Robert M. Heard, Sr.

Cleveland Board of Education Vice Chair Robert M. Heard Sr. was one of nine finalists for the Green-Garner Award, the nation’s highest award for leadership in urban education.

The winner, a member of the School Board of Miami-Dade County school board, was announced Oct. 21 at the Council of the Great City Schools' 65th annual fall conference. The conference was held virtually this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Heard, who lives with his wife in Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood, has served on the Cleveland board for 17 years. He is also currently president of the Ohio School Boards Association.

He has acted as a voice for the board and community, testifying before state legislative committees on issues including education funding, education reform and K-12 curriculum. He has presented annually at state and national conferences on topics such as school board governance, parent and family engagement, school levy campaigns, student attendance, student career pathways and charter school partnerships.

Heard is retired from State Farm Insurance and the Cleveland Clinic. He is a graduate of John Adams High School and Cleveland State University, earned the title of fellow from Broad Institute and completed the Executive Leadership Program for Educators at Harvard University.

The award is given in alternating years to the nation’s top urban superintendent and board member. CEO Eric Gordon won in 2016, and Cleveland Board of Education member Denise Link won in 2013.

This year’s conference featured more than 100 presentations on issues related to equity, special education, addressing unfinished learning, dual language and English learners, and COVID-19. Speakers included historian, author, and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Henry Louis Gates Jr.; Priscilla Chan, co-founder and co-CEO of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative; Juliana Urtubey, 2021 National Teacher of the Year; U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona; and Barbara Jenkins, superintendent of Orange County Public Schools in Orlando, Fla., and chair of the Council’s Board of Directors.

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