Dave Richards, PhD
Dave Richards, PhD is the President of Core2Edge, LLC, a K-12 education consulting organization which guides district leaders in the strategic design process for creating learner centered environments through digital convergence, strategic planning, and leadership evolution.
Core2Edge helps educational leaders transform their education systems to meet the learning needs of today and to prepare students for tomorrow and beyond.
In addition, Dr. Richards is a Co-Founder and Lead Strategist for Safe Scan Solutions, a software solution which supports student campus mobility and the expansion of anytime, anywhere learning.
Prior to his current roles, Dr. Richards served as superintendent of Fraser Public Schools, a district serving nearly 5,000 students in 10 schools in Macomb County, Michigan. Under his leadership, the district implemented a successful 1:1 program for all students in grades PreK-12.
To further support the individual learning needs of every student, in 2014, the district implemented a personalized competency-based education model across all grade levels which allowed students to progress through their academic experience based upon demonstration of proficiency in each subject area.
Before serving as superintendent, Dr. Richards held positions as a high school principal at Fraser High School.
Before joining Fraser Public Schools, Dr. Richards was the chief technology officer at Rochester Community Schools, representing 15,000 students in 20 schools in the Greater Rochester, Michigan area.
Due to his experience in this role, Dr. Richards brings the unique systemic perspective of how technology can be leveraged to supplement learning and to support classroom teachers in reaching every child at their point of learning.
Previous to this, Dr. Richards was a computer science teacher at Belding Area Schools in Ionia County, Michigan.
Dr. Richards earned his bachelor’s from Central Michigan University, a Master of Arts from Grand Valley State University, and an Education Specialist and Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership from Oakland University.
Dr. Richards has held several state and national board positions including Chair of the National Council on Digital Convergence; President of the Galileo Consortium for Teacher Leaders; Board Member for the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN); and Vice-President of the Tri-County Alliance for Public Education.
Dr. Richards currently serves as the Lead Facilitator of the Michigan Competency Consortium and is actively working with district leaders across Michigan on building leadership capacity and understanding when implementing personalized competency-based learning.
He has also contributed to multiple articles, books, podcasts, and panels on leadership and district transformation and is a frequent keynote on topics including: Systemic Innovation in Learning; Mass Customized Learning is Inevitable; The Power of Personalized Learning; and Defining Learning in a Career and Technical Education Boom.
April 2019
