Sandra Licón Joins TLA Board of Directors 

Posted on September 28, 2023

The Learning Accelerator welcomes philanthropic and nonprofit leader Sandra Licón to Board of Directors

September 28, 2023 — The Learning Accelerator (TLA), a national nonprofit accelerating individual, organizational, and sector learning to transform K-12 education, announced today that Sandra Licón is joining the organization's board of directors.

Sandra brings several decades of experience in philanthropy and education, both in the U.S. and globally, to TLA's board, along with a steadfast commitment to equity. She currently serves as a consultant who partners with funders and nonprofit leaders on strategy, program development, and impact and most recently served as Vice President of Global Learning at the National Geographic Society.

“I’m honored to serve alongside the many accomplished and dedicated leaders on The Learning Accelerator’s staff and board. I look forward to supporting TLA’s mission to partner alongside schools, networks, and system leaders to catalyze learning and breakthroughs that transform K-12 education.”

Sandra's career has been dedicated to helping kids and families in communities across the world. Beginning her career as a bilingual second-grade teacher in Los Angeles, Sandra later supported social entrepreneurs in Latin America and Southeast Asia as they tackled educational inequity by launching social enterprises.

"Sandra Licón is a phenomenal philanthropic and nonprofit leader devoted to leveling the playing field for kids and families from underserved communities. Sandra's global perspective and experience will add another dynamic voice to our group of board members," said Al Motley, TLA board chair. "We are ecstatic to have Sandra join the Board and support TLA's work."

“Sandra Licón brings a real breadth and depth of experience across the K-12 space," added TLA CEO Beth Rabbitt. "From her years as a learner and teacher in US elementary classrooms to time spent in global leadership at places like Teach For All and National Geographic, Sandra has a holistic understanding of the education sector, which will be critical to TLA's work ahead."

Biography

Sandra Licón is an educator and advocate dedicated to empowering kids and families from underserved communities. She has worked as a classroom teacher, nonprofit leader, and funder, developing strategies and new ideas to improve public education in the U.S. and globally. She is an experienced bilingual facilitator and coach with a proven track record of building highly effective teams and forging partnerships across sectors and cultures.

As a consultant, Sandra partners with a variety of funders, nonprofit, and system leaders, coaching them on strategy, program development, and impact. Most recently, Sandra served as Vice President of Global Learning at the National Geographic Society, building partnerships to help build the next generation of young leaders. Previously, she spent more than a decade in various roles at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she managed grant portfolios focused on improving college readiness and teacher effectiveness. She also worked at Teach For All, supporting social entrepreneurs in Latin America and Southeast Asia to launch social enterprises to address educational inequity. Sandra has received several fellowships recognizing her leadership, including the Eisenhower Zhi-Xing China Fellowship, the Graduate Congressional Hispanic Caucus Policy Fellowship, and Aspen Ideas Festival Fellow. She proudly started her career as a bilingual second-grade teacher in Los Angeles. Sandra holds a Master’s degree in International Education Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Bachelor's degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.