A member of Teach Plus’ Senior Leadership Team, Anya Grottel-Brown (she/her) leads the organization’s communications effort and works to advance Teach Plus’ vision, strategic planning, and impact agenda. She shapes the brand and media strategy at the national level and regionally across 12 states on a range of issues in K-12 education, with special focus on Teach Plus’ policy priorities and initiatives. She helms the development and implementation of a comprehensive portfolio of communications, brand, and network products, including policy briefs and research reports; op-eds; blog; website; and social media. In 2022, Anya launched Senior Writing Fellows, a program for Teach Plus alumni to hone their op-ed writing skills on timely and critical topics.
Prior to joining Teach Plus in 2014, Anya was a member of the executive team at two public relations agencies specializing in education and non-profit communications. Anya’s work in education communications has been recognized with two PR News NonProfit PR Awards for Best Media Relations and one of the year’s Best Marketing Campaign and Best Event PR Awards. A seasoned media trainer, Anya has successfully prepared hundreds of teachers nationwide to work with the press. Her how-to article “The Reluctant Spokesperson,” published in the PRNews Media Training Guidebook, offers a roadmap for turning reluctant spokespeople into an audience invested in working with the press.
Born in Russia, Anya holds an Honors BA in East Asian Studies from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She spent five years in Japan, where she taught English and reported for a regional newspaper. Anya’s commentary has been published in The Guardian, Education Post, and on Medium. She lives in Los Angeles.
