Ann Rubenstein Tisch

Ann Rubenstein Tisch is an education reformer and nonprofit leader recognized as the founder and president of Student Leadership Network, an organization that operates The Young Women's Leadership Schools, a network of all-girls public schools, and the CollegeBound Initiative, a co-educational college access program. With the approval of the New York City Board of Education, Tisch opened The Young Women's Leadership School of East Harlem, the first public all-girls school to open in the United States in three decades. Her goal was to provide students in underserved communities with a rigorous college preparatory education modeled on best practices from independent girls' schools.

Before her work in education, Tisch built a career in broadcast journalism as a national correspondent for NBC Network News, where she developed an interest in educational issues. After reporting on numerous education stories and studying data on single-sex education, she was motivated to create an all-girls public school serving disadvantaged families. Tisch earned her degree in psychology and sociology from Washington University in St. Louis.

Under Tisch's leadership, Student Leadership Network has expanded to reach 41 public schools, including 21 all-girls schools nationwide, impacting approximately 20,000 students annually. The CollegeBound Initiative serves more than 18,000 low-income students at 36 high-need public schools in New York City, supporting increased college enrollment rates among students, many of whom are first-generation college attendees.

Tisch led the publication of "It's All About the Girls," a book of photographs and essays highlighting the history, leadership, teachers, and students of The Young Women's Leadership Schools. She is a frequent speaker on education reform, broadcasting, and journalism, sharing insights on public education, single-sex education, and nonprofit leadership.

Tisch serves as a trustee on the boards of the American Museum of Natural History, the Animal Medical Center of New York, and Sesame Workshop, and is a member of the Dean's Council of the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. In addition to philanthropic consulting, she advises districts and individuals interested in replicating the TYWLS model. Tisch's work in public education continues to influence the development of similar initiatives nationwide.