Arthur Pearson

Arthur Pearson has five decades of experience as an educator, team builder and organizational leader. Throughout his career he has been drawn to the people and the passion of mission-driven non-profits. He built his leadership and management skills from the bottom up, starting as a direct service provider, then front line operational leader, regional supervisor, chief executive officer, trustee and board chair. In the last decade, he has focused on field building and has developed a wide network of colleagues in research, policy, and practice to bring national best practices to the local organizations he supports.

During his 18 years as President and Chief Executive Officer of Thompson Island Outward Bound, the organization served tens of thousands of Boston Public School students and earned national recognition for out-of-school time and summer learning. He founded the Outward Bound Professional Learning Lab that made the national Outward Bound network an exemplar for using research and data to drive continuous improvement. Arthur currently works as an interim executive to assist non-profits in their transition to new leadership. He is on the Board of Advisors of Higher Ground Boston, serves as a Field Consultant for the National Summer Learning Association, an Ambassador for the Afterschool Alliance, and Advisor to the Maine Outdoor School for All coalition.