Prior to joining The Franklin School of Innovation, Michelle Vruwink was the co-founder and Director of Arroyo Research Services, Inc., a national education research and evaluation firm focused on helping its clients achieve academic excellence through data-driven decision making.
She brings a diverse background of education and health policy, government service, and nonprofit program development expertise. Ms. Vruwink was the initiator of the community effort to create The Franklin School of Innovation, with primary responsibility for organizing local support, obtaining charter approval, and opening its doors. She has led the school from this original vision through to its full implementation, overseeing growth from 250 to nearly 700 students and the construction of its permanent facilities. She has a son attending Parsons School of Design in New York City, while her daughter, an FSI alumna, attends The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Ms. Vruwink is a passionate supporter of excellent public education as a pathway to equity and social justice. She firmly believes that all students can and must learn at high levels, and that skills and traits such as persistence, innovation, critical thinking, and problem-solving can be taught. Ms. Vruwink earned her Master’s in Public Administration from New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.
