Michael L. Kaufman, M.S.W., Ph.D.
Founder & Managing Director
Mike Kaufman possesses an uncommon blend of abilities and aptitudes—combining the analytical mind and strategic vision of a business leader with the compassionate heart and altruistic nature of a helping professional. An expert in the field of education—having spent more than 25 years in student-centered leadership roles at various teaching institutions and social service agencies—he was President & CEO of Specialized Education Services, Inc. (SESI) from 2005 to 2015, after working his way up through a series of managerial positions concentrated on school and program development. At SESI, which serves K–12 special and alternative education students with a wide array of disabilities, Mike realized exponential growth in school sites (to 60, in 14 states and the District of Columbia), in staff (to 1,400), and in enrollment (to ~3,000). But it’s the student gains that always mattered most to Mike, and that’s what he’s turning his sole attention to now—leading school partners to significant improved outcomes and life-changing progress for previously unsuccessful students. With higher education degrees in accounting, social work, and clinical psychology, Mike is also an experienced public speaker, a frequent panelist at conferences, and a regular volunteer for numerous charities. He has hosted his own radio talk show, taught graduate-level courses, and completed the prestigious Key Executives Program of Harvard Graduate School. In all that he does, he strives to live by the motto: “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.”