SACRAMENTO, CA —Teach Plus, a national non-profit that empowers teachers to lead improvements in policy and practice, has announced that Sarah Lillis has joined the organization as Executive Director in California. Ms. Lillis will oversee the Teach Plus Policy Fellowships and teacher-led instructional practice programs, as well as guide the organization’s teacher leadership work in the state. Ms. Lillis most recently served as the COO and Director of the EdVoice Institute, a non-profit advocacy organization working to ensure that every child in California has an equitable opportunity to learn.
“Sarah’s deep expertise in the education policy landscape will be an outstanding asset for teachers and learners across California,” said Roberto J. Rodríguez, Teach Plus President & CEO. “We’re thrilled to welcome her to our team and to grow our work and partnerships in California under her leadership.”
“I am very excited about my new role with Teach Plus. I have admired the organization’s work in developing teacher leaders and amplifying the voice of classroom practitioners in shaping education policy. I am looking forward to working with district leaders and state policymakers to ensure that excellent teachers are at the table as we shape and implement new policies to improve educational opportunities for all children in California,” said Ms. Lillis.
Ms. Lillis has spent almost two decades working in education policy and advocacy. At EdVoice, she oversaw the Institute’s educational and research efforts, including over 30 educational symposia for legislators. Prior to EdVoice, Ms. Lillis served as a program officer at Tides Foundation and at the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA). At Tides Foundation, she provided strategic consulting and advising to other philanthropic institutions and funding collaboratives. At the NYFA, Ms. Lillis managed several arts education programs, including a choral music initiative, supervising music educators in New York City schools and a professional development program for music education professionals.
Ms. Lillis graduated with a BA in classics from Harvard University and holds an MA in policy analysis and evaluation from Stanford University’s School of Education. She resides in Sacramento with her husband and two sons.
About Teach Plus
Teach Plus empowers excellent, experienced teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that affect their students’ success. Teach Plus programs are designed to place highly effective teachers at the center of improvements in schools as leaders of their peers and outside schools influencing policy decisions that affect their classrooms. The programs develop excellent teachers into leaders who achieve change and mobilize others in their school, district, state, and across the nation to bring change to scale. Since its inception in 2009, Teach Plus has grown to a network of more than 29,000 solutions-oriented teachers across the country. teachplus.org
