Strategist, systems thinker and student advocate ? Althea Holford is a multifaceted education leader. Althea is the vice president on the Seed Team at the Charter School Growth Fund. In her role, she identifies and supports school leaders in the early stages of creating, expanding, or replicating high-performing schools around the nation. Prior to joining Charter School Growth Fund, Althea served as the regional leader at EL Education where she oversaw the implementation of deeper learning practices across the west coast. Althea was also the managing director of Community and Government Affairs at KIPP DC where she successfully spearheaded their growth, community engagement, and student safety initiatives. Althea contributed heavily to the citywide Safe Passage program which seeks to secure safety for students traveling to and from school. Althea was also a senior policy advisor to the District of Columbia?s Deputy Mayor for Education. There she managed all school buildings in the District of Columbia?s portfolio and their reuse process which led to school modernizations, charter school utilization, and development. Trained as an attorney, Althea?s commitment to education is fueled by the promise of justice and access of Brown v. Board. She promotes excellence and innovation in education for communities; urban and rural that have been long denied the opportunity. Althea believes in the power of education to uplift all people. Althea received her Master?s in education leadership through the Broad Residency. She attended the George Washington University Law School and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst Commonwealth Honors College.