Suzanne Tacheny Kubach, PhD, a Fellow in the 16th class of the Aspen Institute’s Pahara-Aspen Education Fellowship and Member, Aspen Global Leadership Network, is now a full-time practicing abstract artist. You can find her work by following @SuzTachArt on IG and FB, or on her website, www.SuzanneKubach.com.

She first joined the Pahara community as the founding executive director of the Policy Innovators in Education (PIE) Network. The Network’s first meeting convened 15 state-based advocacy leaders from 12 state and four national partners. At the time of her transition in 2019, the network connected over 100 state-based education reform organizations from 35 states and D.C. along with over 20 national partner organizations.

Formerly a gubernatorial appointee to the California State Board of Education (2001-2005), Suzanne led policy work guiding California’s accountability system, the adoption of statewide testing contracts, NCLB implementation, and innovations in score reporting. Suzanne also led a statewide organization of leading businesses advocating to improve standards and accountability in California schools (2000-2004). While in California, notable non-profit board leadership included service on the boards of WestEd and the California Theater for Children.

A nationally recognized education leader, she has been published in the Huffington Post, Education Week, the LA Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, Educational Leadership, and various business journals. She earned a Doctorate in Education Policy from the University of Southern California and was distinguished as a USC Presidential Fellow. Suzanne holds a BA in communications from the University of Minnesota.

Suzanne currently lives in her hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota where she recently served on the boards of boards of the Guthrie Theater and the founding board for the Everwood Farmstead Foundation. She is also the and head servant to her cat, The Tidbit.