Leading Educators Announces New Board Members

Dr. Tommy Chang and Tiffany Johnson Lewis bring expertise in school system leadership and finance

NEW ORLEANS, LA – January 28, 2021

Dr. Tommy Chang, the former Superintendent of Boston Public Schools, and Tiffany Johnson Lewis, a senior executive at JP Morgan Private Bank, will join the Leading Educators board of directors, bringing valuable expertise in a time of rapid change within the education sector. CEO Chong-Hao Fu and board chair Stuart Kaplan announced their appointments today. 

A nationally-recognized leader in curriculum-based professional learning design, Leading Educators uniquely specializes in supporting school systems to improve instruction, leadership, and learning conditions to reach equitable outcomes for Black, Latino/x, and Indigenous students. Amid organizational priorities for smart innovation and sustainability to help school systems bounce back stronger from the ongoing pandemic and national reckoning with racial injustice, Chang and Johnson Lewis will play important roles in defining the organization’s next five-year strategy.

Dr. Tommy Chang

A former biology teacher and principal, Dr. Tommy Chang is a fearless advocate for education equity and for fostering safe, welcoming, and sustaining learning environments for all students, including immigrants, LGBTQ youth, court-involved students, and homeless youth. He has earned national recognition as an education leader for his experiences in Boston and Los Angeles. 

Dr. Chang shared, “Every student deserves the opportunity to achieve the greatness within them. Unfortunately, there are clear opportunity gaps that most affect the youth that we have marginalized. I am honored to join an organization that is tackling issues of racial and systemic oppression heads-on by supporting schools and school systems to deliver a transformative educational experience for youth across the country.”

As Superintendent of Boston Public schools, Dr. Chang served 57,000 students in 125 schools. During his tenure, graduation rates increased, dropout rates decreased, and the school district had more high-performing schools than ever before. Previously as the Local Instructional Superintendent, Intensive Support & Innovation Center (ISIC) at the Los Angeles Unified School District, Dr. Chang oversaw 135 schools and approximately 95,000 students. In this role, he focused on school turnaround efforts and supported innovative school models across the school district.

Fu shared, “Tommy’s leadership is an incredible model of fighting for equity in real ways. He is unafraid of leading with his own identity, and as a system leader, he has been thoughtful about creating both belonging and academically-challenging opportunities for students. I’m thrilled about the experience and perspective he will bring to our work.”

Dr. Chang holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Loyola Marymount University, M.Ed. from the Principals Leadership Institute and Teachers Education Program at UCLA and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Tiffany Johnson Lewis

Tiffany Johnson Lewis is a senior executive within J.P. Morgan’s Private Bank. As Head of Private Investments’ Diverse Manager Investment Strategy, she develops strategies to shine intentional light on opportunities to invest behind diverse managers and teams. 

She shares, “My connection and commitment to equity is both professional and personal. I was a beneficiary of life changing educational opportunities and Leading Educators’ mission allows me to pay it forward.” Johnson Lewis says “recent events in our nation have shed light on and exacerbated the lack of access, inequity and bias in our education system. Now more than ever it is critically important that we ensure equitable opportunities are available to our next generation.” 

During her 15-year J.P. Morgan career, Johnson Lewis has successfully built businesses, underwritten multi-billion dollar funds, provided strategic advice to boards and management teams and collaborated on high-priority business initiatives across several industries. She uniquely embodies the power of diversity and advances equitable access in all of her spheres of influence. She brings a commitment to equity, deep commercial perspective, and experiences leading fundraising strategies. Johnson Lewis earned her B.S. in Finance from The Wharton School.

“Tiffany brings a unique commitment to racial equity with deep financial expertise. She is uniquely qualified to guide Leading Educators in achieving impact during this time of uncertainty,“ says Fu.

The Leading Educators board of directors is composed of thirteen members with experience in organizational change and leadership, education policy and leadership, business development, talent, and equity. Chang and Johson Lewis join Stuart Kaplan (Chair), Jay Altman, Al Bertani, Doug Borchard, Michelle Boyers, Sheila Brown, Jonas Chartock, Chong-Hao Fu (CEO), Kara Helander, Claudy Jules, and Elisa Villanueva-Beard (Ex-Officio).   

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ABOUT LEADING EDUCATORS

Leading Educators is reinventing professional development for teachers, igniting the potential for exponential impact in schools and across systems. We exist to ensure school systems have the strategy and tools to become the just and fair environments that every student deserves. 

We guide partners to strengthen the conditions for adult learning, such as collaboration time and quality curriculum; build enduring instructional leadership; and establish effective and engaging teaching practice. With better support and by working together, teachers can transform opportunity across schools and communities.

Media Contact:
Adan Garcia, Director of Communications
[email protected]
(202) 510-0827