Dr. Vicki Phillips is CEO of the National Center on Education and the Economy. Under her leadership, NCEE works at the intersection of education & the economy, unpacking how these systems interact with social, cultural, and political systems to eradicate barriers, elevating effective practices, and innovate for opportunity; connecting research, policy, and practice with innovation to drive transformative progress; building bridges across political perspectives, co-identifying shared goals & priorities and co-constructing a path forward; helping anticipate the future and advance solutions to the critical issues of our time; and cultivating leaders within and for education— superintendents, principals, teacher and youth leaders—and bringing them together with stakeholders to co-create high-performing education systems.

Previously, Dr. Phillips served as the chief education officer at the National Geographic Society.  At the Society, she designed and led the global education strategy focused on providing game-changing tools for educators and transforming the learning experience for millions of young people, inspiring them to become the next generation of planetary stewards.

Dr. Phillips’s career in education spans more than three decades, driven by a fierce determination to help all students realize their dreams. She has tirelessly championed students’ rights to a high-quality education through her many leadership roles, including as a teacher, state-level policymaker, nonprofit leader, superintendent of schools, state secretary of basic and higher education, and as the director of K-12 education at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.