Diane Tavenner is an educator, entrepreneur, author, and nationally recognized leader who has spent her career rethinking how schools can better prepare students for life after graduation.
In 2003, she co-founded Summit Public Schools, a network of public charter schools in California and Washington. Summit became nationally recognized for an approach that emphasizes not only academics, but also real-world problem solving, independence, collaboration, goal setting, and helping students discover what they want to do with their lives.
Today, Diane is the Co-Founder and CEO of Futre, an organization developing technology to help young people ages 15–25 explore their interests, understand opportunities available to them, and create their own paths toward fulfilling lives. She also serves in leadership roles with several major education organizations, including as a board chair with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Diane is also the author of the bestselling book Prepared: What Kids Need for a Fulfilled Life, which explores what students really need to succeed in college, careers, relationships, and adulthood. The book was selected by Bill Gates as one of his favorite books of 2019.
She earned degrees in psychology and sociology from the University of Southern California and a master's degree in administration and policy analysis from Stanford University.
For students, Diane's work centers around an important question: How can you discover who you want to become and develop the skills to build the life you want?
