Teaching students to lead at the nexus of innovation and education
Oct 18, 2021 6:40 PM
Dr. Matthew Colpitts of Ventures Academy
Teaching students to lead at the nexus of innovation and education
Dr. Matthew Colpitts is the head of school and president of Ventures Academy, a high school for startups, where the students build and run real companies under the tutelage of senior Fortune 500 business & tech leaders. Not as a game, not as a simulation, and not for a class; the students' ventures are real businesses that they own and manage for the duration of their studies and beyond. Dr. Colpitts will describe for Rotarians how the school was established, how it helps students to envision and build products, market and sell them, serve their customers, and exercise corporate citizenship.
 
Dr. Colpitts has been an educator, administrator, and leader in K12 independent schools and higher education for over 15 years, serving in all areas of school life. Previously he worked at Léman Manhattan Preparatory School in New York City, one of the few International Baccalaureate schools, and only boarding school, in the area. Prior to that, he was the dean of students for the Academy at Interlochen Center for the Arts, a fine arts high school for elite artists. Dr. Colpitts is a sought-after consultant on emergency management and campus safety for higher education, independent schools, boarding schools, and businesses.  He has also written for various professional publications and on education blogs, and sits on national and regional advisory boards relating to education, safety, and risk, including on NASPA’s Culture of Respect Advisory Board.