About Karolyn Belcher
Karolyn Belcher serves as President of Leading Educators, where she leads execution across the organization’s programs, growth strategy, and operations to strengthen coherence, scale, and impact.
Drawing on more than three decades of experience as a teacher, principal, school system leader, and advisor, she works to build the conditions for systems to continuously improve—aligning resources, strengthening teaching at scale, and supporting educators to meet the evolving needs of students. She previously served as the organization's first Chief Growth Officer.
Before joining Leading Educators, Karolyn served as interim superintendent at Achievement First, a nationally recognized charter network of over forty schools in Connecticut, New York, and Rhode Island, and chief academic officer at Charleston County School District (CCSD). While at CCSD, she initiated systemic investments that positioned students to post significant gains on NAEP between 2019 and 2024 despite pandemic disruptions. Before that, she was the president of TNTP, guiding the organization through a period of remarkable growth that expanded its reach sixfold.
She also served as interim chief talent officer for the Alliance College-Ready Public Schools network in Los Angeles and founded the John A. Reisenbach Charter School in Harlem, N.Y. Karolyn earned her degrees from Mount Holyoke College and Teachers College at Columbia University.
Drawing on more than three decades of experience as a teacher, principal, school system leader, and advisor, she works to build the conditions for systems to continuously improve—aligning resources, strengthening teaching at scale, and supporting educators to meet the evolving needs of students. She previously served as the organization's first Chief Growth Officer.
Before joining Leading Educators, Karolyn served as interim superintendent at Achievement First, a nationally recognized charter network of over forty schools in Connecticut, New York, and Rhode Island, and chief academic officer at Charleston County School District (CCSD). While at CCSD, she initiated systemic investments that positioned students to post significant gains on NAEP between 2019 and 2024 despite pandemic disruptions. Before that, she was the president of TNTP, guiding the organization through a period of remarkable growth that expanded its reach sixfold.
She also served as interim chief talent officer for the Alliance College-Ready Public Schools network in Los Angeles and founded the John A. Reisenbach Charter School in Harlem, N.Y. Karolyn earned her degrees from Mount Holyoke College and Teachers College at Columbia University.
“As a recent chief academic officer, I think Leading Educators is one of the best in the business at building the capacity of everyone in the system and clarifying their role in the change that’s needed. That’s what leads to meaningful results.”
