Nancy B. Gutiérrez
President & Lead Executive Officer, The Leadership Academy
Dr. Nancy B. Gutiérrez is President & Lead Executive Officer (LEO) of The Leadership Academy, a nationally recognized nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and developing culturally responsive school and school system leaders to create the conditions necessary for all students to thrive.
Prior to joining The Leadership Academy, Nancy launched and led a New York City Department of Education program for executive leadership advancement culminating in superintendent certification. She was named one of the top 100 most influential leaders in education in New York in 2020 by City & State New York.
She proudly began her career as a teacher and principal in her home community of East San Jose, CA, where she was the founding principal of Renaissance Academy, a California Distinguished School that was the highest performing middle school in the district. Nancy also led a successful effort to turn around the district’s lowest performing middle school. Her work led to recognition by the Association of California School Administrators’ Region 8 as the Middle School Principal of the Year, and she was honored by UC Davis as a Rising Star. In 2023 she was also named a San Jose State University Distinguished Alumna.
Nancy is a graduate of the inaugural cohort of the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Doctor of Education Leadership (Ed.L.D.) program and a graduate of the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) Aspiring Superintendents Academy. She was also a Fall 2019 Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow. Nancy has served as an adjunct professor for NYU, Teachers College, and American University, as well as an expert guest at various Harvard Principals’ Center Institutes. Nancy is the co-author of “Stay and Prevail: Students of Color Don’t Need to Leave Their Communities to Succeed,” a revolutionary guide to disrupting harmful mindsets and practices in our schools to ensure that students can thrive in their home communities.
Nancy is a member of the Board of Directors for the Hunt Institute, brightbeam, Eye to Eye, and serves on the Latinos for Education teaching team.