Todd Kern & Adam Rubin
Co-Founders
edsUP

Todd Kern is a systems-oriented generalist with nearly 30 years’ experience in varied roles across the U.S. education industry – including at the federal, state and local levels; in government, academia, for-profit and not-for-profit settings; and in strategic, analytical, advocacy and operational roles. Todd started 2Rev to integrate and leverage this diverse set of perspectives to attempt new ways of addressing the complex problems that keep us from building the solutions kids and families need. 2Rev is currently incubating the edsUP venture.

Todd previously held senior leadership roles with New Leaders for New Schools – first as Executive Director of the NYC program, then as Chief Knowledge Officer. Before that, he worked at KnowledgeQuest Ventures, a mission-driven boutique investment bank and strategy consulting firm serving the emerging education industry. Todd’s past experience also includes representing the legislative priorities of state education commissioners before Congress, lobbying for increased federal investments in education and working in the Chicago ed reform movement of the mid-90s. Todd has taught education policy at Teachers College, Columbia University and co-directed the Education Policy Fellowship Program.

Todd completed his graduate work in public policy at the University of Chicago, earned undergraduate degrees in political science and psychology from Miami University (OH), and graduated from a public high school in Ohio. He completed the Pahara-Aspen Education Fellows Program and is recently completed a 5-year term as a member of the school board in his home community of New Rochelle, NY.

Adam Rubin has spent over two decades catalyzing change through the design and launch of social enterprises across the education and community development sectors. He started 2Revolutions to feed this love, and to reinforce a belief that two critical levers we can pull are the birth and scaling of innovative ventures as a way to affect real change. At 2Rev, Adam is able to feed his love of both systems change and practice innovation.

Adam previously held leadership positions across the non-profit and for-profit sectors. Most recently, he was Director of Policy and Research at New Visions for Public Schools where he supported new program design, research and policy/advocacy/lobbying efforts for a network of 125 New York City schools. Prior to that, he founded and managed Swerve Associates, a consulting firm launching education-focused social enterprises in Montreal and New York. He managed economic development efforts in Long Island City focused on community development through real estate development and the arts. He was the founding Executive Director of Tikkun Cape Town, a non-profit working on issues of educational reform and equity in the townships of South Africa. He began his career teaching and managing in Oakland, California and in Cape Town, South Africa.

Adam graduated with a B.A. in Government/Race Relations from Colby College. He holds an MPA from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. A combination of wanderlust and intellectual curiosity find him exploring the world through travel and wilderness adventure.