Greg Sommers is an educator and leader with over two decades of experience in the non-profit and philanthropic sectors, where he has focused on student-centered education and youth leadership. Greg has successfully led initiatives that improve equitable youth experiences and outcomes across a range of contexts.

In addition to advising multiple education and philanthropic organizations on strategy and impact, Greg served as the Chief Impact Officer for the Center for Educational Leadership at the University of Washington and in leadership roles at the Bezos Family Foundation and Gates Foundation. Across those roles he has led significant efforts to use the science of learning and development to empower educators to build their capacity to create impactful learning experiences. He started in education teaching high school and middle school students with learning and emotional differences in Fairfax County, Virginia.   

Greg received a Master of Teaching degree and completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia. He earned an MBA at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and is a Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow. Greg is an avid crossword puzzle solver who is married to an amazing educator and is raising three young men in Seattle, Washington.

What excites you most about the Future of Learning?

I am most excited about a Future of Learning in which we strengthen approaches to measure, and opportunities for youth to claim, all the ways they grow and develop, and in all the places and spaces they do so. This would include academic knowledge and competencies, as well as the development of skills like collaboration, communication, problem solving, and contributing to a community. The roles of educators would expand beyond schools, and young people will be supported everywhere by adults with different life experiences yet shared understanding of how children learn and develop.

What inspires you most about this work?

I am inspired most by how young people and their educators lead the way when given authentic opportunities and support to do so. So many solutions are known and will be discovered by those most directly impacted by and doing this work. It is inspiring when those individuals and teams are empowered, have opportunities to be innovative and take safe risks, and are resourced to drive learning and improvement for themselves and the field.