Paul Diego Holzer most recently served as Executive Director of Achieve Hartford where he led the organization’s advocacy, coalition management, school district partnership, and funder advisory efforts in order to advance high school graduation and post-secondary degree completion rates in Hartford, CT and the region.

Prior to Achieve Hartford, Paul received his MBA from the Yale School of Management, where he focused on social innovation and public-private partnerships. While at Yale SOM, he also co-founded Career Cadence LLC, the only company with a proven process to deliver personalized career direction in a large group setting, which he led for 10 years.

Prior to business school, Paul served as the first Director of Higher Education at the Latin American Youth Center, Washington DC’s premier youth and community development organization, overseeing multiple college-prep initiatives focused on at-risk youth, including a federally-funded TRiO Upward Bound program in partnership with George Washington University and the National Council of La Raza. Before that, Paul was one of the founders of Washington DC’s first bilingual vocational school, YouthBuild Public Charter School, where he also served as vice-principal and teacher.

Right out of college, Paul helped run earned income ventures for Breaking Ground in New York City, using Ben & Jerry’s scoop shops to train formerly homeless adults. Paul earned his BA from Dartmouth College, with a major in English focusing on Native and African American literature, a minor in Earth Sciences, and a Secondary School Teaching Certificate from the State of New Hampshire. He lives in Simsbury, CT with his wife and two children.