IDEA Public Schools CEO nominated for TIME Magazine's Top 100 Most Influential People

Tom Torkelson, CEO and Co-Founder of IDEA Public Schools, was recognized in the May 4, 2009 issue of Time Magazine as a nominee for the world's 100 most influential people.

Wendy Kopp, a former Time 100 honoree, named Tom as a leader who is changing the face of public education. As Founder and CEO of Teach for America, Kopp knows that it takes extra effort and high expectations to prepare students in America's underserved communities for the rigors of higher education.

Tom Torkelson and JoAnn Gonzales, both TFA alums, founded IDEA Public Schools on many of the same ideals as Teach For America, a fierce belief that all students can succeed when they have teachers who set high expectations and push them to achieve at high levels. With the battle cry of "College for all children - No Excuses!", the pair began IDEA Public Schools on the second floor of a church in downtown Donna, Texas.

Nearly 10 years later, IDEA Public Schools currently operates ten open-enrollment, public charter schools in communities across the Rio Grande Valley and serves nearly 4,000 students. IDEA's ambitious expansion plan includes launching and operating 22 schools throughout the Valley, serving nearly 15,000 students at scale.

IDEA College Preparatory Donna, part of the flagship campus was recently named on of the top high schools in the nation (#19), by U.S. News and World Report. The school has an impressive track record of success - 100% of its 56 alumni are currently persisting in higher education. Nearly three-quarters of these graduates are first-generation college students.