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YouthTruth harnesses student perceptions to help educators and education funders accelerate improvements. Through our validated survey instruments and tailored advisory services, we partner with schools, districts, states, and education funders to enhance learning for all students.

TEAM

Alana Lopez

Alana Lopez

Client Services Senior Coordinator
Jen de Forest

Jen de Forest

Manager of Partnerships
Juan Cruz

Juan Cruz

Senior Analyst
Sonya Heisters

Sonya Heisters

Deputy Director
Brian Postow

Brian Postow

Software Architect
Jen Vorse Wilka

Jen Vorse Wilka

Executive Director
Logan Rowland

Logan Rowland

Senior Analyst
Thelma Andree

Thelma Andree

Digital Marketing and Creative Content Lead
Whitney Ivie

Whitney Ivie

Director of Client Services & Operations
Devin Hua

Devin Hua

Software Developer, Data Systems
Jimmy Simpson, Jr.

Jimmy Simpson, Jr.

Manager of Partnerships
Serena Meghani

Serena Meghani

Analyst
Treva Patton

Treva Patton

Partnerships Lead

CAREERS

We value a passionate commitment to improving schools. We have a deep belief in the power of data and analysis to improve decision-making. We believe that successful employees want to make the world a better place and are motivated to seize opportunities to do so.

We believe that committed individuals will grow and develop in an environment in which they are trained, mentored, and supported. We value hard work and productivity, but also recognize the importance of maintaining a work-life balance.

We believe each employee has a strong sense of ownership for the work that they do, and the work of YouthTruth as a whole. Strengths of YouthTruth’s work culture are entrepreneurialism, accountability, teamwork, collegiality, diversity, and mutual respect.

Open Positions

Manager of Data and Technology – San Francisco, CA

Analyst – San Francisco, CA

Coordinator, Client Services – San Francisco, CA

Partnerships Lead – San Francisco, CA

ADVISORY BOARD

Ambika Kapur
Program Officer
Carnegie Corporation of New York
Anthony Richardson
Anthony Richardson
Executive Director
The Nord Family Foundation
Ben Daley
Ben Daley
President
High Tech High Graduate School of Education
David Ross
Global Education Consultant
Dr. Elisha Smith Arrillaga
Managing Director
Charles A. Dana Center
Dr. Georgeanne Warnock
Superintendent
Terrell ISD
John Boyd
Superintendent
Quincy School District
John Easton
Senior Fellow, Consortium on School Research
University of Chicago
Kyra Caspary
Principal Senior Researcher
SRI International
Penny de Leon
Superintendent
Glendora Unified School District
Rashad Staton
Youth Engagement Specialist
Baltimore City Schools
Dr. Shelly Reggiani
Executive Director, Equity, Community Engagement, and Communications
North Clackamas School District

FUNDERS

YouthTruth generates revenue from fee-for-service contracts and support from philanthropic organizations.

Philanthropic support allows us to scale our operations and impact while keeping pricing affordable for school clients, develop new products and services, and build organizational infrastructure. In addition, funders sponsor school districts and charter networks to participate in YouthTruth.

We sincerely appreciate the generous financial support provided by the following funders:

Carnegie Corporation of New York The Fund for Shared Insight
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation  Walton Family Foundation
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

We sincerely appreciate the participation of the following funders in two regional Student Voice Initiatives in the Bay Area and Ohio, through which participating foundations and their partner districts explore the value of student perception data for school systems and philanthropy alike.

Career Technical Education Foundation Sonoma County Monterey Peninsula Foundation
Community Foundation Sonoma County The Nord Family Foundation
HealthPath Foundation of Ohio Richmond Community Foundation
Marin Community Foundation William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Martha Holding Jennings Foundation

HISTORY

YouthTruth was born out of a conversation between the Center for Effective Philanthropy and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation back in 2008. The Foundation was seeking to hear from more voices – and one that was missing was the voice of the people whose lives they were trying to affect: the students themselves!

The key characters in this origin story are Phil Buchanan, president of the Center for Effective Philanthropy, Fay Twersky, director of the Effective Philanthropy Group at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and former director of Impact Planning and Improvement at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Valerie Threlfall, former vice president at the Center for Effective Philanthropy and founding director of YouthTruth from 2008 to 2012.

YouthTruth is based on the simple but powerful premise that when you get timely feedback from those you’re trying to serve, and really listen to that feedback to make changes, you get better.