Latanya Simmons
As Program Director, Latanya (Tanya) Simmons leads the Neubauer Fellowship in Educational Leadership and Senior Fellow (alumni) programming, designing transformative learning experiences that support school leaders in driving meaningful change in their schools and communities. A 2019 Neubauer Fellow and Performance Partners Coach, she is committed to cultivating leadership that advances educational excellence, equity, and sustainable impact.
Tanya is an accomplished educator, leadership coach, and executive leader with more than 20 years of experience serving students, families, and educators across district and charter schools in New York, Newark, Trenton, and Philadelphia. Guided by a deep belief that every child deserves access to an excellent education and the opportunity to thrive, she has dedicated her career to strengthening educational systems, developing leaders, and creating opportunities that improve outcomes for students and communities.
Throughout her career, Tanya has served as a Teacher, School Counselor, Dean of Students, Assistant Principal, Principal, and Program Director. As Principal of Mastery Charter Harrity Elementary School, she led significant academic gains, including a 35% increase in early literacy proficiency, while fostering a culture of excellence, equity, and continuous improvement. Today, she leverages her extensive school-based leadership experience to design and facilitate professional learning, executive coaching, and leadership development experiences for current and aspiring school leaders. She has led the development of fellowship programming focused on instructional leadership, equity, organizational change, strategic planning, and sustainable leadership.
Among her notable contributions, Tanya founded the Black Educator Pipeline, an alumni leadership initiative designed to support school leaders in recruiting, developing, and retaining Black educators, and the Sustainable Leadership Learning Arc, a year-long leadership development experience centered on wellness, healing, resilience, and sustainable leadership for leaders navigating complex educational environments.
Tanya’s leadership philosophy is grounded in developing the whole child and fostering environments where students, educators, and communities can flourish. She is particularly passionate about social-emotional learning, trauma-informed practices, equitable leadership, and creating conditions that affirm and empower the identities and experiences of all students.
A lifelong learner, Tanya is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Executive Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she is deepening her expertise in organizational leadership, systems change, and educational transformation. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Africana Studies from Rutgers University, a Master of Science in Teaching from Pace University, a Master of Arts in Counselor Education, and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from The College of New Jersey.
A South Jersey native, Tanya remains deeply committed to community engagement, service, and leadership development. She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and Jack and Jill of America, Inc. Outside of her professional work, Tanya enjoys traveling, exploring cultures around the world, and creating meaningful experiences with her family and community.