){kind=logo}
Julie Koenke is the President and CEO of ConnectED: The National Center for College and Career. She leads the organization’s mission to expand high-quality, equitable college and career pathways nationwide, partnering with school districts, communities, and states to ensure all students—especially those furthest from opportunity—graduate prepared for postsecondary success.
Before stepping into the role of President and CEO, Julie had been an integral part of ConnectED for the previous eight years as the Director of District and Regional Support. In this role, she helped expand ConnectED’s impact nationally by partnering with communities from Boston to New Orleans to Portland, co-designing equitable college and career pathways systems that are now preparing thousands of young people for postsecondary success. Most notably, she has co-led The Great Lakes College and Career Pathways Partnership, along with ConnectED’s most recent and wide-reaching college and career systems-level partnerships with North Kansas City (Missouri) and Gallup-McKinley School District (New Mexico).
Before joining ConnectED, Julie worked in the Madison Metropolitan School District in Wisconsin as a youth worker, educator, and district leader, creating and scaling college and career readiness programs and partnerships across 16 middle and high schools serving 16,000 students annually.
With more than 25 years of experience in educational systems transformation, Julie has guided initiatives impacting over 250,000 students, secured more than $27 million in funding for youth-serving programs, and developed 50+ cross-sector partnerships connecting schools, higher education, industry, and community organizations. She is widely recognized for her expertise in systems change, equity-centered leadership, and building collaborative teams that improve outcomes for students of color and those living in poverty.
Julie holds a BFA from the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point and an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Based in Asheville, North Carolina, she enjoys hiking and spending time in her art studio in her free time.
Julie Koenke
Julie Koenke is the President and CEO of ConnectED: The National Center for College and Career. She leads the organization’s mission to expand high-quality, equitable college and career pathways nationwide, partnering with school districts, communities, and states to ensure all students—especially those furthest from opportunity—graduate prepared for postsecondary success. Before stepping into the role of […]
JD Hoye (Secretary)
JD is the former Chief Executive Officer of NAF and a former member of the NAF Board of Directors. With a deep commitment to preparing students for college and meaningful careers, JD has worked at both the grassroots and the highest levels of government for decades, to reform how young people are engaged in learning […]
Alexandra Kennedy
Alexandra (Alex) Kennedy is an accomplished leader with experience scaling and operationalizing lines of business, leading commercial teams, and driving digital transformation journeys. Alex is the Executive Vice President of Commercial Strategy at My Code Media. In this role, she leads teams accountable for driving revenue, sales operations, and M&A strategy and integration efforts. Prior […]
Marques McCammon
Marques McCammon combines more than 25 years of auto industry product development, manufacturing, brand leadership and marketing experience with intimate knowledge of software-based automotive product advancement. He gained early recognition from Crain’s Detroit Business as one of 40 young executives making an impact in the Motor City. Other highlights include: · Creating the Dodge SRT-4, […]
Sri Ananda, PhD (Board Chair)
Dr. Sri Ananda served for over 25 years as a leader in a renowned educational research organization, heading national and statewide research and development efforts related to college and career preparation. Her most recent position was as Chief Program Officer at WestEd, a distinguished not-for-profit organization with 17 offices across the US. As Chief Program […]
Jeffrey Fisher
Jeff Fisher is a partner in the San Francisco-based law firm of Farella Braun + Martel. He has a diverse practice involving a variety of high-stakes intellectual property and technology disputes, including patent, trade secret, copyright, and trademark infringement, as well as antitrust and unfair competition cases. He serves as co-chair of Farella’s Litigation Department. Jeff […]
Brian Driscoll
Brian Driscoll is the Associate Director of Development at Lick Wilmerding High School in San Francisco, where his work focuses on leadership giving and strategic philanthropy. Previously, he served as Vice President of Individual Philanthropy for Genesys Works, a national non-profit bridging the gap between low-income students, underserved schools, and the business community. Brian has […]
Adam Anderson (Treasurer)
Adam Anderson has extensive experience leading strategy, transformation, and operations in public, private, and nonprofit organizations nationwide. He currently uses his experience to support leaders in a range of organizations and most recently was an Executive Director at the Boston Consulting Group. In addition to serving on the ConnectEd Board, Adam also serves on the […]