Lea Crusey

Speaker Summary

Lea is an education leader, advisor, and entrepreneur. Over the last 20 years, she has approached education policy and practice from different vantage points, gaining experience and insight that has deepened her understanding of the education landscape while allowing her to cultivate a robust network across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. She has served as a startup founder and COO of a higher-ed fintech company, a senior advisor to the U.S. Department of Education, and the director of a national education advocacy organization, and is now the chair of one of nation’s top independent charter board authorisers.

Areas of Expertise

Leadership and Management

Full Profile

Lea is a cross-sector social entrepreneur, with experience in the public, private, and non-profit sectors, spanning the country, over the past 20 years. Ms. Crusey began her career as a classroom teacher through Teach for America, first in the San Francisco Bay Area in northern California and later in Singapore. In education, Ms. Crusey worked for both StudentsFirst and Democrats for Education Reform. During the Obama Administration, Ms. Crusey served in the US Department of Education where she advised on a PK-12 education policy, teacher preparation, public charter schools, Promise Neighborhoods, and literacy. Currently, Ms. Crusey works with WOOF, a student wellness start-up headquartered in Denmark. Lea has served on several non-profit boards and, since 2021, has chaired the DC Public Charter School Board.

A resident of the District of Columbia and parent to two public school students, Ms. Crusey holds a bachelor’s degree from Claremont McKenna College with a double major in government and history and a master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago.

Sessions Featuring Lea Crusey: