As a Fund Partnership Manager, Rei executes and manages grants tied to the Foundation’s Youth Thriving Through Learning Fund and the Purpose of Education Fund. She supports grantees to do their best work and maximize impact, acts as the connective tissue across grantees and partners, and also serves as a strategic public champion out in the field to promote the goals of the two Funds. Rei was initially drawn to Stuart for two reasons: the commitment to improving young people’s lives in California (her home state!) through education and its strong desire to work alongside others in the field, acknowledging and appreciating that to realize change in education requires humility and partnership. Rei was born in Japan but spent most of her childhood growing up in the Bay Area. A product of public schools, she is fiercely dedicated to upholding a public education system that allows students to feel supported, challenged, validated, and connected, so young people can go on to live fulfilling lives.
Prior to coming to the Stuart Foundation, Rei began her career as a middle school math teacher in DC Public Schools, an experience that forever changed her for the better. She also spent time working with school and district leaders on curriculum implementation while at an edtech company, before pivoting into strategy and policy consulting. As a consultant at Education First, she supported clients with change management, organizational development, and narrative change work. She also worked on projects that spanned SEL, high-quality instructional materials, teacher pipeline & affordability, and digital equity. Rei earned a B.A. in Economics and a B.A. in Political Science from Tulane University (with a brief stint at the London School of Economics!) and later completed her M.A. in Education Policy, Organization & Leadership Studies from Stanford University.
Outside of work, you can catch her learning about wine, reading articles and books on behavioral economics, or checking out the latest restaurant in the East Bay or San Francisco. Rei lives in Berkeley with her husband, young daughter, and their dog, Chili.
