partners
in change
We are a network of leaders committed to building an equitable future.
Senior Director & Chief of Staff, Policy and Partnerships
Celine N. Fejeran serves as the Senior Director & Chief of Staff of Policy and Partnerships, responsible for developing and executing StriveTogether’s policy strategies. In this role, Celine manages the Policy and Partnerships Team and collaborates with a diverse range of external stakeholders, including government agencies, place-based partnerships and funders to advance the Cradle to Career Network’s policy agenda and impact.
Celine comes to StriveTogether from Ballmer Group, where she managed a national grant portfolio of place-based partnership efforts, with a specific focus on policy advocacy, data and technology, and postsecondary and career success. She brings over 20 years of experience as an educator, foster parent, policy advocate, community organizer and senior leader in the government, philanthropic and nonprofit sectors.
Celine’s commitment to improving cradle-to-career outcomes through systems change is rooted in her lived experiences as a first-generation college graduate and her love for the families of her adopted hometown of Washington, DC. As Chief of Staff at Martha’s Table, Celine oversaw one of DC’s largest direct-service nonprofits, providing comprehensive supports to low-income families, including early childhood education, physical and mental health services, food and clothing access, and workforce training. As Senior Policy Advisor in the Mayor’s Office, she managed interagency dropout prevention and reconnection initiatives, founded the citywide youth Reengagement Center and helped launch Raise DC, the city’s cradle-to-career partnership.
Celine then went on to serve as Raise DC’s Deputy Director, where she led unprecedented data and programmatic collaboration across public and charter schools to improve 8th-to-9th grade transitions and advanced advocacy efforts to win transportation subsidies for young adults enrolled in alternative high school/GED programs. Celine has served on DC’s High School Graduation Requirements Task Force, Workforce Investment Board, Public Education Finance Reform Commission, and Child and Family Services Agency Parent Advisory Board, and she has worked for various community advocacy organizations, including DC Parents Amplifying Voices in Education and DC Alliance of Youth Advocates.
Celine began her career as a public school teacher and currently serves as Board Chair for the Next Step Public Charter School. She holds a master’s in education policy from George Washington University and a bachelor’s in elementary education from American University.
hear from celine
Share how one of StriveTogether’s core values (community, courage, equity, progress and results) is important to you.
The daily practice of courage is what brings the other values to life. While we celebrate the individual stories of young people who persevere through adversity and “beat the odds,” we should also expect that same courage from adults and systems to change those odds. I’m excited to be part of an organization and a national network of communities that are leading with courage, so that these stories of success are no longer the exception, but the rule.
SEE OTHER TEAM MEMBERS
