has helped strengthen the practices of local school boards across the country. Ben’s current and past clients include School Board Partners, Denver Public Schools, Portland Public Schools, Los Angeles Unified School District, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, among others.  

 

As an elected school board member in New Orleans, Ben provided direct leadership for several significant policy reforms, including a revamped evaluation process for the superintendent, higher accountability for system-wide academic performance, a living minimum wage for district employees, and reformed industrial tax exemption requirements that will lead to increased resources for local public schools for many years to come.

 

Prior to his board service, Ben launched and led a public charter school network in New Orleans, New Orleans College Prep, growing over 10 years to 1,500 students from birth to 12th grade.  Under Ben’s leadership, his schools achieved significant academic gains, including two successful school turnarounds and 100% college acceptance. Ben has prior experience as a high school math teacher in Philadelphia and began his career in corporate finance at The Boeing Company.  He received an MBA from Harvard Business School, completed the Teacher Certification Program at the University of Pennsylvania, and holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Pepperdine University. Ben now lives in Walla Walla, WA with his wife and three children.