A Lasting Impact W/ Natalie Gray

The Teacher Recharge Podcast

Today's Guest: Natalie Gray

Growing up as a national park ranger’s daughter, Natalie was raised in our nation’s most beautiful places…and
some of our poorest schools. As she moved through high school in Van Horn, TX, she became increasingly
aware of this. She was taught to type and take shorthand, and her school was visited by every division of
the military, a host of trade schools, but never a single college. When she got to the University of Texas, she
felt acutely the gap between what she had learned in HS and what her friends from more affluent
communities had learned – and that realization led her to spend her career working to level the playing
field.

After completing an EdM at Harvard, she was intent on getting into the classroom, and taught fifth grade at
a private school for three years. What she learned there in terms of how more privileged children are
educated was staggering – and fueled her passion for helping change the realities that made the gap
between what “school” meant to kids in Van Horn versus what it meant for kids at Fort Worth Country Day
School so wide.

As a teacher, She discovered Summerbridge (now the Breakthrough Collaborative) and went on to help
launch two sites in Cincinnati and Fort Worth. She then led a site in Manchester, NH for seven years, served as a national program officer for two years, and, ultimately, helped open an innovation on the model at
her own alma mater, the University of Texas. Natalie worked at what is now Breakthrough Central Texas until 2008 when she joined Teach For America’s Human Assets team. While there, she designed and led ED professional development and served as the Vice President of Staff Learning and Development, leading a large, dispersed team to deliver staff training on topics including management, leadership, and diversity,
equity, and inclusiveness.

She is now working as an independent contractor and has been fortunate to work with
several organizations to produce meaningful work that supports their impact.

Enjoy today's episode!

Natalie Gray:

LinkedIn: Natalie Gray

FREE Copy of "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race" and a FREE 30 Day Trial: Audible

Fred Koepp:

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