Jennifer Ghidiu was quite nearly a high school dropout, and it would be an understatement to say her career/education journey has been non-traditional. After narrowly graduating high school in Central New York, Jennifer went on to drop out of college and to travel across the U.S., exploring careers in hospitality, entertainment and the arts, before succumbing to her true passion for teaching and learning. Her time in secondary classrooms from Seattle to Philadelphia included Teach for America training, a heavy dose of deeper learning, and the patient support of young people and families.

As the National Director of Network Schools, Jennifer’s role is ensuring strong, effective, responsive partnerships and coaching in schools, and building systems to improve our network learning, resources and collaboration. Her work brings together her favorite things: system change; student-centered learning design; meaningful measures; elegant solutions for vexing problems; and caring for people and fighting for equity.

An advocate for productive friction, Jennifer is a proud parent leader, a cancer survivor, and a Maker of trouble and of beautiful things.