Natasha Ushomirsky
State Director for Massachusetts
Natasha currently serves as the State Director for Massachusetts at The Education Trust. In this role, she builds relationships with and supports a diverse team of Massachusetts advocacy organizations and stakeholders working to increase educational opportunity and achievement among historically underserved students.
Natasha has been with The Education Trust for more than a decade. She previously served as Ed Trust’s national director of P-12 policy, where she led the development of the organization’s policy agenda on issues critical to promoting equity and achievement in the P-12 system, including standards, assessments, accountability, educator quality, and funding fairness. She started her career at Ed Trust as an analyst, a role in which she focused on using data to better understand the gaps in opportunity and achievement in our education system.
Before joining The Education Trust, Natasha completed her master’s in education policy and management at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Prior to graduate school, she worked at Abt Associates, a research and consulting firm, where she was involved in a variety of research and analysis projects, including economic analyses of environmental regulations and market studies. She holds a bachelor’s in economics and Spanish language and literature from Brandeis University.
What drew you to education?
This may sound cheesy, but I truly believe that education has the power to change the world. There’re lots of challenges facing our society, and each and every one of them will require the contributions of many, many people who have the knowledge, skills, passion and creativity to tackle them. Education has the unique potential to help develop that human capital.
Why are you passionate about working at Ed Trust?
I immigrated to the U.S. when I was 10 years old and know what it’s like to be learning the language, adjusting to a new way of life, and trying to stay on track in school all at the same time. I also know that I was lucky enough to receive a great deal of support in those first years, without which I wouldn’t be where I am today — and which too many students aren’t getting right now. At Ed Trust, I get to work with brilliant, passionate people on helping improve our education system so that all students get the learning experiences and supports that they need to soar.
