Broad Alumni Spotlight: Ryan Romaneski (TBR 2017-19)

What’s your current organization and role?

I’m the senior director of talent and teamwork at Ednovate, a high school charter network in Southern California that serves Los Angeles and Orange County. I oversee the full talent lifecycle: sourcing and selection, onboarding, development, succession planning, and offboarding. I came to Ednovate in 2022 after working at KIPP in the Bay Area, and over time my role expanded from leadership development into talent and human resources.

What most excites you in your professional role?

One of the biggest things we’re focused on right now is high-quality growth. Ednovate is one of the few charter organizations in California that is still opening new schools, and we are thinking critically about how to effectively scale the culture we’ve created here, which is core to what makes Ednovate so special. A lot of that work involves systems development and knowledge management—the operational pieces that I truly love.

But I’m probably most excited about our work redesigning Ednovate’s approach to growing and sustaining new and rising leaders. When two principals left unexpectedly, following four years without a principal exit, we learned that our systems for identifying and cultivating new leaders were weak and ill-defined. While we had some elements in place—a program for those hoping to open a new Ednovate school, for example—they weren’t part of a cohesive program aligned with our growth plan and strategic priorities. We identified leadership pathways and succession planning as huge opportunities for us this year. Now we are thinking about how to cultivate and support teachers who demonstrate potential as mid-level leaders and assistant principals and could serve as potential successors.

How has your experience as a Broad alum influenced the way you approach your work?

One of the biggest things Broad reinforced for me is that good work is always done collaboratively. I can create a great succession plan, but if our academics, HR, management, and culture teams aren’t aligned, then we won’t succeed.

Broad also taught me that, while this work is hard and can be isolating, having a robust network of leaders and colleagues is priceless. If I need someone to bounce ideas off of about our work on leadership development, I reach out to my network for help. If I am looking for an honest assessment of a vendor we are considering, I seek counsel from my peers. And I try to be available whenever someone needs something from me.

How is Ednovate working to increase equity for the students and communities you serve?

When I think about equity, I think about outcomes, so one thing I’m really excited about is our “whole child report card.” Students are assessed across six dimensions of readiness for post-secondary life, not just academics—skills like self-regulation, self-awareness, passion, and purpose. We’re piloting new platforms and systems to help measure those dimensions more intentionally. The report card itself is presented visually and discussed with families, which makes these areas feel just as important as traditional academics.

Another major part of our model is our “journeys” program. Every quarter, students participate in project-based learning experiences tied to career exploration. For example, geometry students might design a food truck, and English students might create short films or graphic novels. The goal is to expose students to many different career pathways and help them develop a sense of purpose and direction beyond graduation.

What challenges are you thinking about right now as a leader?

I think one of the biggest things people are not talking about enough is adult culture. Adult culture drives student culture. If adults are unhappy, disconnected, or resistant to growth, students feel that too. If we want students to prioritize mastery, growth mindset, and entrepreneurship, adults need to model those same things.

At the same time, Ednovate is trying to make the case for a different high school model, one that is personalized, whole-child focused, and scalable for students who often enter high school behind grade level or while navigating major life transitions. A lot of what I’m thinking about is how we continue to stay grounded in our values while adapting to political realities.