Kate Anderson Foley, Ph.D.  

Founder & CEO of the Education Policy & Practice Group, McLean Affiliate of Harvard Medical School Institute of Coaching Fellow, thought partner, author, activist.

Kate Anderson Foley is a transformational leader with significant experience leading public school districts and states toward equitable and integrated services for all learners. Her work has been grounded in social justice and for breaking down the barriers for children who have historically been marginalized. She has led organizational change utilizing a strategic framework that ensured guaranteed and rigorous learning leading to college and career readiness for all students.

Kate began her career as a special education teacher pioneering inclusive practices for students at risk and with disabilities. Her work focused on creating conditions that fostered high expectations of adults for students and innovation which catalyzed equitable opportunities for each learner. Kate’s deep commitment to creating nimble and responsive systems that supported the whole child led her into administration where she advocated for local, state, and federal reform. That experience with large-scale reform led to improved academic and social-emotional outcomes for students, fair funding models, innovative healthcare models, and efficient operations.

As a senior educational leader for the State of Illinois, Kate’s vision of fulfilling the promise of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was nested within the Every Student Succeeds Act. She was an expert contributor to the State Plan where the deficit-based system was interrupted and a preventative and nimble system was created to intentionally address opportunity gaps of all learners, regardless of background or circumstance. Her deep understanding of equity-based school funding also contributed to a legislative reform model for the state of Illinois.

As the founder and CEO of The Education Policy & Practice Group, Kate partners with local, state, and national organizations, education agencies, and various industries providing her expertise with the improvement process, professional learning communities, strategic planning, asset-based education policies, practices, special education, and consulting. Kate teaches graduate-level Special Education Law to aspiring principals and superintendents. Kate also works closely with senior leadership across various sectors providing executive coaching aimed at creating growth-minded organizational cultures http://www.edpolicyconsulting.com. Kate is the author of numerous articles and books. Her latest contribution is the forthcoming book, Fearless Coaching, by Dr. Douglas Reeves, in 2023.