Julia Rafal-Baer

Dr. Rafal-Baer is the co-founder and CEO of ILO Group, a women-founded, leadership-focused education policy and strategy firm. She is also the founder and CEO of Women Leading Ed, a national network of women education leaders, and a co-founder and partner at The Forum for Educational Leadership.  Previously, Julia was Chief Operating Officer for Chiefs for Change, where she developed the organization's capacity for sustained growth, strengthened decision-making processes and goal-setting, and drove its strategic direction. Prior to joining Chiefs for Change, she served as Assistant Commissioner of the New York State Education Department, where she was responsible for the strategy, management, and implementation of teacher and leader initiatives under the state’s Race to the Top grant, Teacher Incentive Fund grant, and other state-wide initiatives, managing more than $150 million in federal funds. Julia directed, coordinated, and recommended policies and programs designed to raise the achievement of students and improve the quality and diversity of the education workforce. She hasalso served as Manager at New Profit, Inc., where she helped lead the design and implementation of the organization’s city-level initiatives. She began her career as a special education teacher in the Bronx. Julia holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Education Policy and a Master’s in Philosophy in Education Research from the University of Cambridge where she was a Marshall Scholar, a dual Master’s from CUNY: Lehman College in Special Education and Childhood Education, and a Bachelor’s in Psychology from The George Washington University.