Dr. Vince Bertram is a global leader in education, innovation, and career learning. He is also a two-time New York Times best selling author with his books Dream Differently and One Nation Under Taught. His personal mission is to help students aspire to and prepare for great careers.
Vince is a highly sought-after speaker and has given numerous keynote and commencement addresses and countless talks that have engaged and inspired students, educators, parents, policymakers, community organizers, and business leaders around the world.
For over a decade Vince was president and chief executive officer of Project Lead The Way (PLTW) where he led the company’s dramatic growth to the preeminent STEM education program in the United States. During his tenure PLTW impacted millions of students in over 12,500 schools and trained over 12,000 teachers annually. Prior to PLTW he spent 20 years in education as a teacher, high school principal, and superintendent of one of the nation’s largest urban school districts.
Vince is an inaugural member of the U.S. Congress-authorized STEM Education Advisory Panel with the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and NASA. He is a STEM education expert for the U.S. Department of State’s Speaker and Specialist Program and has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives on the importance of high-quality STEM education.
Throughout his career Vince has received numerous awards including the Innovations in STEM Award from National Instruments, and the Community Builder Award from the National Coalition for Technology in Education and Training. He received an honorary doctorate in engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering, was named a Distinguished Hoosier by Governor Mitch Daniels, received the Intellectual Contributions and Faculty Tribute Award from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the Distinguished Alumni Award from Ball State University, was selected as 1 of 52 Graduates of Distinction during the Ball State University Centennial Celebration, and is a Pahara Education Fellow at the Aspen Institute. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of TPMA, Inc.
He earned degrees from Ball State (Ed.D., Ed.S, M.Ed.,BS), Georgetown & ESADE Business Schools (MBA), and Harvard (M.Ed). He also earned executive certificates in Strategy & Innovation and Applied Business Analytics from MIT, Corporate Finance from Wharton, and is certified in Lean Six Sigma.
"Thankfully America has a tradition dating back to Colonial times of not being passive when serious challenges arise. Vince Bertram is a splendid example of this can-do, let’s-roll-up-our-sleeves-and-do-something-about-it characteristic."
"Thank you for coming to our school, for teaching and encouraging our teachers, for helping us see the future. You were the perfect messenger delivering the perfect message at the perfect time."
“You have had a tremendous impact on my life. You taught me how to be a visionary leader, develop my organizational skills, showed me how to be sincere and prioritize service to others in all my endeavors, and helped me make critical decisions regarding my education.” – Sammy, Medical School Student