Ruth Ann Geyer Jurgensen ’91 Named Chief Executive Officer of Prep for Prep

In May, Prep for Prep’s Board of Trustees announced Ruth Ann Geyer Jurgensen ’91 as the organization’s next Chief Executive Officer. Prep for Prep is a leadership development program that offers promising students of color access to a private school education based in New York City.

Ruth has more than a decade of experience serving in senior leadership positions at independent schools in New York City and Chicago. In her prior role as Associate Principal at Francis W. Parker School, she managed the day-to-day operations, overseeing the educational program including 21 academic Department Chairs, the Directors of Studies, the Athletic Director, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinators and Co-Chairs, as well as operational areas including security and maintenance, facilities, and food service. She was crucial in helping to develop and implement the school’s pandemic crisis preparation and response. During her six-year tenure at Parker, she served as a key member of the senior leadership team and drove new initiatives including the creation of an endowed speaker series and the Young Men of Color Symposium which she brought to the midwest. Ruth founded the Administrators of Color in Independent Schools Conference.

In her response to the Board’s announcement Ruth noted, “I am thrilled to become the leader of this extraordinary organization which has helped so many amazing young people of color to realize their full potential through equal access to the best educational institutions… I am intimately familiar with the outstanding work Prep does to support its students academically, emotionally, and practically, both in and outside of school. Now, working with Prep’s Board, its exceptional team of professionals, committed families, and dedicated independent school partners, I look forward to fulfilling Prep’s mission, as we continue to assure that exceptionally bright, highly motivated students have equal opportunity to become future leaders who will reflect the rich diversity of our nation and our world. Prep’s unique, holistic approach to leadership development gives me unlimited confidence in how much we can accomplish together.”

Prior to Parker, Ruth served as the High School Principal of Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School (LREI) in New York City where she was a member of the executive leadership team and oversaw the expansion of the campus and student body.

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