Rochester, MI – Brightbeam, a national nonprofit working to bring a better education and brighter future to every child, is excited to welcome Lesley Guggenheim as Chief Operating Officer.
Guggenheim has more than 15 years of experience leading nonprofit work to support schools and educators across the country. While the roles have varied, her underlying purpose has always been to deliver an excellent education to students, particularly those in under-resourced schools.
She began her career working at — and later leading — the NYC Teaching Fellows (NYCTF) program. At the time, it was the country’s largest alternative certification program, bringing thousands of high quality, diverse educators to NYC’s highest-need schools. After leaving NYCTF, Guggenheim became a Partner and then a Vice President at TNTP. She led several large-scale, multi-year partnerships with school districts, including the NYC Department of Education where she helped design and launch a new teacher evaluation system to 75,000 teachers. As a member of TNTP’s leadership team, Guggenheim oversaw a large portfolio of contracts, clients, and staff in various cities. She also led their teacher pipeline strategy, focusing on continuously improving TNTP’s existing talent work as well as developing new and sustainable ways to expand its impact and ensure students had access to effective teachers and leaders.
Most recently, Guggenheim served as the Chief Operating Officer at Student Leadership Network, where she oversaw the implementation of the organization’s strategic plan and helped the organization significantly scale its work and impact. Guggenheim holds a BA in political science from Union College and an MPA in nonprofit management from New York University’s Wagner School.
“We are so excited about what Lesley brings to the table,” brightbeam CEO Chris Stewart said. “She’s got the leadership chops and experience to help us strengthen our operations here at brightbeam and we’re lucky to have her. Her skills will advance our capacity to demand better outcomes for children.”
About brightbeam
Brightbeam is a nonprofit network of education activists demanding a better education and a brighter future for every child. We shine a light on communities that challenge decision-makers to provide the learning opportunities all children need to thrive. We help credible messengers tell powerful stories that unite and move their communities to action. Brightbeam amplifies these stories through a variety of digital platforms, including Education Post, Citizen Ed, Project Forever Free, and more than a dozen local and regional sites that spotlight education issues nationally. To learn more, visit brightbeamnetwork.org.
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