The Dallas Regional Chamber (DRC) is pleased to announce the hiring of Jarrad Toussant as Senior Vice President of Education and Workforce.
Toussant joins the DRC from the Texas Education Agency (TEA), where he served as the Division Director of College, Career, and Military Preparation. Based in Austin, the TEA oversees primary and secondary public education and improves outcomes for all public school students in the state by providing leadership, guidance, and support to school systems.
Toussant will lead all the DRC’s education and workforce initiatives, including early childhood education, K-12 education, higher education, and workforce development.
“We are thrilled to welcome Jarrad to our Education and Workforce team. He brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the DRC in this critical area, which is the key to developing local talent into tomorrow’s highly productive workforce,” said Dale Petroskey, President and CEO of the DRC. “We know Jarrad well through partnering on DRC projects for the past seven years and are excited he’ll be leading our efforts to improve the education and workforce pipeline in the Dallas Region.”
Throughout his career, Toussant has worked closely with elected officials, nonprofits, and businesses in education-related roles. Prior to the TEA, Toussant served as a Director for Teach for America; the Senior Education Advisor for then-Newark (NJ) Mayor Cory A. Booker before his election to the US Senate; an education lobbyist, and as the Deputy Director of Policy for Educate Texas.
Educated in Dallas ISD, Toussant graduated from TAG Magnet. He then earned a Bachelor’s degree from the Plan II Honors program at UT Austin before earning two Master’s degrees from Rutgers University – one in Public Administration (MPA) and the other in Business Administration (MBA).