Leading Educators Expands Leadership to Advance Math, Innovation, and AI Strategy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — October 15, 2025

As schools navigate a fast-changing world where technology, workforce needs, and other societal dynamics are rapidly evolving, Leading Educators is deepening its commitment to helping systems meet the moment while seeing around the corner with coherence, creativity, and purpose.

Today, we are excited to announce Dr. Shelbi Cole as our first Managing Director of Mathematics, and the promotion of Alexandra Magiera and Emily Schriber to new roles as Managing Directors of Innovation and AI Strategy, respectively.

These leadership additions signal a new era of forward-looking instructional improvement that connects excellent teaching with the opportunities—and responsibilities—of the future.

These leaders embody what makes our partnerships with school systems so powerful: deep expertise, a collaborative spirit, and an unwavering belief in what’s possible for every learner,” said Dr. LaKimbre Brown, Chief Program Officer at Leading Educators. “Each brings a remarkable ability to turn bold ideas into practical support for teachers and leaders that can scale.”

A New Chapter for Math Learning

As Managing Director of Mathematics, Dr. Shelbi Cole will lead efforts to modernize and humanize mathematics instruction—helping districts and states build systems that nurture curiosity, problem-solving, and the future-ready skills students need most.

Dr. Cole joins Leading Educators with decades of experience advising education systems, assessment collaboratives, and curriculum developers on standards-based math instruction. Her leadership reflects a belief that math isn’t static—it’s a dynamic, evolving way of making meaning in the world.

Before joining Leading Educators, Dr. Cole was Math Director at Student Achievement Partners, leading national projects in partnership with states, districts, nonprofits, and curriculum developers. She previously served as Director of Mathematics for the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, leading the multi-state collaborative in developing an assessment system from the ground up following the release of the Common Core State Standards. Currently, she serves as the chair for the Inclusion and Accessibility in Educational Assessment Special Interest Group for the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and is a member of the Smarter Balanced Technical Advisory Committee.

Innovation that Starts with Educators

Alexandra Magiera, newly appointed Managing Director of Innovation, will lead the design and delivery of breakthrough solutions to emerging student and educator needs. Her work focuses on transforming ideas from “what if” to “what works”, advancing the future of teaching and learning while ensuring innovation begins with educators and coherence.

Over her tenure at Leading Educators, Magiera has helped launch field-defining pilots—from a tech-enabled literacy initiative in New York City to the School Teams AI Collaborative—anchoring every effort in the belief that sustainable innovation starts with people. Previously, she worked at TNTP in multiple roles and partnered with teachers, district leaders, and state leaders across the country to co-create and scale meaningful solutions. 

She began her career as a kindergarten teacher, an experience that deepened her love for early childhood education and continues to shape her perspective on what students need most. With more than 15 years in public education, Magiera is dedicated to helping educators meet the evolving needs of students and communities.

AI for Human-Centered Systems

 As Managing Director of AI Strategy, Emily Schriber will guide the integration of artificial intelligence into instructional systems and professional learning models. Her team will help school systems explore practical, ethical, and scalable ways to use AI to strengthen teaching, planning, and student experiences.

With more than two decades of experience in instructional leadership and systems design, Schriber brings a pragmatic approach to innovation—helping education leaders build capacity for meaningful change in an era of rapid transformation. At Leading Educators, she previously led systemic partnerships with Yakima Public Schools, Chicago Public Schools, Oakland Unified School District, Charleston County School District, and Summit Public Schools.

Emily started her career as an elementary teacher in San Jose, California.

Advancing Coherent Improvement for the Future

Together, Cole, Magiera, and Schriber will extend Leading Educators’ impact as a national partner to school systems and states. Their leadership builds on more than a decade of proven results in literacy and math—and a growing body of work at the intersection of teaching, talent, and technology.

We believe the next chapter of improvement isn’t just about refining and improving the old playbook,” said Albert Kim, Chief Innovation Officer at Leading Educators. “It’s about collaborating with educators and students to shape and lead change together, so they’re authors of the future, not subjects of it.”

We’re Here for You

As uncertainty in the world poses new challenges in your sphere, we hope you will look to us as partners, allies, and guides. Later this fall, we’ll begin to share findings from our most comprehensive research efforts to date, a rigorous examination of more than 40 systemic partnerships that has helped us identify common ingredients in school systems that are improving student outcomes. 

In the meantime, we are here for you. Whether you want to gain a deeper understanding of current practices and the opportunities in your context, add fuel to your curriculum implementation efforts, or explore innovative learning at the intersection of content and technology, we are eager to help.