Bernard McCune

Bernard McCune currently serves as Director of Community Impact and Civic Leadership for the Sims-Fayola Foundation, where he leads efforts focused on community impact, civic engagement, and expanding opportunities for young people and communities. A veteran education and nonprofit leader with more than two decades of experience, Bernard has held senior leadership positions in three major urban school districts—Chicago, Oakland, and Denver—with a career centered on expanding educational opportunity and improving postsecondary outcomes for students.

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Prior to joining the Sims-Fayola Foundation, Bernard served as Associate Chief of Academics and Senior Executive Director of Career and College Success for Denver Public Schools (DPS). In these roles, he provided strategic leadership and oversight across a broad portfolio that included Special Education, ESSER-funded academic initiatives, career and college readiness, concurrent enrollment, school counseling, Career and Technical Education (CTE), Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, AVID, and student engagement. He also provided oversight and strategic support for Emily Griffith Technical College, which serves approximately 10,000 students and plays a critical role in connecting Denver residents to career training and workforce opportunities.

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Bernard returned to DPS after serving as a founding partner and Chief Portfolio and Talent Officer at RootED, a Denver-based philanthropic organization committed to ensuring all students have access to a high-quality public education. In that role, he helped advance investments in schools, organizations, leaders, and innovative approaches designed to improve educational opportunities and outcomes for Denver students and families.

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Prior to RootED, Bernard served as Deputy Chief of Post-Secondary Readiness for Oakland Unified School District, where he provided districtwide leadership for college and career readiness and worked closely with principal supervisors, school leaders, and community partners to strengthen postsecondary pathways for students. Earlier, from 2012–2014, he led DPS's Office of College and Career Readiness, developing and implementing strategies that contributed to improvements in graduation rates, Advanced Placement participation and achievement, concurrent enrollment, and the expansion of career and technical education opportunities.

Bernard began his education leadership career in Chicago Public Schools, where he spent nearly a decade advancing college access and postsecondary success. Working alongside then-CEO Arne Duncan, Greg Darnieder, and other district and community leaders, Bernard helped develop and implement strategies that became part of a nationally recognized approach to increasing college access and success for students from historically underserved communities. His work also included engagement with then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama and other policymakers to advocate for increased federal investment in initiatives designed to strengthen postsecondary readiness, access, and success.

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Across his career, Bernard has built a reputation for bringing together education systems, philanthropy, community organizations, policymakers, and civic leaders around a shared commitment to improving outcomes for young people. His leadership reflects a consistent belief that when communities align resources, relationships, and opportunities around young people, every student can develop the skills, confidence, and pathways necessary to thrive.