Preparing for Thriving in a Future We Cannot Yet Fully Imagine

As school systems across the country navigate rapid change, we’ve realized that how we support teaching and learning must evolve, too.

Our team at Leading Educators has been reflecting on what this moment requires—not just from schools and systems, but from us as a partner. It’s clear that the work ahead calls for more than strong individual initiatives and solutions tied to the current paradigms. It demands systems and ecosystems that can continuously learn, adapt, and improve quickly so every student can thrive in the present and in a future we can’t yet fully imagine.

To meet that moment, we are evolving how we lead our work.

We’re proud to share that Karolyn Belcher has been named President of Leading Educators, a newly established role designed to strengthen execution, deepen organizational coherence, and expand our ability to deliver sustained impact for students and educators nationwide.

Why this change—and why now

This is an intentional investment in our mission’s future.

Over the past several years, Leading Educators has grown in both reach and complexity. As we expand our partnerships with districts and states—and deepen our current work within systems to include new capabilities—we’ve reached a point where our leadership structure must evolve to match our ambition.

This is about strengthening our ability to do what we’ve always set out to do: help systems align for coherence, strengthen teaching at scale, and build the conditions for continuous improvement.

A leadership model built for this moment

The introduction of the President role reflects a deliberate shift in how we operate.

As CEO, Chong-Hao Fu will continue to focus on long-term strategy, innovation, and shaping the future of teaching and learning across the field. As President, Karolyn will lead execution across our programs, growth strategy, and operations—ensuring that our work is aligned, coherent, and designed to deliver results at scale.

This structure allows us to do two essential things at once:

• Deliver strong, consistent results for partners today
• Continue building the next generation of teaching and learning for tomorrow

What this means for our partners

For the districts and states we serve, this evolution strengthens our ability to provide coherent, reliable, and sustained support that galvanizes the most important work and practices at every level of the system.

This change ensures we can:

• Deliver consistent, high-quality advising and improvement support at scale
• Enable system-wide coherence across priorities and initiatives
• Partner more effectively over the long term to drive sustained improvement

A proven leader for the complex work ahead

Karolyn brings deep experience leading both school systems and national nonprofit organizations.

Prior to joining Leading Educators, she served as president of TNTP, guiding the organization through a period of significant growth that expanded its reach nationwide. She also served as chief academic officer of Charleston County School District, where she led system-wide investments that contributed to measurable gains in student learning.

Since joining Leading Educators as Chief Growth Officer—and serving as interim CEO—Karolyn has played a central role in strengthening our partnerships and expanding our impact.

She shared this perspective on stepping into the role:

“What inspires me most about this role is the opportunity to deepen our partnerships with school systems at a time when the work feels both more complex and more important than ever. I believe deeply in the power of educators—and in the importance of building systems that support them consistently and coherently. I’m excited to continue working alongside our partners to strengthen teaching, support leaders, and expand what is possible for every student.”

Looking ahead

This moment represents more than an organizational change—it reflects our continued commitment to growing in ways that matter.

As we look ahead, our focus remains clear: to help school systems strengthen teaching and learning today while building the capacity to adapt and lead in a rapidly changing world.

We’re grateful to partner with so many educators and leaders across the country—and excited for what we can continue to build together.