Cinthia Haan

Cinthia Coletti Haan is co-founder and chair of The Haan Foundation for Children. Her primary goal is to unite the efforts of scientific research, education practice, innovation, and technology to support dramatic improvements in student achievement. "We have a unique opportunity in the history of education to raise our standards through scientific discovery, an opportunity that has become a mandate if we are to maintain our prominence in the international economy," said Haan, who is passionate about quality education for all.

Haan has enjoyed over 20 years of success in the business community, beginning as one of the founding team members in Southern Pacific Railroad's landmark launching of SPRINT.  She remained with Sprint for seven years until the company was sold to GTE.  Haan then accepted a four-year position as director of Ford Aerospace, Starnet Division, before performing a series of mergers and acquisitions of telecommunications corporations. Her experience in cross-functional operations management, integrating core and revolutionary product strategies, expertise in financial profit-and-loss modeling, and delivering innovative and entrepreneurial thinking to organizations has earned Haan a stellar reputation in business. She currently serves as CEO of Syndacon Corporation, and now brings her talents and expertise to the crucial needs of education and health.

Haan oversees the executive management and all daily operations of The Haan Foundation for Children, a non-profit organization dedicated to developing and implementing educational solutions. She is an active advocate in Washington D.C., securing federal funding for high quality education research.  In the state of California, Haan vigorously supports the role data plays in school reform efforts and policy emphasizing that “both student and teacher achievement data must be collected, analyzed, and understood in order to help educators make informed decisions that affect students’ progress.”  She endows education scholarships for impoverished children requiring reading interventions. Haan is president of the Power4kids Reading Initiative, a collaborative grassroots effort of strategic partners and alliances, both private and public, aiming to provide vital, scientific-based evidence on which reading programs and instructional methods work in our public school for struggling readers.  Haan also facilitates a number of projects in the fields of literacy, dyslexia, math, science, professional development, neuroscience, extended-day learning and women’s health.  She has accepted several board of director positions in education, neuroscience and women’s health issues, amongst them are: Strategic Education Partnership (SERP), California Business Roundtable for Education Excellence (CBEE), Program in Education, Afterschool and Resiliency at Harvard Medical School (PEAR), and International Dyslexia Association (IDA).