Dr. Natalie C. Neris is the Chief Engagement and Integration Officer at Teach Plus, where she leads how the organization connects its priorities to how work is carried out across teams. She oversees engagement, talent, and learning, ensuring that leaders have clear expectations, aligned systems, and the support needed to follow through on Teach Plus’s strategy.
Working in close partnership with the CEO and senior leadership, Natalie focuses on strengthening how decisions are made, how work is coordinated, and how learning from implementation informs decisions. She plays a central role in building the internal conditions that allow Teach Plus to deliver on its mission and sustain impact over time.
Natalie brings over two decades of experience in public education, organizational leadership, and systems change. Prior to joining Teach Plus, she founded Root and Reimagine Consulting Collective, where she partnered with mission-driven organizations to lead strategic planning, organizational design, and stakeholder engagement efforts that move bold visions into action.
She previously served as Chief of Community Engagement at Kids First Chicago, where she partnered closely with Chicago Public Schools to lead a citywide stakeholder engagement effort that engaged more than 20K stakeholders across Chicago. That work helped inform the district’s transition from a rating-based accountability system to a more inclusive, continuous improvement–focused approach—one that centers equity, elevates school conditions alongside outcomes, and reflects stakeholder priorities in how school quality is defined and supported.
Natalie has also served as Executive Director of Namaste Charter School and Chief of Academic Accountability for Chicago International Charter School. She began her career as a public school teacher in Chicago, where she became a National Board Certified Teacher and received the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Natalie holds a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern Illinois University, a master’s degree from Concordia University, and a doctorate from National Louis University, where her research focused on designing infrastructure for inclusive policy design and systems change. She is a Pahara Fellow, Surge Institute Fellow, and Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow. She lives in Chicago and is the proud parent of two young adult daughters.
