Paula Kellerer, former superintendent of the Nampa School District, will become the new president and CEO of Idaho Business for Education, the nonprofit announced Thursday. Longtime leader Rod Gramer is retiring.
IBE is an advocacy group that represents nearly 250 business leaders with the shared goal of improving Idaho’s education system. Gramer led the nonprofit for more than 11 years.
“I am deeply grateful for his leadership and look forward to continuing the good work of creating an effective environment where employers partner with educators and other partners in co-creating the highly educated and skilled workforce needed for Idaho’s future,” Kellerer said in a news release.
Kellerer currently is vice president of IBE’s youth apprenticeship program, which connects students to workforce training opportunities. She served as Nampa’s superintendent for six years, following a stint as dean of Northwest Nazarene University’s College of Adult and Graduate Studies, along with various administrative roles in public schools. Kellerer has a doctorate degree in educational leadership.
“The board of directors of Idaho Business for Education are incredibly grateful for all of the contributions that our retiring president and CEO, Rod Gramer, has made to the advancement of education in the state of Idaho,” IBE board chairman Andy Scoggin said in a news release. “We are equally excited that Paula Kellerer, a veteran of Idaho education with a deep academic and professional background, has accepted the role of incoming President and CEO.”
A news release touted Gramer’s advocacy for state investments in teacher salaries, literacy and workforce training through programs like Idaho Launch and the career ladder. Gramer has also been an outspoken critic of private school choice, arguing subsidies for private education would harm Idaho’s public school system.
Gramer, a former reporter, newspaper editor and television news executive, said he plans to remain active in IBE as a volunteer and advocate for education.
“I am so proud of IBE’s work to strengthen education and help set our students up for success in school, work and life,” he said in the news release. “I am thrilled that Paula Kellerer will replace me as president. Paula is a long-time educator, a strong strategic thinker, and an effective communicator. She will take IBE to the next level.”
It’s the second major leadership change at IBE this year, after former vice president Robert Sanchez stepped away to lead the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children. The IBE vice president position has not yet been filled.
