Education Design Lab Board of Directors
Steering strategy and leadership to unlock opportunity for The New Majority Learners nationwide
OVERVIEW
Education Design Lab is a national nonprofit innovating in higher education to serve the “new majority” learner—nontraditional, underserved students—by co-designing learner-centered programs, micro-pathways, and skills-first credentials. As a board member and Chair of its Strategy Committee, I’ve led efforts in leadership transition, board recruiting, strategy definition, and oversight of career-connected learning innovation—all to amplify EDL’s mission to strengthen economic mobility across the U.S.
WHY EDL MATTERS
Education Design Lab is uniquely positioned at the intersection of design-thinking, education, and equity. They center human-centered design in every initiative—whether developing micro‑paths in community colleges or launching scalable employer-validated credentials. By focusing on “new majority” learners and economic mobility, they are reshaping higher education into a catalyst for opportunity and justice. EDL’s website is here: https://eddesignlab.org/
THE CHALLENGE
EDL reached a pivotal moment as it prepared to scale beyond its founding phase. With expanding partnerships across community colleges, employers, and funders, and an ambitious agenda for micro-pathways and skills-based credentialing, the board needed to:
Navigate the transition from founder-led to new‑model leadership
Refresh and sharpen the strategic framework to support rapid growth
Recruit diverse board and committee members to enhance governance
Maintain momentum in tackling economic inequity through education
THE WORK
Leadership Transition & CEO Search: Working closely with the Nominations Committee, we identified, vetted, and appointed Lisa Larson as the new CEO—ensuring a smooth and purposeful transition to guide the organization into its second decade .
Strategy Committee Oversight: As Chair, I led the refresh of EDL’s strategic priorities—modernizing our vision to prioritize scalable micro-pathways, micro-credentials, and sustainable career ecosystems. We honed focus on “learn+work solutions” that bridge community college learning with employer-validated credentials.
Nominations & Governance: In tandem with strategy work, I’ve chaired the Nominations Committee—deepening board expertise in education innovation, workforce systems, and equity to support more inclusive and effective oversight.
Program Advocacy & Partnerships: Across community college partnerships and initiatives like the Community College Growth Engine Fund, Skills‑first Future, and Texas Flywheel, I’ve served as an advocate and advisor—ensuring our governance structures align with on‑the‑ground implementation and measurement focused on economic mobility
THE IMPACT
Secured Future‑Ready Leadership: Through a rigorous CEO search and succession process, we placed a visionary, mission-aligned leader at the helm—scaling EDL’s impact as it enters its next chapter
Sharper Strategic Focus: The new strategy, guided by our committee, centers EDL’s investments in evidence-backed micro-pathways, skills-first credentials, and systemic innovation at community colleges.
Strengthened Governance: With a newly recruited board bringing deep domain experience, EDL is better equipped to guide program growth, steward funder confidence, and drive accountability.
Broadening Learner-Centered Innovation: Under board oversight, EDL has scaled programs reaching hundreds of community colleges and employers—redefining access and outcomes for “new majority” learners through co-designed credentials, validated skills, and college-to-career pathways