partners
in change

As vice president of training at StriveTogether, Heidi Black leads the strategic vision and execution of the Training Hub, advancing the organization’s goal of building and scaling leadership competencies for leaders of place-based partnerships across the country. In this role, she guides the development and delivery of high-quality training experiences that support local leaders in improving outcomes and transforming systems in their communities. Heidi ensures that all learning offerings are grounded in adult learning principles, accessible across multiple modalities and aligned to topics and types of support that communities need the most. Through innovation, collaboration and a deep commitment to continuous learning, she positions StriveTogether as a national leader in capacity building for outcome improvement and systems change.

Heidi brings a diverse background in education, policy and systems improvement to her role. She began her career as a fourth and fifth grade teacher in Massachusetts before transitioning to federal policy work in Washington, D.C., where she analyzed legislation and developed policy recommendations on health and education issues for members of Congress. Prior to joining the StriveTogether team, she coordinated education policy and advocacy projects, managed strategic alliances among Ohio’s urban school districts and led grant writing and research initiatives. Since joining StriveTogether, Heidi has supported over 30 communities in applying collaborative improvement strategies across key outcomes, including kindergarten readiness, high school graduation and postsecondary success, and co-developed the organization’s collaborative improvement methodology, earning national recognition from the Carnegie Foundation in 2018.

Heidi has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Skidmore College and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction with focus on literacy from Lesley University’s School of Education. She is based in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she lives with her husband and twin daughters. In her spare time, she enjoys caring for horses or spending time with her family in Maine searching for sea glass.