Today, the Greater Educational Opportunities Foundation announced that Rollin Dick has been elected as the organization’s new board chairman. Dick brings decades of business and philanthropy experience to the GEO Foundation as it expands its efforts to bring more educational options to all the state’s families.
“GEO and I believe that all students benefit when their parents can choose the school that best serves their child,” said Dick. “Competition makes me and every other business person run faster each day so our companies can provide the most valuable product or service and retain our customers. Students and families will benefit from this same dynamic when it is applied to schools.”
“As schools use the high quality of their education product to recruit choosy students, the competition will raise the quality of that product provided by all schools, whether private, public, charter, parochial, home, or experimental,” Dick added.
GEO Foundation, since its start in 1998, has worked statewide to improve public education. Specifically, GEO helped foster support for the state’s current charter school law and now sponsors three charter schools in the state. In addition, GEO’s Charter School School Service Center assists other leaders in establishing and operating their charter schools. GEO also operates a statewide tutoring program.
“Rollie has been intimately involved with GEO for the past nine years and he is a big reason why we have been able to accomplish so much over the years. We are excited to have him assume the role of chairman of the board as we believe he will help take GEO’s programs to new levels of achievement,” said Kevin Teasley, president and CEO of the GEO Foundation.
Dick will be GEO Foundation’s second board chairman. Don Laskowski, the founding board chair, recently announced his resignation due to family and health reasons. “We are extremely grateful to Don for all of his support and friendship over the years. Without Don’s vision, leadership and support over the past nine years, GEO would not be what it is today. Don, while retiring, has agreed to serve as Chairman Emeritus,” Teasley said.
Dick currently serves as a consultant for MH Equity Investors. Previously, he was a partner with Coopers and Lybrand and served as the executive vice president and CFO for Conseco. Within the community, he has served as a board member for many organizations including Butler University, Indianapolis Civic Theatre and the Civil Liberties Union Foundation. Dick has also received numerous awards including Entrepreneur of the Year from Ernst & Young in 1997 and Outstanding Philanthropist from the Indiana Chapter of the National Society of Fund Raising in 2001.