Judy Touzin

Judy began her career as a third-grade teacher with the New York City Department of Education in 2003, where she quickly fell in love with her students, their families, and the work. In 2009, she went on to serve as the founding principal of an elementary school in East New York, Brooklyn. She then served as the Managing Director of Principal Preparation for a Texas-based charter network where she helped to prepare aspiring principals. In Judy’s experience as a teacher, principal, and leadership coach, she has consistently sought to help create affirming environments for young people to learn and thrive, especially Black boys and young men.

In 2021, Judy joined the EdRedesign Lab as a Linda G. Hammett Ory Fellow, where she interviewed backbone leaders across the country and helped develop a report on the competencies and mindsets required for backbone leadership. In July 2022, Judy worked with the Baton Rouge-based MetroMorphosis team to explore the nature of partnerships and to help the city reestablish their local chapter of My Brother's Keeper.

Judy's commitment to education is rooted in her own lived experience as a child of immigrants and a first-generation college student. As a former principal, she believes that schools alone will not be able to achieve systemic change in the lives of our youth. It will take sustained collaborative effort from all stakeholders to ensure that young people live in communities and attend schools where they can learn and thrive.

Judy holds a Ph.D. in Urban Education from CUNY Graduate Center and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.