Nellie Mae Education Foundation Announces New President and CEO

National Leader in Social Change Dr. Gisele C. Shorter Appointed

QUINCY, Mass., June 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Today, the Nellie Mae Education Foundation (NMEF) Board of Directors is announcing Dr. Gisele C. Shorter, a nationally recognized executive leader and social change strategist, will serve as President and CEO effective July 11, 2023. For the last 15 years, Shorter – who previously served as the director of National Education Strategy at Raikes Foundation – has led large-scale and community-based programmatic, research, and policy initiatives to advance justice and equity, close health disparities, and ensure access and opportunities for BIPOC youth to prosper.

“I am proud to be selected by the Board to lead the next phase of growth and impact at the Nellie Mae Education Foundation and eager to partner with staff and community partners to advance racial justice and educational equity across New England,” said Dr. Gisele C. Shorter. “In my experience, I’ve found that we can solve some of the most difficult and enduring challenges in our educational system by formulating solutions in partnership with students, educators, and families. I am excited to build on the Foundation’s rich history of investing in community transformation and partnerships that advance schools as places where every young person is accepted, valued, and supported in their learning and development. This is at the heart of what matters to families in every community and state within the region.”

Dr. Shorter has extensive experience in leading youth development, education, and community-based organizations through programmatic resets, large-scale culture change initiatives, and strategic re-engineering. In 2018, she joined the Raikes Foundation to advance justice and equity in the redesign of the national public education system by leveraging the science of learning and development.

“The Nellie Mae Education Foundation’s board of directors is thrilled to have selected Dr. Gisele C. Shorter as president and CEO,” said Dr. Warren Simmons, board chair of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation. “As New England’s largest philanthropic organization focused solely on education, the Foundation has helped our region flourish over the last 25 years by supporting educators and preparing students from all backgrounds for academic success. Dr. Shorter’s work is rooted in the belief that an equitable society starts with an equitable education system. Her distinctive expertise and knowledge in developing and leading national educational policy initiatives that create learning environments that advance student success will support the Foundation’s critical mission to increase educational equity in New England. We welcome Dr. Shorter as we embark on the work ahead and chart a shared path in continuing to build on the Foundation’s mission and vision of championing efforts that prioritize community goals that challenge racial inequities and advance excellent, student-centered public education so that all New England youth are prepared to succeed and thrive in the community. I personally would like to thank Jessica Spohn and Mike Carey as they supported the Foundation during a President and CEO transition even as they were preparing for retirement. I am very grateful for their leadership and commitment to this important work and wish them well as they prepare for their next chapter.”

“Congratulations to Dr. Gisele Shorter for this well-deserved appointment!” said Gladys Vega, Executive Director of the Chelsea Collaborative. “I had the honor of interviewing Dr. Shorter and hearing directly from her a vision of diversity and inclusion in education that benefits and values all students and families. With her track record of effective leadership, experience in education, and systems change I am confident that her appointment will be transformational for our education system and the students and families we serve.”

About The Nellie Mae Education Foundation

Over the last 25+ years, The Nellie Mae Education Foundation has been at the forefront of supporting young people – especially young people of color – to have access to high-quality systems of public education. We are proud to have been part of efforts over the last ten years to advance personalized, student-centered approaches to learning across the New England region. We learned that for student-centered practices to flourish, the structural racial inequities present in our education system needed to be addressed. Now, we are focusing our grantmaking strategically on addressing structural racism and white supremacy in our education system, so that all youth have access to an excellent and equitable public education.

SOURCE Nellie Mae Education Foundation