Vice President of Policy for the Foundation for Excellence in Education (ExcelinEd)
Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds is vice president of policy for the Foundation for Excellence in Education (ExcelinEd) where she guides a team of policy experts in the areas of quality, opportunity, and innovation to effectively provide customized support for state policymakers, reformers, educators, parents, and communities to cultivate policy conditions that advance student-centered education systems.
Prior to joining ExcelinEd, Ms. Reynolds served as chief deputy commissioner for the Texas Education Agency (TEA), where she oversaw the day-to day operations of the agency and engaged and collaborated with education stakeholders in the development, implementation, and delivery of education programs and initiatives throughout the state of Texas.
Under President George W. Bush’s administration, Ms. Reynolds served as special assistant in the Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs, where she guided the reauthorizations of IDEA and Head Start, and as the secretary’s regional representative for region VI. Her career reflects deep experience in education policy development and implementation as well as the “how-to” of legislative work needed to advance education reforms. Ms. Reynolds currently sits on the national boards of KnowledgeWorks, Generation Citizen, and UTeach. She also serves on the Austin advisory board of IDEA Public Schools. She received her bachelor’s degree from Southwestern University, where she sits on its board of visitors.
