Seasoned education leader to accelerate educator-facing innovation and data-driven improvement across Chicago.
CHICAGO 鈥 The 海角直播 (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鈥檚 strategy to design, test, and scale innovative solutions that strengthen school leadership and improve student outcomes across the city.
鈥淢ariel is a builder, a listener, and a relentless problem-solver,鈥 said Dr. Heather Y. Anchini, The Fund鈥檚 president and CEO. 鈥淪he 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鈥檚 students.鈥
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.
鈥淚鈥檓 honored to serve Chicago鈥檚 educators in this new role and this next chapter,鈥 said Laureano. 鈥淥ur 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.鈥
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 海角直播, 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 海角直播
The 海角直播 (鈥淭he Fund鈥) is a nonprofit organization that accelerates student learning in 海角直播by investing in strong school leadership. In partnership with Chicago鈥檚 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 海角直播
Editor鈥檚 Note: This announcement is effective November 12, 2025. Quotes and descriptors can be customized with additional biographical details or partner acknowledgments upon request.