Dr. Mary Alice Heuschel

Dr. Mary Alice Heuschel joined the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in September 2014 as Deputy Director for Strategy, Planning and Management on the K-12 Education team. Mary Alice leads the operational and strategic planning, budgeting, investment, portfolio, evaluation and data management, and the implementation of foundation-wide business strategies and initiatives.

She previously served as Chief of Staff for Governor Jay Inslee for the state of Washington when he was elected in January 2013. Prior to her role in the Governor’s office, Dr. Heuschel served for seven years as superintendent of the Renton School District and six years as the Deputy State Superintendent at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Her career in education included positions as assistant superintendent, principal, assessment specialist and twelve years in the classroom as a teacher in regular and special education in various states, in Europe with the Department of Defense and three years at West Point Military Academy.

Dr. Heuschel has served on non-profit, civic, and professional state, regional and national organization boards, as well as a number of university professional education/certification advisory boards. Dr. Heuschel has been the recipient of numerous awards for excellence in education and is a long-standing member of several state and national educational research and leadership associations.

She is a native of Rhode Island, a graduate of Wheelock College in Boston, earned her Master’s in special education at Northwestern University, and earned administrator certification at Central Washington University. She completed her doctorate in educational leadership at Seattle Pacific University in 2004.