Chad Foster

Chad Foster entered the business world in Louisiana at age 19, parlaying an unsuccessful attempt at professional tennis into a business surfacing tennis courts. Eventually, Chad expanded his recreational surfacing vision by converting millions of pounds of recycled tire rubber into a soft, safe playground surface. That product, SAF DEK, can be seen on thousands of McDonald's Playlands around the world. The SAF DEK surface also provides a safe play environment for millions of visitors to Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

At age 33, Chad took an indefinite sabbatical and joined the team at Special Olympics International. As Tour Director, he traveled across America with a mobile museum that served as an educational and awareness tool highlighting the valuable contributions made by the Special Olympics organization.

The following year Chad set out on a two-year, cross-country fact finding trip. His travels and research convinced him that young people in America were receiving an incomplete education in that they were not being fully prepared with 21^st Century skills for their inevitable entry into the world of work.

Chad's concern for young people prompted him to write two best-selling books, Teenagers Preparing for the Real World and Financial Literacy for Teens. Chad's books have been read by more than 750,000 students. Both books have been developed into 10-day project based curricula used in 4,000 middle school and high school classrooms nationwide.

Chad's latest release is High School 101, co-created with Dr. Mike Hall. High School 101 is an innovative strategy that focuses on preparing students for the transition from middle school to high school. This comprehensive 10-unit resource addresses a multitude of essential 21^st Century skills that young people will need to succeed in the classroom as well as the workplace.

Chad is one of America's most sought-after speakers on the subject of motivating students and preparing them to succeed in the real world. His keynote and workshop audiences have included more than 500,000 students and educators. Chad also serves on the advisory board of the Heart of America Foundation, a national organization created to encourage America's youth to participate in community service. This entrepreneur, best-selling author, and nationally-acclaimed speaker also hosted, for eight years, his own television show, Fly Fishing America, seen on ESPN.

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