About KIPP: Our leadership team

KIPP Foundation Operating Committee

Richard Barth, Chief Executive Officer
Richard Barth joined KIPP in December, 2005. As president and CEO of the KIPP Foundation, Barth led the organization through the process of identifying five organizational imperatives to ensure the sustainability of the KIPP network as it grows to over 100 schools in the next five years. In the past two years, he has overseen the expansion of KIPP’s leadership development programs, put in place a disciplined approach to managing growth, recruited two new outside directors to the KIPP Foundation board, and secured over $25 million in new, long-term funding commitments. Barth came to KIPP from Edison Schools, where he served as President of District Partnerships and managed Edison Schools’ partnership in Philadelphia. Prior to joining Edison, Barth was one of the founding staff members at Teach For America. He earned a BA in American History from Harvard University. Barth is an Aspen Institute-New Schools Fellow. He currently sits on the board of directors of The Broad Center for the Management of School Systems and Be the Change, Inc.
Mazher Ahmad, Chief People Officer
As Chief People Officer, Mazher is responsible for managing the Human Resources division of the KIPP Foundation. Mazher joins KIPP from Dun & Bradstreet, where he served in a number of strategic HR and business leadership roles, including helping create and manage the company's high potential leadership development programs, directing senior level executive searches, and serving as the Chief of Staff to the Chairman & CEO. He was previously a management consultant for Marakon Associates and a partner with CommuniCorp International, where he created and led a variety of learning and development initiatives. Mazher earned his MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and holds BA degrees in Communications and International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania. Mazher and his wife Maryam, have one daughter, Sophia.
Darryl Cobb, Chief Learning Officer
As Chief Learning Officer, Darryl is responsible for the majority of the learning and development activities of the KIPP Foundation including the year-long KIPP School Leadership Program. In addition, Darryl leads the research and evaluation initiatives along with the instructional and content support programs of the Foundation. Prior to joining KIPP, Darryl was a management consultant at DiamondCluster International and Accenture, where he worked on a variety of strategic projects in finance, new business ventures, and technology for Fortune 500 clients. Darryl earned a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Virginia and holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
John Kanberg, Director, Legal & Sustainability Services
As Director of Legal & Sustainability Services, John works on building systems to ensure operational excellence at KIPP schools. Kanberg joined the Foundation in 2001, shortly after its founding, following a first career as litigation partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. He attended the Columbia University School of Law and earned a BA from Denison University in Granville, Ohio.
Diane Robinson, National Director, Recruitment & Selection
As National Director of Recruitment & Selection, Diane is responsible for managing the national recruitment and selection efforts to identify leaders for new KIPP schools. Diane joins KIPP from Teach For America, where she has spent the past 13 years. Diane first joined Teach For America as a 1st grade teacher in inner-city Los Angeles public schools. After four years of teaching, Diane served as the Executive Director of Teach For America Los Angeles and then went on to lead Teach For America’s Regional Operations and New Site Development efforts. Most recently, she oversaw Teach For America’s development and first year in Hawaii. Diane is a graduate of Vassar College where she earned a BA in political science.
Tina Sachs, Chief Financial Officer
As CFO, Tina is responsible for overseeing the Accounting and Finance functions for the KIPP Foundation. Tina joined KIPP from the Jewish Community Federation where she served as General Fund Controller. She was previously an auditor for Deloitte and Touche focusing on large public retail companies, real estate companies, and non-profits in the Bay Area. Tina has a BA in accountancy from California State University, Northridge. Tina and her husband, John, have two children.
David Wick, Chief Development Officer
As Chief Development Officer, David is responsible for the KIPP Foundation's development operation. In addition, he oversees a number of key fundraising support functions to KIPP schools. Prior to joining KIPP, David served as Managing Director for Capital Giving within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University. Prior to his management position, he was a Regional Director for Capital Giving at Harvard and also was an Annual Fund Officer for the University of Chicago. He has a Masters in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a BA from Davidson College. David and his wife, Mieka, have one daughter, Annabelle.
Mike Wright, Director of Network Growth
As Director of Network Growth, Mike is responsible for overseeing all school growth in new and existing sites. Mike previously served as the Director of School Finance at the KIPP Foundation, working directly with KIPP school leaders and boards to promote sustainability at the school and network level. Prior to joining KIPP, Mike worked most recently for divisions of Sara Lee Corporation and Levi Strauss & Co. in the capacity of business unit CFO. Mike earned an MBA from DePaul University, and a BS in Finance from the University of Illinois, at Champaign-Urbana.