Chad Rountree is the CEO of Propel America, a national organization dedicated to connecting young adults to well-paying careers and college credit opportunities, while addressing the urgent workforce needs of middle-skill employers. In his previous role as Propel’s founding Chief Program Officer, Chad was instrumental in shaping the organization’s innovative model of accelerated, credit-bearing pathways, designed to be responsive to both young adults' aspirations and employers' talent demands.

A product of non-traditional education pathways himself, Chad is passionate about creating alternative career-launching opportunities for students who have been underserved by traditional systems. His career reflects this mission, having previously held multiple leadership roles at OneGoal, where he scaled impact nationally and drove programmatic innovation to close the college degree divide.

Before OneGoal, Chad led novice teacher preparation at Denver Public Schools, where he played a key role in diversifying and strengthening the district’s teacher pipeline. He also designed and implemented an innovative school network for Duval County Public Schools, helping to triple graduation rates among over-age, under-credited students.

Chad’s journey began as a middle school teacher in Jacksonville, Florida with Teach For America, later advancing to school leadership with KIPP Jacksonville. Prior to his career in education, Chad completed Le Cordon Bleu culinary training and managed restaurants across the Southwest, bringing a unique blend of creativity and operational expertise to his leadership roles.

He holds a Bachelor’s in Secondary Education from New Mexico State University, a Master’s in Education Leadership from Michigan State University, and is an alumnus of Harvard’s Strategic Data Project.