A message from Bellwether’s co-founders, Mary Wells and Andy Rotherham:
We have exciting news: This fall, Rebecca Gifford Goldberg, who previously co-led Bellwether’s Strategic Advising practice area and has been its leader since 2021, will step into the Managing Partner role. Mary, who served as Managing Partner for the last 12 years, will remain at Bellwether as a Strategic Advising Partner. Jennifer O’Neal Schiess, DaWana Williamson, and I will continue to sit on Bellwether’s Executive Leadership Team and serve as Partners.
Under Mary’s leadership as Managing Partner, and as a result of the great work of our team, Bellwether grew from a scrappy startup to an organization supporting hundreds of projects across the country annually. And we’re reaching more students and communities than ever before: In the last year alone, Bellwether worked with more than 150 organizations on more than 260 projects spanning more than 30 states. During this time, we added new expertise and launched new services around issues such as academics, evaluation, school finance, district strategy, pathways to economic mobility, and nonprofit governance. Along the way, we became a team of more than 100 people with annual revenue surpassing $25 million. We’re also releasing more high-quality tools and resources than ever before. This work is shaping policy and practice in states and local communities, and it’s challenging and changing how people think about education. In short, the future has never looked brighter for Bellwether — and that’s exactly why Mary felt this is the right moment to pass the baton.
Many of you already know Rebecca. She came to Bellwether 14 years ago from McKinsey & Company, where she managed engagements with leading global institutions in the health care and education sectors. Earlier in her career, she supported the operations of a public charter school and worked with parents and students to launch an innovative school model.
Under her leadership, our Strategic Advising practice area has grown while increasing client and team satisfaction, and overall impact. She built and expanded services focused on districts, governance, place-based partnerships, financial sustainability (including merger support), and academic and program strategy. She also diversified the Strategic Advising team — by professional background, geography, and race and ethnicity — while strengthening professional development to help the practice area thrive.
As Managing Partner, Rebecca will ensure that we keep doing what we do best: provide tailored excellence to our clients, help the field see around the corner, and focus on the young people denied opportunity today. She’ll also bring fresh energy and ideas on what’s next — for Bellwether and for the sector.
Both of us are grateful every day for the opportunity to work at a place as special as Bellwether, and we can’t wait for this new chapter under Rebecca’s leadership.
