Jennifer L. Husbands, PhD, is the founder of Steward Education Advisors, a boutique consulting firm offering strategic advising to leaders of school districts, nonprofits, and philanthropic organizations.  Throughout her 25+ year career in education, the focus of her work has been designing adult learning that drives improvement in student outcomes.  As a Senior Program Officer at the Gates Foundation from 2018-2024, she led the Community of Practice for the Networks for School Improvement. Jennifer was the Founding Executive Director of Schools That Can Chicago, where she convened a cross-sector network of schools to share best practices.  Prior to that, she was the Director of the AUSL Institute, where she built a consulting practice that delivered advisory services to organizations interested in AUSL’s approach to turning around low-performing schools.  Before joining AUSL, Jennifer served as the Director of School Incubation at Chicago Public Schools, where she provided resources and training to new schools during their start-up phase. During her tenure at High Tech High in San Diego she led the nation’s first charter school-based, state-approved teacher certification program and launched an innovative graduate school of education.

She earned her PhD in Administration and Policy Analysis from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education and her BA with Highest Honors from the University of Virginia.  She currently serves on the advisory boards of the Chicago Children’s Museum and the Chicago Public Education Foundation and is an active member of Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC).