Dennis R. Maple was named president and chief executive officer of Goddard Systems, Inc., franchisor of The Goddard School preschool system, in September 2019.

A University of Tennessee graduate, Dennis is a transformational leader who excels at leading business turnarounds; attracting, developing and engaging leadership talent; and creating value for internal and external company stakeholders.

Prior to joining Goddard Systems, Inc., Dennis served as president of First Student, Inc., which is North America’s largest K-12 school bus transportation services company, for five years. His emphasis on instilling operating and pricing discipline across North American operations, cultivating an engaged employee culture of performance and accountability, and instilling a relentless focus on the voice of the customer to deliver new product innovation have helped to create a strong, trusted partner in school transportation services.

Prior to First Student, Dennis spent 10 years at ARAMARK Corporation where, for seven of those years, he served as President of Aramark Education, delivering food, nutrition, and facilities services to K-12 school markets.

At First Student and Aramark, Dennis gained valuable insights into the issues facing educators and administrators, particularly issues about ensuring healthy and safe environments for students.

Dennis brings another 20-plus-years of experience with leading CPG companies that include Coors Brewing Company, PepsiCo, Kraft, and The Quaker Oats Company. These experiences have cultivated within him considerable proficiency in using data-driven insights to identify sustainable competitive advantage through product, business model, and service innovations.

Dennis is a member of the Descartes Systems Group board of directors, where he serves as a member of the compensation committee and the nominating committee. He has also served as a board member for various organizations in his hometown of Philadelphia, including the Urban League of Philadelphia, Episcopal Academy, Philadelphia Outward Bound School, Philadelphia Academies and the Paoli Hospital Foundation. He has also been an active participant in organizations that support primary and secondary schools and communities across North America.