WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 5, 2021) – The NEA Foundation welcomes Valeria Lassiter as the new chair of its Board of Directors. Lassiter is the founder and CEO of Lassiter & Associates a management consulting firm providing mission-driven organizations with smart strategic planning, stakeholder communications, fundraising, tailored coaching, and creative training solutions. She has served on the Foundation’s board since September 2015, most recently as vice chair.
“Ensuring greater educational equity, excellence and opportunity for all students are urgent needs in communities across America,” Lassiter said. “I look forward to leading The NEA Foundation Board of Directors as the Foundation advances both educators’ leadership and increased family, school, and community partnership to address these needs.”
“During this time of great change, educational institutions need leaders with vision, a demonstrated commitment to justice and equity, and the capacity to inspire transformational practice,” said Sara A. Sneed, president and CEO of The NEA Foundation. “As the Foundation advocates for the absolute best in public education, we are fortunate to have a passionate and talented Board Chair who exemplifies these qualities.”
Lassiter also has worked in government public affairs and community-based organizations and in corporate philanthropy for a Fortune 500 company. As an instructor with the Center for Public & Nonprofit Leadership at Georgetown University, she has trained more than 1,000 executives in corporate and nonprofit partnership, development, and fundraising. She has worked on a range of programs designed to grow diversity of representation, equity, and impact in different sectors. She has shared her experience and insight in programs such as Building High Impact Nonprofits of Color, an initiative sponsored by JP Morgan Chase Foundation and Prosperity Now; and the SPARK Program to build an inclusive social entrepreneurship ecosystem, sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
Lassiter holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from East Carolina University, a Master of Divinity degree from Colgate Rochester Divinity School, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Babson College. She is a former Chair of the Board of Directors for the Women’s Philanthropy Roundtable at East Carolina University and a graduate of Leadership Montgomery County, Maryland.
Editor’s Note: Please use our correct name, The NEA Foundation. The “NEA” is never spelled out in our name. It is not the National Education Association Foundation. Many thanks!
About the NEA Foundation
The NEA Foundation is a national philanthropic organization that invests in educators’ leadership, shared learning and collaboration; supports partnerships and initiatives that strengthen public education; and promotes improvements in public education policy and practice. Find us at neafoundation.org, Facebook and Twitter.
