The Founders

GARY COHEN

Gary Cohen is the Co-Founder of Board of School Superintendents (BOSS). The organization mission is to elevate learners by elevating leaders. As President and Co-founder, Gary grew ACI Telecentrics, Inc., from two people to 2,200 employees and reached $32 million in sales at the company's peak.ACI Telecentrics, Inc. was recognized as one of Venture Magazine's Top 10 Best Performing Businesses and Business Journal's 25 Fastest Growing Small Public Companies. Currently, Gary is Partner and Co-founder of CO2 Partners, LCC, operating as an executive coach and consultant. Gary's clients run small entrepreneurial companies and multi-billion-dollar enterprises, and everything in between. 

He received his B.S. from the University of Minnesota, where he triple-majored in International Business, Intercultural Communications, and International Political Science. Prior to attending Harvard Business School (Owner President Manager Program), he attended Covey Leadership Center and Disney Creative Leadership workshops and was selected as a Aspen Institute Crown Fellow. Gary has served on nine for-profit and non-profit boards in Minneapolis, where he is based, and elsewhere.

Gary is the Author of Just Ask Leadership – Why Great Managers Always Ask The Right Questions (McGraw Hill 2009). He has written for or been cited by Business Week, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes.com, Business + Strategy, Investor’s Business Daily, Leader-To-Leader, Chief Learning Officer, The Washington Post, and Market Watch on the topic of leadership and employee engagement.

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MARK WOLAK

Mark Wolak is Co-Founder of Board of School Superintendents (BOSS). Mark  is an experienced leader in public education, having served most recently as Executive Director of a metropolitan public sector organization serving the technology needs of 48 school districts in Minnesota. Mark led a major transformation of the organization resulting in the dissolution of the dated governance model and forming a new partnership with Sourcewell, an international organization based in Minnesota.

Wolak is recognized for his ability to lead successful change in public education through strategic thinking, collaboration and innovation. His personal and candid stories provide a compelling view of how a small group of determined people can bring the changes we need in public schools across the country. His extensive experience in a wide variety of leadership positions includes teaching, school principal, director of special education, assistant superintendent, and superintendent.

Wolak served as national consultant to the Department of Education in Washington DC and to federally funded regional offices around the US. In 2007, Mark Wolak was recognized by Minnesota School Administrators Association and received the Richard Green Scholar award for his study of evidence-based leadership practice for school superintendents. He loves to study leadership and share his learning with others.