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Michelle Rhee is an influential education reform advocate, known for driving significant changes in public school systems and fostering innovative educational approaches.
Founder and CEO of Students First, a non-profit organization focused on education reform and mobilizing parents, teachers, students, administrators, and citizens to produce meaningful results at local and national levels.
Founder and CEO of TNTP, an organization that focused on recruiting, selecting, and training highly qualified teachers, partnering with school districts and non-profit organizations to transform teacher hiring.
Venture Partner tasked with investing in companies focused on driving social mobility, impact, education, and workforce development. This partnership involves investing in education and workforce mobility startups as part of EO's $100M fund.
Served as a board member, contributing to the strategic direction of the company.
Served as Board Chair for the Sacramento-based charter school system, overseeing its operations and strategic direction.
Served on the advisory board to help establish a nonpartisan voice for reforms in teacher policies, committed to educational justice.
Served on the advisory board.
Michelle Ann Rhee was born on December 25, 1969, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the second of three children to South Korean immigrant parents. She was raised in the Toledo, Ohio, area and attended public schools until the sixth grade, after which she spent a year in South Korea for schooling. Upon her return, she enrolled in Maumee Valley Country Day School, graduating in 1988, and later earned a Bachelor of Arts in government from Cornell University in 1992. She furthered her education with a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Her career in education began as a Teach for America (TFA) corps member, serving three years at Harlem Park Elementary School in Baltimore City, a challenging inner-city school. This experience profoundly shaped her perspective, emphasizing the critical role of effective teaching in student achievement.
In 1997, Michelle Rhee founded The New Teacher Project (TNTP), a non-profit organization dedicated to recruiting, training, and retaining highly qualified teachers, particularly for difficult-to-staff schools. Under her leadership, TNTP grew significantly, partnering with various school districts, state education agencies, and non-profit organizations nationwide. The organization was instrumental in transforming teacher hiring practices and helped place 23,000 teachers in classrooms across the country within its first decade. Her work at TNTP showcased her commitment to improving educational outcomes by strengthening the teaching profession through innovative solutions and strategic partnerships.
From 2007 to 2010, Rhee served as the Chancellor of District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), a period marked by considerable reform efforts. During her tenure, DCPS, which had been one of the lowest-performing school districts, saw notable improvements in student test scores. She implemented rigorous reforms focused on accountability, teacher performance, and school management. After leaving DCPS in 2010, she founded StudentsFirst, a national advocacy organization aiming to mobilize stakeholders and drive meaningful education reform across the United States. In recent years, Rhee has transitioned to a role as a Venture Partner at Equal Opportunity Ventures, investing in companies focused on social mobility, education, and workforce development.
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