Dr. Carlos Beato is the Chief Transformation Officer at LEAP Innovations, where he oversees internal and external programming connected to district and school transformation, centered on human-centered design approaches to change.

Prior to joining LEAP Innovations, Carlos served as the founding principal at the International High School at Langley Park (IHSLP) in Bladensburg, Maryland. The school serves a 100% newcomer English Language Learner (ELL) student population and was the first competency-based high school for ELLs in the state of Maryland. In designing and implementing this innovative, student-centered school, Carlos and his team created a personalized, mastery-based model leveraging a strong advisory program and community partnerships to provide significant enrichment opportunities. Under his leadership, the school earned high national and metro-area rankings in U.S. News & World Report’s Best High Schools (2021 and 2022).

Previously, Carlos was a teacher and assistant principal in the Bronx and served as the Director of College Counseling at the College Bound Initiative. A Pahara Fellow and EdLoC member, he has spoken about his work at Johns Hopkins University, George Washington University, and the University of Maryland.

Carlos is a recipient of the NYC Teaching Fellowship and the Posse Foundation Leadership Scholarship. He holds a B.A. from Middlebury College, master's degrees from both CUNY Lehman College and New York University, and an Ed.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park, where his research focused on culturally responsive Mathematics and ELA instruction for ELLs. In August 2021, he co-authored “Unearthing Hidden Gems in an American Public High School: A Three-Pronged Approach to Meeting the Needs of Diverse Students Through an Equity Lens” for the Rutgers University Editorial Series on Reparative Justice, Racial Restoration, and Education.