Jean Desravines
About Jean Desravines
Jean Desravines (age 53) is Lead Independent Director at KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc. (KLC), serving on the Board since 2021. He is Chief Executive Officer of New Leaders, a national education nonprofit, where he has worked since 2006 and served as CEO since 2011. His prior roles include senior counsel to the chancellor of New York City’s public school system. He holds a B.A. from St. Francis College and an M.P.A. from New York University.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York City Department of Education | Senior counselor to the Chancellor | Not disclosed | Senior leadership role in nation’s largest public school system |
| New Leaders | Various roles prior to CEO | Since 2006; CEO since 2011 | Scaled leadership development for high-need schools across 20+ cities and 15 states |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Company | Director | Since 2018 | Audit (since 2018) and Compensation (since 2019) committees |
| Moriah Fund (private foundation) | Trustee | Since 2022 | Human rights and social justice mission oversight |
| America Achieves (non-profit) | Director | Since 2015 | Workforce development policy and programs |
Board Governance
- Board tenure: Director since 2021; currently Class III with term expiring in 2027. Independent under NYSE rules.
- Roles: Lead Independent Director (presides over executive sessions of independent directors).
- Committees:
- Audit Committee member; determined “financially literate” (committee chaired by Michael Nuzzo; 2 meetings in FY2024).
- Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee Chair; committee did not meet in FY2024; post-Annual Meeting composition will be Deputy, Desravines (Chair), Grasty.
- Attendance: Board met 4 times in FY2024; all directors attended at least 75% of Board and applicable committees; directors are expected to attend annual stockholder meetings.
- Governance structure: Classified board; PG (Partners Group) retains director nomination rights proportionate to ownership and can appoint a director to each committee while entitled to designate directors.
- Executive sessions: Led by the Lead Independent Director, enhancing independent oversight of management.
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash (FY2024) | $245,000 | Composed of: $100,000 annual stipend; $110,000 cash in lieu of equity; $35,000 Lead Independent Director stipend |
| All Other Compensation (FY2024) | $4,611 | Expense reimbursements |
| Total (FY2024) | $249,611 | Sum of cash and other compensation |
Program design: Offer letters (Aug 4, 2021) provide $100,000 annual cash stipend; eligible for annual equity grants of $110,000 grant-date value (paid as cash-in-lieu for FY2024); Lead Independent Director receives additional $35,000.
Performance Compensation
| Element | Status | Metrics/Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Annual equity grants to non-employee directors (FY2024) | None; cash paid in lieu of equity | No director equity awards outstanding as of 12/28/2024 |
| Public company equity cadence | First annual equity awards granted March 14, 2025 | Compensation committee did not time awards around MNPI; terms not detailed here |
No performance-based (RSU/PSU/option) metrics for directors were disclosed for FY2024; equity-based director compensation is expected to commence in 2025.
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Industry | Role | Committee Roles | Potential Interlock/Conflict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Company | Publishing/Education | Director | Audit; Compensation | No KLC-related transactions disclosed; general sector adjacency only |
Partners Group governance rights at KLC (board/committee designation while PG maintains ownership thresholds) introduce a control dynamic across the Board but do not involve Desravines personally (he is not PG-affiliated).
Expertise & Qualifications
- Education policy and nonprofit leadership (CEO of New Leaders; national footprint)
- Public education system leadership (NYC DOE senior counselor)
- Governance experience in education publishing (HMH) with audit and compensation oversight
- Financial literacy for audit committee service (NYSE standard)
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Total Beneficial Ownership (shares) | % of Shares Outstanding | Notable Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jean Desravines | 12,389 | <1% | Includes 3,594 RSUs vesting within 60 days of 4/11/2025; no director equity awards outstanding at 12/28/2024 |
| Shares Outstanding (record date 4/11/2025) | 118,006,326 | — | Basis for beneficial ownership percentages |
Stock ownership guidelines exist for non-employee directors (administered by the Compensation Committee), but individual compliance status was not disclosed.
Insider Trades and Compliance
| Item | FY2024 Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Section 16(a) filings | On time | Company noted late Form 4s for certain executives; no late filings attributed to Desravines |
Governance Assessment
-
Positives:
- Independent director with sector-relevant education leadership and public company committee experience; currently Lead Independent Director, enhancing independent oversight.
- Chairs Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee, positioning him to influence board composition, succession, and ESG oversight; audit committee service with financial literacy.
- Attendance threshold met; directors expected to attend stockholder meetings; structured governance guidelines, code of conduct, insider trading policy, and Dodd-Frank-compliant clawback policy adopted at IPO.
-
Alignment and incentives:
- FY2024 director compensation was cash-heavy (cash in lieu of equity); equity program for directors expected from 2025, improving alignment over time. Desravines’ ownership is modest (<1%) with new RSUs vesting in 2025.
-
Risks and potential red flags:
- Controlled board features: Classified board and PG nomination rights (including committee seat rights while PG can designate directors) can limit minority shareholder influence and challenge full independence of committees. This structure may affect investor confidence in governance autonomy.
- Committee activity cadence: Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee did not meet in FY2024 (post-IPO transition year), which may raise questions about cadence of governance activities; offset by annual evaluation requirements in charters.
- Low director equity exposure in FY2024: No outstanding director equity awards at year-end; alignment improving as equity grants begin in 2025.
No related-party transactions involving Desravines were disclosed; legacy PG services agreement terminated at IPO.