Seasoned education leader to accelerate educator-facing innovation and data-driven improvement across Chicago.
CHICAGO — The Chicago Public Education Fund (The Fund) recently announced the promotion of Mariel Laureano from senior director of educator supports to chief, innovation and continuous improvement. In this newly elevated role, Laureano will lead The Fund’s strategy to design, test, and scale innovative solutions that strengthen school leadership and improve student outcomes across the city.
“Mariel is a builder, a listener, and a relentless problem-solver,” said Dr. Heather Y. Anchini, The Fund’s president and CEO. “She brings a rare combination of classroom insight, system-level experience, and operational discipline. As chief, innovation and continuous improvement, she will help The Fund and our partners move faster from promising ideas to measurable impact for Chicago’s students.”
During her tenure as senior director of educator supports, Laureano led cross-partner initiatives that expanded access to high-quality professional learning for school leaders and their teams, improved data use in schools, and streamlined the process of surfacing and sharing promising practices across the city.
“I’m honored to serve Chicago’s educators in this new role and this next chapter,” said Laureano. “Our schools are full of creativity and urgency. My goal is to co-design with leaders and partners, test what works, and scale it. As always, our decisions will remain student-centered and continue to be guided by data.”
Mariel Laureano, chief, innovation and continuous improvement, 2025
In her new role, Laureano will:
- Drive innovation pipelines that identify school- and network-level challenges and rapidly prototype solutions with practitioners.
- Strengthen continuous improvement systems to ensure that insights from pilots are translated into sustained, citywide practices.
- Deepen partnerships with Chicago Public Schools, charter and network partners, philanthropy, and community organizations to align resources to what works.
- Elevate educator voice to ensure the perspectives of principals, teachers, and students shape strategy from design through implementation.
About The Chicago Public Education Fund
The Chicago Public Education Fund (“The Fund”) is a nonprofit organization that accelerates student learning in Chicago by investing in strong school leadership. In partnership with Chicago’s public schools and community, The Fund designs, tests, and scales solutions that help principals and their teams create the schools that students deserve. Learn more at thefundchicago.org.
Media Contact
Brooke Rayford
Senior Manager of Communications
brayford@thefundchicago.org
The Chicago Public Education Fund
Editor’s Note: This announcement is effective November 12, 2025. Quotes and descriptors can be customized with additional biographical details or partner acknowledgments upon request.