He provides executive support and organizational development for school district senior leadership teams and school boards across the nation. He is the author of the book “Leading a School District Requires Clarity, Context, and Candor: An Aligned System to Increase Student Achievement at Scale” and was contributing editor of “Board & Administrator” writing the lead column monthly. He is cofounder of The Forum For Educational Leadership which trains the next generation of school district leaders and Chief In Residence for Chiefs For Change working to build a pipeline of Future Chiefs for states and districts.

His career began as a second-grade teacher in Orlando, Florida. He worked as a teacher, principal, and district-level administrator in Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties in Florida before becoming superintendent of schools in Tustin, California. In 2006, he became superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina. Under his leadership, the district won the 2011 Broad Prize in Urban Education, which recognizes increases in student achievement and closing of achievement gaps. Twenty- three members of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Leadership Team during his tenure have been appointed as superintendents nationally. The book “Within Reach, Leadership Lessons in School Reform” chronicles his time with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and four other books reviewed aspects of his tenure along with numerous articles, research studies, and case studies.

In his role as Executive Vice President of Education Services for Amplify, a division of News Corp, he led nearly 100 team members in the Government Relations, Marketing and Sales areas.

Dr. Gorman graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. He also holds a master’s in business administration from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, and a master’s and doctorate in education leadership from the University of Central Florida.