Michelle Culver is the founder of the Reinvention Lab at Teach For America. A fierce believer in the innate power of young people to shape our dynamic world, Michelle has helped Teach For America scale and innovate for over two decades. She began her career teaching 5th grade in Compton in the late 90s. She then helped forge the organization’s first national Teacher Support and Development team to improve effectiveness & increase diversity during a decade in which the teaching corps grew 10-fold. As the Senior Vice President and later Executive Vice President of Regional Operations, Michelle directly oversaw regions across the country-- responsible for a $68m operating budget, 2,000 teachers, 10,000 alumni, 300 staff members and 200,000 students.

Steeped in her experience with the fastest improving school districts in the country, Michelle grew her conviction that we need a more fundamental redesign of the American public education system. In founding the Reinvention Lab, she works with a multigenerational team to define this future and build new offerings to advance that vision.

When Michelle’s not working, she’s growing her roots in Denver, CO and watching her two daughters turn into powerful, creative, and open-hearted young leaders.