Ellie Klein

Program Director, AIR Opportunity Fund

Ellie Klein is a program director with the AIR Opportunity Fund, where she leads the Fund’s place-based investment strategy, working with communities across the country to better understand local needs and develop research-driven solutions. She collaborates with policymakers, researchers, and local leaders to ensure that community voices inform funding priorities and program development.

With more than a decade of experience in education research and policy, Klein has worked with organizations including state education agencies, the Gates Foundation, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), and the Brookings Institution. She specializes in using data and evidence to inform policy decisions and improve educational outcomes.

At the Gates Foundation, Klein studied the impact of COVID-related education disruptions on students of color and worked to strengthen evidence-based approaches in grantmaking. At GAO, she conducted evaluations of federal programs in education and housing, including work on education access in Native Nations and communities. She has presented findings to members of Congress and federal agencies, with her research featured in The Washington Post, PBS, and CNN.

Klein began her career as an AmeriCorps member in Federal Way Public Schools in Washington state.

Ellie Klein headshot

M.P.A, Program Evaluation, George Washington University; B.A., Rhetoric and Film Studies, Whitman College

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