Our Head of School of Mount Vernon Presbyterian School, Dr. Brett Jacobsen has been selected as one of Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Most Admired CEOs 2017.
Pictured left to right: Rosalyn Merrick, Allison Toller, Carl Streck, Debbie Becker, Brett and Adrienne Jacobsen, Lisa Drake, Chuck Waters, Bruce Morine, and Bo Adams
“Brett’s bold vision has transformed Mount Vernon. Under his leadership, MVPS has become a destination school in Atlanta,” said Board Chair Chuck Waters. “And nationally, he and his team have put Mount Vernon on the map. Our Board is very proud of Brett, and we are grateful for all of his efforts. Our School is fortunate to have a person with his talents and character as its leader.”
Receiving the Most Admired CEO Award among a field of prominent city leaders, Dr. Brett Jacobsen is known for casting a powerful mission and for creating a culture where children are inspired to think, wonder, create, and problem solve. Since arriving at Mount Vernon in 2009, the School’s enrollment has grown 20%, philanthropic support has more than doubled, and more than 2500 educators from around the world have come to Mount Vernon to learn the School’s innovative teaching practices.
Leading Mount Vernon through a transformational period, Brett launched the Mount Vernon Institute for Innovation (MVIFI). Focused on addressing local and global challenges, MVIFI cultivates public-private partnerships fostering creative collaboration at the intersections of the marketplace, education sector, nonprofit and civic communities. As an extension of MVIFI, Dr. Jacobsen launched the School’s Innovation Diploma — a program empowering high schoolers to implement high-impact work. Rather than outsourcing the work to professionals, Mount Vernon students take on real-world projects, and so far MV students have solved problems for the Centers for Disease Control, the City of Sandy Springs, AT&T, and Porsche Cars North America. One of the most impactful design briefs took place with S.J. Collins Enterprises, a commercial developer. Innovation Diploma students designed site plans for an outdoor green space in the new Whole Foods shopping center in Chamblee.
The Most Admired CEOs award recognizes established Atlanta leaders in 18 categories who have a strong vision for their companies, have shown commitment to culture in the workplace and made significant contributions to the metro Atlanta community. The selection committee was comprised of Atlanta Business Chronicle’s editorial team and former Most Admired CEO winners.
