Brooke Stafford-Brizard is vice president for Innovation and Impact at the Carnegie Foundation.

As vice president, Brooke oversees Carnegie’s research and development activities and stewards cross-sector partnerships to accelerate the Foundation’s mission.

As an educator, researcher, and philanthropic leader, Brooke has spent the past three decades focused on bringing a more holistic approach, grounded in the science of learning and development, to schools and classrooms. Most recently, Brooke served as vice president for research to practice at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. There, she led the organization’s grantmaking in education to support researchers, educators, and policymakers in their efforts to transform our education system toward one grounded in whole child development. Throughout Brooke’s career, she has served in a range of scholarly and practice-focused roles, including serving as director of data strategy and evaluation at the New York City Department of Education’s District 79. While in Rochester, NY, she co-founded an all-girls public charter school. She began her career as a middle school teacher in the Bronx.

As a well-respected expert in the learning sciences field, Brooke regularly contributes opinion pieces, talks, and papers focused on holistic student development. She holds a doctorate (Ph.D.) in cognitive science in education from Columbia University, is a Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow, and a member of the Aspen Institute’s Global Leadership Network.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

• The Power of Educator EQ (ASCD, March 2024)