Our Team

LaRena Heath is the Director of Professional Education Offerings at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and also serves as a senior associate on the Networked Improvement Science team. In her current role, she coaches and builds the capacity of educators to use improvement methods to tackle problems of practice in their context. She particularly enjoys bringing together stakeholders from all parts of the system (teachers, community members, administrators, students, etc.) to co-design and implement new practices to support better outcomes for all students.

Prior to joining the Foundation, LaRena spent several years as a middle school teacher in California and Massachusetts. She also led technical assistance and research projects in her previous role at the American Institute for Research — focusing on identifying and elevating effective practices that led to student success in high-performing, high-need schools.

LaRena is passionate about equipping educators to be creative problem solvers as they improve systems and pursue more equitable outcomes for students. She holds a master’s in education and a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Stanford University.