Background:
Judy Tang Nguyen is a senior adviser on the Academic and Program Strategy team within Bellwether’s Strategic Advising practice area. Judy has worked in the education field for more than 16 years and is passionate about coaching and developing leaders to create and sustain healthy ecosystems for excellent and equitable schools to flourish.
Judy most recently served as the deputy chief of schools at KIPP Public Schools Northern California where she led the principal manager team in providing high quality support for principals in a region of 17 schools that spanned seven cities and served more than 5,000 students. She also led the execution of the talent vision for school leadership, which included a focus on diversifying and retaining top talent and strategically building a talent pipeline within the organization. Judy also served as a managing director of schools where she coached and managed principals to lead high-performing schools that were academically rigorous and had a strong culture of belonging.
Before managing principals, Judy was a founding teacher and principal of KIPP Heartwood Academy, a U.S. Department of Education National Blue Ribbon School that was in the top 7% of all public schools in California. She also worked for the KIPP Foundation as a leadership coach and provided leadership training for cohorts of aspiring principals across the country.
Judy graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and social welfare and earned a master’s degree in school administration for social justice at Loyola Marymount University. She lives in San Diego, California with her husband and two children.
Why I do this work:
Growing up in an immigrant family, the value of education as a means to greater opportunities and a better life was instilled in me early on. As a first-generation college graduate, I realized how lucky I was to navigate a system that systematically oppressed marginalized communities. I believe that all children deserve access to an excellent education; my purpose is to help build schools and organizations, particularly in marginalized communities, where all students are affirmed, feel a sense of belonging, thrive, and achieve their dreams.
Experience at Bellwether:
Strategic Planning; Program Evaluation / Evaluation Capacity-Building; Human Capital / Organizational Design; Teacher Evaluation and Development Systems; Performance Improvement / Sustainability; CMO / Charter School Operators
Client segments served:
K-12 Schools; CMO/Charter Schools
