Our 14,000 alumni are a leadership force - working from within education and from every sector to effect fundamental change.

Political Leadership Initiative

One of the reasons why Teach For America is so important is that it’s preparing, through service, a whole array of people who can flow into our public institutions in major positions of leadership. It will change the nature of our politics.

- David Gergen,
Professor of Public Service and Director of Center for Public Leadership
Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government

About Leadership for Educational Equity Leadership for Educational Equity is a key partner in our work in supporting civic and political leadership. LEE is a membership-based organization that provides forums for Teach For America corps members and alumni to connect about issues related to politics, find news about education policy and alumni in politics, and access resources and tools to successfully navigate the world of government and politics.

To learn more and join, visit www.educationalequity.org.

Closing the achievement gap requires strong leaders at every level of government and policy who believe we can and must achieve this goal. The Political Leadership Initiative works to foster a culture of political engagement and leadership among our corps members and alumni. It provides tools, resources, and opportunities to help alumni influence the policies and priorities of local, state, and national government. It also helps prepare them to pursue elected positions in order to work toward educational equity in our nation.

Today there are 23 Teach For America alumni serving in elected public office across the country. They join 15 previous officeholders and hundreds of alumni who are working in government or advocacy, or are campaigning on behalf of candidates.

Resources

Alumni in Political Leadership

Contact

Resources

Leadership For Educational Equity Website (www.educationalequity.org): Alumni can explore a dynamic set of resources, toolkits, job listings, and social networking features to connect with other corps members and alumni and with opportunities to get involved in politics at all levels.
Political Engagement Advice: For alumni considering a career in politics, our team can help think through options and next steps to start them on their way.
Political Leadership Training and Mentoring: A wide range of national and regional partners provide advocacy, campaign, and leadership training for alumni.
Virtual Information Sessions: Alumni can learn about pathways to and preparation for professional opportunities in politics and government. Recent sessions have included "Careers on Capitol Hill" and "Getting Involved in Presidential Campaigns."
Political Leadership E-newsletter: News of alumni leaders, key political developments, and jobs and resources like virtual information sessions is delivered to alumni inboxes each month.

Alumni in Political Leadership

Tina Hone

Bay Area ’92
Member, Fairfax County, Va. School Board
Held leadership positions in nonprofits and government, including serving as associate undersecretary for economic affairs at the U.S. Department of Commerce
Attended a non-partisan Women’s Campaign Forum candidate training through a Political Leadership Initiative partnership; received endorsement of Women’s Campaign Forum

Bill Norbert

Greater New Orleans ‘90
Attorney, State Attorney General Office, Former Representative in the Maine State Legislature
Served as the minority whip in the Maine Legislature, where he participated in determining the state’s funding for education and policies on competency requirements for teachers, student testing standards, and teacher recruitment strategies
After several years in office, left the legislature to join the state attorney general’s office where he now works on issues of equal access to higher education as the government affairs manager for the Finance Authority of Maine

Contact Us

If you would like to learn more about the Political Leadership Initiative and how we might be able to partner with your organization, contact lead@teachforamerica.org.