Lea Crusey

Vice Chair

"I am inspired by the power and potential of DC’s scholars, PK through adult. My work as a Board member is grounded in the belief that every child can achieve, and my responsibility as an adult and Board member is to support students reaching their greatest potential. I work through my optimism that is rooted in this prize: All students are prepared for college and life."

Ms. Crusey began her career as a teacher through Teach for America, first in East Palo Alto, California, and later in Singapore. Following graduate school, she returned to her roots in education, establishing an advisory board for KIPP Chicago, then working for StudentsFirst, and later Democrats for Education Reform. In the Obama Administration, she served as an appointee in the US Department of Education, advising on P-12 education policy including teacher preparation, charter schools, Promise Neighborhoods, and literacy. Currently, Ms. Crusey is the founder and CEO of Allies for Educational Equity, a non-partisan, grassroots-funded Political Action Committee designed to unite the political voice of education reformers. Ms. Crusey holds a bachelor’s degree from Claremont McKenna College with a double major in government and history and a master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy.