Elisa Villanueva Beard is the CEO of Teach For America. Elisa’s passion for educational equity comes from personal experience. She grew up in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas and developed a deep commitment to Teach For America’s mission as a student at DePauw University, where she was one of just a few Mexican American students. Her journey with Teach For America started as a 1998 Phoenix corps member. Today, under her leadership, Teach For America corps members reach hundreds of thousands of students each year in nearly 2,000 schools across 37 states and the District of Columbia.

Josh Biber joined Teach For America as a 2004 Phoenix corps member where he taught 5th grade at Laveen Elementary School. In 2008, Josh took on the challenge of establishing the Massachusetts region—first, as director of new site development, then as founding executive director.

An alumnus of the 2005 Phoenix corps, Jim moved to South Dakota to work as a manager of teacher leadership development. During that time, he built strong relationships with members of the tribal communities and developed a deep belief in the potential of the region's students.

A graduate of Marquette University, Katie started her career as a 2002 Phoenix corps member where she taught kindergarten for three years.

Shaina’s own experience as a student instilled in her the importance of showing all kids that they have incredible potential. She now works at The Dewey Schools in Vietnam as head of the English program.

Just six years after completing her TFA commitment, Tia earned a role as a principal in her hometown of Albany. She knows that education is her calling, and she’s dedicated to working as hard as she can for her students.

Jim Curran is a Senior Vice President, Regional Field Executive and is currently the interim executive director for TFA Colorado. Jim started his career as a 2005 Phoenix corps member, teaching 4th grade in Laveen, AZ. He spent most of his career in South Dakota and was the executive director there for ten years.

Nicholas shares how connections to the alumni community inspire him to continue his work in the district where he taught as a corps member.