Dive Brief:
- Michelle Rhee plans to step down as CEO of StudentsFirst, the Huffington Post's Joy Resmovits reported Wednesday.
- The news was later confirmed, though according to Resmovits and The Washington Post's Valerie Strauss, Rhee will remain active on the StudentsFirst board.
- Rhee responded to the speculation Wednesday in a post titled "Our Next Chapter," writing, "It’s time for a shift in the day-to-day management of the team and our advocacy work." She also promised to share specific details in the coming weeks.
Dive Insight:
This move is not very surprising. Last week, it was revealed that Rhee was named the interim board chairwoman of her husband's St. Hope charter network in Sacramento. Additionally, she was also recently announced (under her married name) as a board member for Scotts Miracle-Gro.
What StudentsFirst's leadership will look like with Rhee handing over the reins is anyone's guess. Not only is she stepping down from her role as CEO, but the organization has been without a second-in-command for quite some time. Now the organization not only needs to fill the CEO position, but that of the president, as well.
Things have not been looking good for the organization, which Rhee founded in 2011 after stepping down as chancellor of D.C. Public Schools. In the coming year StudentsFirst is pulling out of five states, and according to Strauss, the organization has failed to meet various fundraising goals over the years.
