Women Leading Ed to Serve as 2025-26 Google GSV Fellowship Coaching Partner
July 23, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Women Leading Ed will again collaborate with the Google GSV Education Innovation Fellowship by providing high-impact, personalized coaching experiences to the national community of district and state education leaders. Through this partnership, Women Leading Ed’s powerhouse network of current and former top district and state leaders join the community of support surrounding each Fellow — helping to equip them with the insight, strategy, and support needed to drive change at the cutting edge of education and technology
“At Women Leading Ed, we believe coaching should be transformational and intentionally focused on advancing leadership at every level,” said Dr. Julia Rafal-Baer, Women Leading Ed Founder and CEO. “Our work with the Google GSV Fellows is about more than supporting leadership, it’s about supercharging it. These are leaders navigating complex systems, making high-stakes decisions every day. Our coaching gives them the space, mindset shifts, and challenges they need to lead boldly and deliver results that matter for kids. We’re honored to support this extraordinary network of leaders.”
This past year, 21 WLE Network members, including men from the male ally board, provided tailored coaching to 25 Fellows throughout the year. WLE Network member coaching and support provided fellows with both strategic insight and a sounding board for leadership challenges along the way.
“It is a deeply rewarding and personally enriching experience to serve once again as a Women Leading Ed coach,” said Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt, Superintendent of Alexandria City Public Schools and returning coach. “The Google GSV Fellows are relentless in their drive to innovate for students, and this coaching gives them the strategic focus and support to turn that ambition into meaningful, lasting change.”
“What began as a bold vision—partnering with system-level leaders to drive innovation at scale—has grown into a powerful ecosystem of strategy, connection, and shared leadership,” said Tiffany Taylor, Partner & Co-President of the ASU+GSV Summit. “Executive coaching has been one of the most transformative elements of the Fellowship experience, offering seasoned leaders the space to reflect, challenge assumptions, and sharpen their strategies alongside trusted peers. Jennie Magiera (Global Head of Education Impact at Google) and I, along with the fellowship team, are grateful to collaborate with Women Leading Ed—under the leadership of Julia Rafal-Baer—to bring that vision to life.”
Now in its third year, the Google GSV Education Innovation Fellowship aims to advance the work of K-12 superintendents and top-level instructional leaders dedicated to using technology as a lever for innovation and impact. The 32 fellows that comprise the 2025-2026 fellowship cohort collectively serve some 3.8 million students in top jobs at both the district and state levels.
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More about Dr. Julia Rafal Baer, CEO and founder, Women Leading Ed
Dr. Julia Rafal-Baer, is a distinguished leader in education with a formidable two-decade career marked by creating and leading initiatives that have profoundly impacted nearly every student nationwide. Her leadership in founding and implementing transformative programs such as Women Leading Ed, the Forum for Educational Leadership, Future Chiefs, and Women in Leadership has shaped the landscape of education leadership across the United States. Dr. Rafal-Baer serves on numerous boards, including her two-time appointment to the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) by the U.S. Secretary of Education. Her work has been spotlighted by leading media outlets, and she is frequently invited to speak at national forums, legislative bodies, and educational conferences across the country.
More about Women Leading Ed
Women Leading Ed (WLE) is the largest national nonprofit network of women in education leadership. WLE is committed to supporting and advancing women in education leadership through research, advocacy, and engagement with women at every stage of their leadership journeys. Women Leading Ed is taking on the big challenges facing the field and building a dynamic network within which leaders collaborate. Women Leading Ed is committed to fearlessly advocating for greater representation of women in education leadership, and shaping the public dialogue about education leadership more broadly using research and storytelling.
WLE is guided by a prestigious advisory board that includes:
Kirsten Baesler – Superintendent, North Dakota Department of Public Education
Dr. Susana Córdova – Commissioner, Colorado Department of Education
Dr. Margaret Crespo – Superintendent-in-Residence, ILO Group
Dr. Mary Elizabeth Davis – Superintendent, Cherokee County School District, GA
Dr. Susan Enfield – Superintendent-in-Residence, ILO Group
Angélica Infante-Green – Commissioner, Rhode Island Department of Education
Dr. Kyla Johnson-Trammell – Superintendent, Oakland Unified School District, CA
Dr. Julia Rafal-Baer – CEO and Founder, Women Leading Ed
Dr. LaTanya McDade – Superintendent, Prince William County Public Schools, VA
Dr. Denise Watts – Superintendent, Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, GA
More about GSV
GSV is a global platform fueling scaled innovation in “PreK to Gray” education and workforce skills to ensure that ALL people have equal access to the future. The platform includes the ASU+GSV Summit (founded 2010) and The AI Show @ ASU+GSV (founded 2024). GSV Ventures (founded 2016), the platform's investment arm, is a multi-stage venture capital firm focused on the $7+ trillion global education and workforce skills sector.
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