Board of Directors

Timothy Shriver is Chairman of Special Olympics and in that capacity, he happily serves together with over four million Special Olympics athletes in 170 countries, all working to promote health, education, and a more unified world through the joy of sports.

Before joining Special Olympics in 1996, Shriver was and remains a leading educator focusing on the social and emotional factors in learning. He was a co-founder of CASEL, and he is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a non-executive director of WPP plc.

He earned his undergraduate degree from Yale University, a master’s degree from Catholic University, and a doctorate in education from the University of Connecticut. He has produced four films, written for dozens of newspapers and magazines, founded an ice cream company, and been rewarded with degrees and honors which he said he didn’t deserve but happily accepted on behalf of others.

He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife Linda and their five children.

Stephen Arnold is co-founder and partner emeritus at Polaris Partners, a venture capital firm where he focused on investments in information technology and digital media. Prior to Polaris, he held a number of senior executive positions in software companies and the digital media industry. Currently he serves on the boards of a variety of nonprofit organizations focused on innovation in education and human development. He is co-founder and vice chairman of the board of directors of the George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF) that advocates for innovation through Edutopia.org and researches best practices in K-12 education. He is chairman of the board of Enlearn, an innovative machine learning organization reinventing mathematics education, and he also chairs the board of Healthy Minds Innovations, which develops products and services based on neuroscientifically validated principles of mental and emotional wellbeing. He also chairs the advisory council at Angela Duckworth’s Character Lab. He serves as treasurer and co-chair of the board, and also chairs the management committee.

Deborah S. Delisle is the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Alliance for Excellent Education (All4Ed), a Washington, DC–based national policy, practice, and advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring that all students, particularly those who are traditionally underserved, graduate from high school well prepared for success in college, work, and citizenship.

Prior to her current position with All4Ed, Delisle served as executive director and CEO of ASCD, a professional community of more than 120,000 education professionals around the world. She also served as U.S. assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education from 2012 to 2015. During that time, she played a pivotal role in policy and management issues affecting prekindergarten, elementary, and secondary education, and oversaw 86 programs with a portfolio of nearly $26 billion.

During her more than forty years in education, she has served in a variety of roles at the local, state, and federal levels. Prior to her role at the U.S. Department of Education, Delisle was a senior fellow at the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE), where she worked to enhance educator performance systems and create transformative school and district cultures. She also served as Ohio’s 35th state superintendent of public instruction and was the superintendent of the Cleveland Heights–University Heights (Ohio) City School District. She has served on several education-related boards and received numerous honors, including having a school named after her in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights (Ohio) School District in honor of her lifetime of service to students. In July 2014, she was identified by the National Journal as one of five women in America who influence and shape national education policy.

Lawrence Aber is Albert and Blanche Willner Family Professor in Psychology and Public Policy at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, and University Professor, New York University, where he also serves as board chair of its Institute of Human Development and Social Change. He earned his doctorate at Yale University and his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University. He previously taught at Barnard College, Columbia University, and at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, where he also directed the National Center for Children in Poverty. He is an internationally recognized expert in child development and social policy and has co-edited Neighborhood Poverty: Context and Consequences for Children (1997, Russell Sage Foundation), Assessing the Impact of September 11th 2001 on Children Youth and Parents: Lessons for Applied Developmental Science (2004, Erlbaum) and Child Development and Social Policy: Knowledge for Action (2007, APA Publications).

His basic research examines the influence of poverty and violence at the family and community levels and on the social, emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and academic development of children and youth. Aber also designs and conducts rigorous evaluations of innovative programs and policies for children, youth, and families, such as school-based social-emotional learning programs, teacher training, violence prevention, literacy and numeracy development, poverty reduction, and comprehensive services initiatives. He testifies frequently before Congress, state legislatures, and other deliberative policy forums. The media, public officials, private foundations, and leading nonprofit organizations frequently seek his opinion or advice about pressing matters concerning child and family well-being.

In 2007 he served as the Nannerl O. Keohane Distinguished Visiting Professor at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 2008 and 2009 he served part-time as Visiting Research Professor in Evidence-based Social Interventions in the Department of Social Policy and Social Work, University of Oxford. In 2016, he served as Visiting Research Professor of Social and Behavioral Psychology at the London School of Economics. He also chaired the board of directors of several international efforts including the Children’s Institute, University of Cape Town, South Africa; and the “Accelerating Achievement for Africa’s Adolescents” Research HUB and the International Research Network on Children and Armed Conflict of the Social Science Research Council, in collaboration with the Special Representative to the Secretary General of the United Nations on Children and Armed Conflict and UNICEF. Currently he serves as co-Director of the Global TIES for Children research center at NYU where he currently conducts research on school- and community-based interventions to promote children’s academic and social-emotional learning in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Niger and Lebanon (in collaboration with the International Rescue Committee) and in Ghana (with Innovations for Poverty Action).

Daniel Anello has served as Chief Executive Officer of Kids First Chicago since 2015. Daniel Anello brings deep quantitative analytical skills and authentic lived experience to his role in supporting parent-led and data-informed change within Chicago’s public schools. He partners with families to help them gain the resources, information, access, and voice they need to achieve their vision for their children’s education. In recent years, parent leaders and Kids First Chicago have spearheaded Chicago’s groundbreaking digital equity program, Chicago Connected, led CPS’s most inclusive accountability policy redesign initiative to date, established a universal factbase for schools across the city, developed a universal enrollment platform for high schools, and organized local education improvements in communities across the city.

In 2015, Daniel was named in the inaugural class of Presidential Leadership Scholars, an initiative that draws upon the resources of the U.S. presidential centers of Lyndon B. Johnson, George H.W. Bush, William J. Clinton, and George W. Bush. He was a member of the Pahara-Aspen Education Fellowship Summer 2016 cohort and the Leadership Greater Chicago 2018-19 cohort. Daniel is also a member of Education Leaders of Color, and a Board member of Bottom Line Chicago and Chicago Urban League. In 2021, Daniel received a Medal of Honor from Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot for his leadership of the Chicago Connected program.

Daniel was invited to share his personal leadership story at the Presidential Leadership Forum in 2018; view his story here. Daniel received a BA in Mathematics from Williams College and an MBA from University of Chicago Booth.

Marc Brackett, Ph.D., is founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and professor in the Child Study Center at Yale University. His research focuses on the role of emotions and emotional intelligence in learning, decision making, creativity, relationships, health, and performance. Marc is the lead developer of RULER, an evidence-based, systemic approach to SEL that has been adopted by over 2,500 preschool to high schools across the United States and in other countries. He has published over 140 scholarly articles and received numerous awards, including the Joseph E. Zins award for his research on social and emotional learning. He also is on the board of directors for the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). Marc consults regularly with corporations like Facebook, Microsoft, and Google on integrating emotional intelligence principles into employee training and product design and is co-founder of Oji Life Lab, a digital emotional intelligence learning system for business. He is the author of Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help our Kids, Ourselves, and our Society Thrive, published by Celadon Books, a division of Macmillan.

Catherine Bradshaw is a university professor and the senior associate dean for research and faculty development at the University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development. Prior to her current appointment, she was an associate professor and the associate chair of the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she continues to hold an adjunct faculty appointment and affiliation with several research centers. She holds a doctorate in developmental psychology from Cornell University and a Master’s of education in counseling and guidance from the University of Georgia.

Her primary research interests focus on the development of behavior and mental health problems and school-based prevention and intervention programming. She collaborates on several federally funded research projects examining bullying and school climate; the development of aggressive and problem behaviors; effects of exposure to violence, peer victimization, and environmental stress on children; educational and disciplinary disparities; and the design, evaluation, and implementation of evidence-based prevention programs in schools. She presently collaborates on several randomized trials of school-based prevention programs, including Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and social-emotional learning curricula. She also has expertise in implementation science and coaching models.

Summer S. Braun, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and affiliated with the Center for Youth Development and Intervention at the University of Alabama. She leads the Well-Being Interventions for Teachers and Youth (WITY) Lab at the University of Alabama. She earned her Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies at The Pennsylvania State University, where her training motivated her to consider development in context. Her research centers on schools as a particularly important context for children’s development. Her program of research focuses on understanding the associations between teachers’ occupational health and well-being and their students’ social, emotional, and behavioral development using a variety of methodological approaches. Her work bridges research and practice by studying interventions designed to support the health and well-being of teachers and students, such as mindfulness-based wellness programs.

Board term starts Feb. 2025. Tommy Chang, Chief Executive Officer, New Teacher Center brings over 25 years of education experience and leadership to this role, including significant positions in schools, districts, and nonprofit organizations.His journey began with and continues to return to the life-changing moment he answered the call to become a teacher. Before his previous position as acting CEO and President of Families in Schools, Tommy spent three years as a consultant and coach to school system leaders and advised organizations such as Great Public Schools Now LA, Fourpoint Education Partners, and Whiteboard Advisors. He has served on several nonprofit boards such as Leading Educators and Silicon Schools Fund, as well as Education Leaders of Color, an organization dedicated to elevating the leadership, voices, and influence of people of color in education to lead more inclusive efforts to improve education. From 2015-2018, he served as superintendent for Boston Public Schools during which time the district saw increases in student graduation rates and decreases in school dropout rates. He also supported the development and implementation of The Essentials for Instructional Equity, an innovative framework for teaching and learning aimed at closing opportunity and achievement gaps.

Eric Gordon was appointed Chief Executive Officer at Positive Education Program (PEP) on July 1, 2025. In this role, Eric returns to the K-12 environment where he will lead the organization in providing services for children challenged by complex developmental trauma, mental health issues and autism, their families and the professionals who support them.

Prior to joining PEP, Eric Gordon served as the Senior Vice-President of Student Development and Education Pipeline at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) from 2023-2025. Eric served as a thought partner to the College President and trusted advisor to the President’s Cabinet. He was responsible for developing and implementing strategies that ensure a seamless transition for students as they move through different stages of education, from early childhood to post-secondary education and beyond. A key focus of Eric’s work was identifying and addressing gaps in the student development support systems to ensure students have access to the resources and support needed to succeed.

Before joining Tri-C, Eric served as the Chief Executive officer of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD), for 12 years. In that role, he was responsible for the leadership and daily management of Cleveland’s 35,600 student school district. During his tenure CMSD saw dramatic improvement in academic performance, including a 29-percentage point gain in graduation rates to a record 80.9%.

Among his many awards, Gordon received the Green-Garner Award of the Council of the Great City Schools in 2016, distinguishing him as the top Urban Educator of the Year, the highest national honor for an urban school superintendent. In addition to being named one of Cleveland Magazine’s “Most Interesting People” early in his tenure as superintendent, Mr. Gordon’s active engagement in the Cleveland community as well as across the state and nation has been noted with a number of other recognitions, including the Diversity Center of Cleveland’s Humanitarian Award, Inside Business Magazine’s Power 100 Award and Smart Business Magazine’s Top 50 Award, which honors the most successful executives in northeast Ohio, the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation’s Outstanding Ohio Superintendent Performance Award, and most recently the Mary Utne O’Brien Social Emotional Learning Leader Lifetime Achievement Award from the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL).

Paul Goren currently serves as Director of the Center for Education Efficacy, Excellence and Equity, and as Chief Strategy Advisor and Lecturer for the Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy. Between 2014-2019, he was Superintendent of Schools for the Evanston/Skokie (IL) School District 65 where he implemented early literacy curricular reforms, established climate teams and approaches to social/emotional learning and restorative justice in every building, and led a robust equity agenda that included racial identity training for 1400 employees over a 2-year period. Prior to joining District 65, Goren was the Senior Vice President for Program at the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) in Chicago. Previously he served as the Interim Chief for Strategy and Accountability for Chicago Public Schools while working as Executive Director of the Consortium on Chicago School Research. A former middle school social studies and math teacher and basketball coach, Goren worked on the senior administrative teams of the Minneapolis Public Schools and the San Diego Unified School District. He served for over a decade as Senior Vice president of the Spencer Foundation and as a Program Director for Child and Youth Development at the MacArthur Foundation. He also worked in the education policy studies group at the National Governors’ Association as Senior Policy Analyst, as Deputy Director, and then as Director. Goren graduated with a BA from Williams College, a Master of Public Affairs degree from the LBJ School of Public Policy at the University of Texas-Austin, and a PhD from Stanford University.

Dr. Rose Prejean-Harris is the Assistant Superintendent 6-12 Curriculum & Instruction DeKalb County School District. Rose has been a member of CASEL’s CDI and CNP, advocating for systemic SEL across the country, mentoring new districts, and sharing her tools and resources via national professional learning opportunities as well as CASEL’s learning platforms

Rose has 28 years of experience in K-12 education working as a Principal, Assistant Principal, Counselor, and Science Teacher. She is a Louisiana native and received her B.S. in Science Education from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, a M.Ed. in School Counseling from the University of West Georgia and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Mercer University. Dr. Prejean-Harris believes that in order for students to gain access to a challenging curriculum, their social and emotional needs must also be addressed by caring adults who are also self-aware and skilled in meeting the needs of all children. The depth of SEL reaches beyond the classroom and changes the lives and communities in which we live.

Dr. Janice K. Jackson is the CEO of Hope Chicago, a Senior Fellow at Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and the former chief executive officer for Chicago Public Schools. As a former student, teacher, principal, Network Chief, Chief Education Officer, and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Janice K. Jackson has been immersed in Chicago Public Schools her entire life.

As the former CEO of the third largest school district in the country, Dr. Jackson is a forward-thinking educator who focused on improving excellence, equity, and access in all CPS schools. Her efforts, along with those of Chicago’s dedicated teachers and principals, have propelled CPS students to record-breaking academic gains and have caused education experts across the country to regard Chicago as a national leader in the field of urban education.

A lifelong educator, Dr. Jackson is committed to providing all schools with a clear framework for excellence. She holds a master’s degree in leadership and administration and a doctorate in urban school leadership from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She resides in Chicago with her husband and two children, both CPS students.

Melissa Johnston is the CEO of Lemnis, an emerging philanthropic venture dedicated to expanding learning opportunities for all. Melissa’s extensive background in education policy, nonprofit leadership, and commitment to equitable learning, positions her aptly for this role.

Prior to Lemnis, she served as Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President for Partnerships at NWEA, where she orchestrated strategic planning, fostered key alliances, and facilitated innovative assessment solutions, playing a pivotal role in NWEA's asset sale to HMH. Melissa is personally committed to Lemnis honoring NWEA’s 40+ year legacy by embracing the core values of partnership, commitment to learning, and keeping students as the focus.

Before her tenure at NWEA, Melissa spent over 14 years at the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), where she served as Deputy Executive Director. In this capacity, she spearheaded strategic initiatives, cultivated partnerships, fundraised for the organization's $40M budget, and managed daily operations, all in pursuit of equitable education for every child.

Melissa is originally from Kentucky, where her father, who conducted the Lexington Philharmonic, instilled in her a profound love for playing instruments and appreciating music. Witnessing musicians coming together to create a deep connection with the community helped her recognize the unlimited potential of collective endeavors aimed at a shared objective.

Melissa holds a BA in American Studies and Black World Studies from Miami University and an MA from the School of Social Administration at the University of Chicago, with a concentration in policy analysis and nonprofit management. Melissa's career dedicated to education policy and the future of learning was profoundly shaped by her clinical social work experiences on Chicago’s south side.

Dr. Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl is the NoVo Foundation Endowed Chair in Social and Emotional Learning in the Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. From 1991 to 2020, she was a Professor in the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology, and Special Education in the Faculty of Education at University of British Columbia (UBC). In July, 2020, Dr. Schonert-Reichl completed a five-year appointment as the Director of the Human Early Learning Partnership in the School of Population and Public Health in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC.

Known as a world-renowned expert in the area of social and emotional learning (SEL), Dr. Schonert-Reichl’s research focuses on identification of the processes that foster positive human qualities such as empathy, compassion, altruism, and resiliency in children and adolescents. She is the recipient of the 2021 Janusz Korczak Medal for Children’s Rights Advocacy, the 2019 Postsecondary Leader of the Year Award – Canadian Edtech Awards, the 2015 Joseph E. Zins Distinguished Scholar Award for outstanding SEL research, and the 2009 Confederation of University Faculty Associations BC’s Paz Buttedahl Career Achievement Award. Dr. Schonert-Reichl’s research has been highlighted in major outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Le Monde, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, and many more. Since 2006, Dr. Schonert-Reichl has been invited to participate in several dialogues with the Dalai Lama on the themes of cultivating compassion and educating the heart.

Dr. Schonert-Reichl received her MA in Educational Psychology from the University of Chicago, her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Iowa, and completed her postdoctoral work as a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Fellow in the Clinical Research Training Program in Adolescence at the University of Chicago and the Department of Psychiatry at Northwestern University Medical School. Prior to her graduate work, Dr. Schonert-Reichl worked as middle school teacher and then as a teacher at an alternative high school.

In loving memory of Dr. Roger P. Weissberg.

Roger P. Weissberg was CASEL’s chief knowledge officer and board vice chair. He was also UIC Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). For the past four decades, Weissberg trained scholars and practitioners about innovative ways to design, implement, and evaluate family, school, and community interventions.

Weissberg authored more than 260 publications focusing on positive youth development programming to enhance the social, emotional, and academic learning of children and adolescents. He was the president of the American Psychological Association’s Society for Community Research and Action. He co-chaired an American Psychological Association task force on “Prevention: Promoting Strength, Resilience, and Health in Young People.” He also served both as a commissioner and as a member of the Council of Distinguished Scientists for the National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development. Weissberg was a recipient of the William T. Grant Foundation’s five-year Faculty Scholars Award in Children’s Mental Health, the Connecticut Psychological Association’s Award for Distinguished Psychological Contribution in the Public Interest, and the National Mental Health Association’s Lela Rowland Prevention Award. He received the 2000 American Psychological Association’s Distinguished Contribution Award for Applications of Psychology to Education and Training and the Society for Community Research and Action 2004 Distinguished Contribution to Theory and Research Award. He received the 2008 “Daring Dozen” award from the George Lucas Educational Foundation for being one of 12 people who are reshaping the future of education. He was named NoVo Foundation Endowed Chair in Social and Emotional Learning Research in 2011, and LAS/UIC Distinguished Professor in 2014. In 2013, Weissberg became one of 12 new members elected to the National Academy of Education for his contributions to education research and policy.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, Professor Weissberg graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a bachelor’s in psychology from Brandeis University in 1974. He received his Ph,D, from the University of Rochester in 1980. He was the research director for the Primary Mental Health Project from 1980 to 1982. He was a professor in the Psychology Department at Yale University between 1982 and 1992, where he collaborated with the New Haven Public Schools to establish New Haven’s kindergarten through grade 12 Social Development Project. Weissberg lived in Wilmette, Illinois. He was a faculty member at UIC since 1992. He directed CASEL between 1996 and 2014 when he became CASEL’s Chief Knowledge Officer. He is survived by his wife, Stephanie Wright, a retired clinical psychologist, and two wonderful children, Elizabeth and Ted.

Andrea Wishom joined Skywalker Properties as the chief operations officer in June 2015. As the leader of this diverse organization, she oversees all operations for various entities and business ventures including real estate, family office, archives, media, marketing, and special projects. She also oversees the charitable distributions for the George Lucas Family Foundation and is part of the key strategic counsel and day-to-day lead in the development of the new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles. Her experience in managing complex media enterprises in a fast-paced industry positions her well for this new global role.

A veteran award-winning media executive, Wishom joined Skywalker from Harpo Productions, where she launched and developed some of the most successful programming for The Oprah Winfrey Show and OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. During her 22 year-career she produced some of Oprah Winfrey’s most memorable and highest-rated productions, including “Oprah’s Farewell at The United Center,” “President Barack and Michelle Obama,” “The Legends Ball” (2005), and “Oprah Winfrey Presents: Legends who Paved the Way” (2014). When Oprah created a new cable network in 2011, Wishom expanded her role and became executive vice president of programming, production, and development and launched its highest-rated show, “Oprah’s Next Chapter.” As executive producer, she managed the teams and budgets to develop and produce interviews that would help establish OWN as a top 30 network in its first year. She would go on to become executive producer of Super Soul Sunday, which won a GLAAD award in 2015.

Wishom was a key strategic leader outside of television as well. When Oprah went on an eight-city arena tour (“Oprah’s Life You Want”), Wishom formed and led the branding and key creative programming for the multi-platform venture.

Recently Wishom joined the advisory board of Spokin, a mobile first platform that quickly and privately connects consumers navigating health issues. She is also on the boards of the George Lucas Educational Foundation (Edutopia) and the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools.

Wishom grew up in San Francisco and earned her bachelor’s in English Literature from the University of California, Berkeley. After graduation, she attended the famed Radcliffe Publishing Course in Cambridge, Mass. She currently lives in Chicago with her husband and three children.

Mark Greenberg Ph.D. is the Emeritus Bennett Chair of Prevention Science at Penn State University. He is a Founding Board Member of CASEL. He is the author of over 350 journal articles and book chapters on the development of well-being, learning and the effects of prevention efforts on children and families. He is also a senior investigator on numerous national and international research projects including Fast Track, PROSPER, the Family Life Project, REDI, MYRIAD, and PATHS to Success. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the Urie Bronfenbrenner Award for Lifetime Contribution to Developmental Psychology in the Service of Science and Society from the American Psychological Association. One of his current interests is how to help nurture awareness and compassion in our society. He is the Chairperson of the Board of CREATE, a non-profit devoted to improving the quality of schooling and the lives of teachers and students (www.createforeducation.org).

Linda Darling-Hammond is the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education Emeritus at Stanford University and founding president of the Learning Policy Institute, created to provide high-quality research for policies that enable equitable and empowering education for each and every child. She is past president of the American Educational Research Association and author of more than 30 books and 600 other publications on educational quality and equity, including the award-winning book: The Flat World and Education: How America’s Commitment to Equity will Determine our Future. In 2006, she was named one of the nation’s ten most influential people affecting educational policy. She led the Obama education policy transition team in 2008 and the Biden education transition team in 2020. She was appointed President of the California State Board of Education in 2019.

Ann Nerad’s community involvement and advocacy during the past four decades have focused on mental health, prevention, human services, children, and education. While serving on the board of the National Mental Health Association from 1982-1990, she became involved in prevention activities related to schools. She testified before the NMHA Prevention Commission about the importance of mental health education in the schools. Since 1986 she has served in collaborative initiatives to implement evidence-based social and emotional learning programs in the Chicago Public Schools, in Illinois’ DuPage County, and in her own local school district. Since becoming a founding board member of CASEL, she has been a steadfast advocate for the inclusion of social and emotional learning in federal legislation.

She has served on the boards and as president of the Mental Health Association in Illinois; Prevention First, Inc. in Illinois; the DuPage Federation on Human Services, an initiative of the Governor’s Task Force on Human Services Reform; and the Elementary District 181 Foundation. She also served on the Advisory Board of Futures for Kids, an initiative of the former First Lady of Illinois. Recently, she was selected to be part of the Greater Naples Leadership Masters Program Class XXV. Recognition for her community leadership has included the Outstanding Service Award from the Junior League of Chicago; Outstanding Woman Leader in DuPage County in the Volunteer Category; and Pioneer Press Volunteer of the Year Award.

She and her husband Jerry have three adult children and six grandchildren. As a former elementary teacher, a mother of three and grandmother of seven pre-school thru college-age children, she is passionate about the need for social and emotional learning programs in the schools.

Shruti Sehra is a Managing Partner at New Profit, where she leads the Education Team. In this role she supports capacity-building of education organizations and facilitates collaboratives of social entrepreneurs, funders, researchers, policy influencers, and opinion leaders aligning actions to fundamentally reimagine the future of teaching and learning in America. Prior to this, Shruti led New Profit’s portfolio management practice, ensuring organizations were receiving the support and resources they needed both from New Profit and from the Monitor Institute by Deloitte through pro-bono strategic engagements. In addition to leading the Education Team, Shruti currently serves on the boards of CASEL, Envision Education, PowerMyLearning, and Zearn and chairs the board of New Teacher Center.

Shruti joined New Profit in 2006 while finishing a joint M.B.A./M.P.A. Prior to graduate school, she managed a campaign for State Assembly in California while starting up a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping critically ill workers. Before that, she spent seven years working in the private sector, initially as an engineer at Honeywell, an aerospace engine manufacturer, and later in a series of quality management positions at Howmet Castings, an aerospace casting manufacturer, and Jabil Circuit, an electronics manufacturing services company. Shruti holds an S.B. in chemistry from MIT, an M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and an M.P.A. from Harvard Kennedy School and is a Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow.

When not rigorously pursuing social change, Shruti meditates, loves cooking-especially trying out new dishes-and works hard to expose her nieces to social justice and activism.