CEO Search
Leadership Transition & Permanent CEO Search
June 23, 2026
We have news to share!
Visual description of the video:
The first part of a video features Claire wearing a dark gray blazer and a black top. Her hair is pulled back and she is wearing a necklace. She appears to be sitting in an office type room with a picture on the right wall and wooden cabinets behind her.
The second video features Melissa wearing a green blazer with a black shirt. Her wavy hair is shoulder length and she is wearing gold hoops along with pink nails. She is sitting in a corner of a room with off white walls.
Transcript 1:
Claire Sanders, Board President
Hello, everyone. I'm here to share important updates on behalf of the Board of Trustees of the Willie Ross School for the Deaf.
Bert Carter has announced his retirement from his Willie Ross School for the Deaf as the CEO and President. His last day will be on June 30, 2026. We are deeply grateful for Bert’s exceptional leadership and unwavering dedication over the past thirteen years as he prepares for retirement. We want to thank him for his tremendous contributions to the Willie Ross community and for the lasting impact he has made on our students and staff.
To ensure continuity during this transition, we have appointed an Interim Leadership Team (ILT) consisting of three staff members from management, Erika Kaftan, Laurie Brown, and Alyssa Kristek, to remain in place until a new CEO and President is ready to take place.
We are excited to announce that the Willie Ross School for the Deaf Board of Trustees is partnering with Innivee Strategies, Inc. to lead a comprehensive search for our next President and CEO.
The next President and CEO of Willie Ross will build on the strong foundation Bert Carter and our team have established, continuing to advance our mission of providing transformational educational experiences for Deaf and hard of hearing students.
We are committed to a thorough, inclusive search process that engages our entire community — students, families, faculty, staff, and constituents — to find an exceptional leader who shares our vision and values.
Transcript 2:
Melissa Yingst, Innivee Strategies
Innivee Strategies, Inc. is honored to partner with the Willie Ross School for the Deaf Board of Trustees to support a search process that engages and values the entire Willie Ross community during the search for the school's next leader.
The application period for the role will launch this fall with the distribution of the prospectus which will include the organization profile, leader profile, and job description.
We look forward to working together to find an exceptional educator and leader who will continue advancing the mission and vision of the Willie Ross School for the Deaf.
Please stay tuned for further announcements regarding the search timeline and opportunities to engage with the process.