John Branam

As Bottom Line’s Chief Transformation Officer, John Branam helps lead our ambitious post-merger transformational efforts. With a north star of deepening, and expanding, our support for all students - and especially for those from low-income families - John’s work is centered on BL’s mission of helping more youth get into college, graduate, and go far. Immediately prior to Bottom Line, John spent 6.5 years as Executive Director of Get Schooled, the national education nonprofit that merged with Bottom Line on December 31, 2025. John is a values-based leader who is passionate about curating impact teams that achieve large-scale outcomes—especially for young people from low-income families. For more than two decades, he’s worked across the nonprofit, public, and private sectors - domestically and internationally - helping organizations grow their reach, impact and sustainability. A servant leader, John is adept at toggling between audacious long-term strategy and the details of implementation, and he leads in ways that harness collective intelligence through deep collaboration and a relentless focus on improving outcomes for youth and communities. John began his career as a middle school teacher in Anacostia, Washington, D.C., and later served in the Peace Corps in South Africa. He has also worked as a senior administrator in Portland Public Schools and has served in senior leadership roles in national nonprofits for nearly 15 years, including 1Million Project Foundation, Grantmakers for Education and The Learning Accelerator. John holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Washington & Lee University, a law degree from the University of Oregon. John’s commitment to educational access is both professional and personal. John grew up in a low-income family in Oregon and is a first-gen college graduate. John lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife and their school-age children and enjoys hiking, gardening, traveling, and connecting deeply with friends.