Career Path of a Director Program Management and Product Strategy Operations at Turnitin
Kevin's career journey, beginning with coaching tennis and teaching in "Teach for America," reflects a passion for education and social impact, evolving through roles focused on education policy at Duke, social enterprises like Embrace Global, and large-scale educational initiatives in Chicago before transitioning to program management operations at Amazon and ultimately, their current position at Turnitin. The experience working abroad on a farm school and developing a business plan to sustain its operations highlights a unique blend of business acumen and social impact focus that has shaped their career path.
Education, Social Innovation, Data Analysis, Program Management, Public Policy
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Kevin Tsay
Director, Program Management & Product Strategy Operations
Turnitin
Washington University in St. Louis, 2007
Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy, MPP
Education
Technology
Operations and Project Management
LGBTQ
Video Highlights
1. Kevin's career path highlights a combination of education, social innovation, and business. He started with classroom teaching, leveraging his education background and passion.
2. His experience transitioned from teaching to roles focused on education policy and social enterprises, showcasing adaptability and a commitment to improving education.
3. His career progression demonstrates a capacity for program management and operational roles, specifically in large organizations like Amazon and Turnitin, indicating valuable skill development and expertise in these areas.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Please also include any internships or jobs you had before your current role.
My career actually started with coaching tennis before college. While attending Washington University in St. Louis, I studied education and business and continued to coach during that time.
I took on an internship with the Breakthrough Collaborative, which allowed me to teach middle school students in a classroom setting in Sacramento, California, and Miami, Florida. From there, I knew I wanted to go into education and start in the classroom.
I began my career with Teach for America as a classroom teacher in Charlotte, North Carolina. Before that, between graduating and starting in the classroom, I worked abroad on a farm school. There, I developed my interests in both education and business, and I created a business plan to explore how the school's potential profits could sustain its operations.
I had this idea and working experience before entering the classroom. After teaching, I continued to focus on education policy and social innovation. When I went to graduate school at Duke, I focused on public policy, specifically education, always keeping a social innovation perspective in mind.
Since then, I've worked extensively with different schools. Data has been particularly helpful, especially when thinking about social enterprises. I worked on neonatal hypothermia issues with Embrace Global in San Francisco.
Then, I moved to Chicago. There, I oversaw instruction for English Learners across the district. At that point, we were looking at ESL programs to dual language programs, serving about 300,000 students and 70,000 educators.
After Chicago, I decided I wanted to return to the West Coast, and I've been in Seattle. I worked at Amazon for a considerable time, focusing on program management and operations for underserved populations, including food stamp access on Amazon and grocery operations.
I later moved on from Amazon and pursued other opportunities. Currently, I am at Turnitin, where I am the Director for Program Management and Product Strategy Operations.