Jim Goodnight is the CEO of SAS, the world’s leading business analytics software vendor.

As a champion of education reform, Goodnight is leading some of North Carolina’s most prominent CEOs in spearheading policy solutions that will help develop a workforce prepared to succeed in a global economy. Goodnight is convinced that early childhood education and third-grade literacy are part of the foundation for life success. As a member of the Business Roundtable, he and other NC business leaders released “Why Reading Matters and What To Do About It,” in February 2017.

“High-quality pre-K lays the foundation for third grade reading proficiency which is critical to future success in a knowledge-driven economy.”