Tampa-based education consulting firm hires former Hillsborough leader

Strategos Group, a national education consulting firm, hired Addison Davis, former Hillsborough County Public Schools superintendent, as a new partner, the group says in a Tuesday news release.

Davis will work in the firm's Business Transactional Advisory practice, supporting school districts and educational organizations in the advancement of student objectives, the group says.

Based in Tampa, Strategos Group was founded in 2011 as a national education management consultancy made up of former educational leaders including state education commissioners, lawmakers, White House appointees, school district superintendents and recognized business leaders. The group advises Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, startups, philanthropy and private equity.

Strategos, the release states, operates at the national, state, and local levels with offices in Tampa, Tallahassee, Arkansas, Idaho, Maryland, Tennessee, Texas and Washington, D.C.

Davis resigned July 14 after a little more than three years as superintendent. The consulting firm says Davis has 24 years in education and is "a visionary leader dedicated to enhancing education and driving positive change. His leadership has yielded remarkable results throughout his tenure as a school district superintendent."

While Davis was Hillsborough schools superintendent, he reduced 28 historically "D" and "F" schools to only five over his tenure, the group says. The school district also rose in state rankings from No. 35 to No. 19, the highest in its history. And graduation rates went up 2 points, to 89%, the highest in the Hillsborough district's history.

Davis says after decades in public education, he can channel his knowledge and experience into private-sector work that can have a nationwide impact.

The Strategos Group's Business Transactional Advisory practice is led by Todd Dallas Lamb, a former White House appointee to the U.S. Department of Education from 2001 to 2004. Lamb says Strategos is the nation's only management consulting firm dedicated to the Pre-K-through-12 education sector "and we carefully evaluated the addition of a district superintendent to support our clients as they navigate this marketplace."

As Davis left, he drew praise from superintendents from Detroit to Los Angeles. Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho says he admired the improvements that Davis accomplished while leading Hillsborough County Public Schools.