Sehba Ali
CEO KIPP Texas Public Schools,
Western U.S.
Sehba Ali is passionate about education. Under her leadership in Texas, students in the KIPP Forward program graduate college at a rate five times higher than the national average for students in educationally underserved communities.
Ali is the CEO of KIPP Texas Public Schools. KIPP Texas’s mission is to create joyful, academically excellent schools that provide students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose – college, career and beyond – so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world. Made up of 59 schools serving more than 31,000students in grades pre‐k through 12th grade, KIPP Texas has an annual operating budget of USD130 million and employs more than 1,550 members. Eighty-eight percent of students qualify for free/reduced lunch.
Prior to joining KIPP Texas Public Schools, Ali served as the CEO and Superintendent of KIPP Houston Public Schools. Preceding her work in Texas, she was the Chief Academic Officer at KIPP Bay Area Schools, where she was responsible for the academic performance of the region’s seven schools. Ali founded KIPP Heartwood Academy middle school in San Jose, California in 2004, which has consistently been rated as one of the highest performing middle schools in California and is a nationally recognized Blue Ribbon School.
Ali earned her Bachelor of Arts in English and psychology from UC Berkeley and her master’s degree in education policy analysis from Stanford University. She received training from the KIPP School Leadership Program, including study at the Haas School of Business, and participated in the Pahara‐Aspen Education Fellowship. She also completed the Broad Academy for Superintendents. Ali began her career as a middle school English teacher in Houston with Teach For America.
Ali has served on the KIPP Public Schools Board of Directors, the California Charter School Association Member Council and Rocketship Education’s Board of Directors. She actively mentors KIPP executive directors and serves on the board of the Post Oak School.