#  Jeff Wetzler 

Co-Founder, Transcend

 

 

 



   ![Jeff Wetzler headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum12921/files/styles/hwp_4_5__480x600/public/2026-02/JRW%20Book%20Headshot%20300%20DPI.jpg?h=5dcf1dc6&itok=WdXrzsTT) 

 



 





 

The essential question animating Jeff’s career — whether in working with children, educators, or executives — has always been: *how can we create learning experiences that are deep, powerful, and enduring?*

In 2015, Jeff co-founded Transcend, together with Aylon Samouha. Transcend supports communities to create and spread extraordinary, equitable learning environments. Jeff currently serves as a board member of Transcend and as Head of Transcend Labs, which explores and incubates new ventures and future directions for the organization. Jeff recently co-authored [*Extraordinary Learning for All: How Communities Design Schools Where Everyone Thrives*](https://www.amazon.com/Extraordinary-Learning-All-Communities-Everyone/dp/1394230540/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1CKLP66966R8A&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.RqFu7dTw7qMZgVTv9opf0EAScawjFfNYlvbOcYuRjLyr6rnnsTFsga-neh2L8My9p46g1OmM6OhXH_G9INLnB6u05iniXvKv56dBRUGVkDafu-jRgi8w8oKwmzTHGa99Hkhv-ypLhJU2B9EN-Hff4w.JIYhRGK78ZzAp7ZBZlnkvufoNd5yO85upWi0fM1Y0Wk&dib_tag=se&keywords=jeff+wetzler+books&qid=1740409095&sprefix=jeff+wetzler+ask%2Caps%2C149&sr=8-2). This book captures the most important lessons, tools, and stories from Transcend’s first decade. Its insights have been praised by top education leaders throughout the U.S., including Geoffrey Canada, who wrote the Foreword.

Prior to Transcend, Jeff spent a decade in senior leadership roles at Teach For America, a national nonprofit dedicated to educational opportunities for all children. For the majority of that time, Jeff served as Chief Learning Officer and EVP of Teacher Preparation, Support, and Development, where his teams focused on optimizing the training and ongoing support of TFA’s thousands of corps members nationally. Before that, Jeff worked at Monitor Group, an international consulting firm, where he advised executives, focusing on strategy, adult learning, and organizational development. While at Monitor and TFA, Jeff was a founding board member of Leadership Prep Charter Schools and has served on the boards of Uncommon Schools NYC and the National Academy of Advanced Teacher Education. Most recently, he served as board chair of New Classrooms Innovation Partners.

In 2024, Jeff authored the book [*Ask: Tap Into the Hidden Wisdom of People Around You for Unexpected Breakthroughs in Leadership and Life*](http://www.askapproach.com)*.* The book was named as a Top Leadership Book of 2024 and became a #1 new release in multiple categories. It has been praised by thought leaders such as Adam Grant, Seth Godin, Jim Collins, Wendy Kopp, and Amy Edmondson, who wrote the Foreword.

Jeff is a Fellow in the Pahara-Aspen Education Fellowship and is a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network as well as an Edmund Hillary Fellow. He earned a masters and doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University, where his dissertation research examined how to apply design thinking to advance innovation in education systems. Jeff earned a bachelor’s in psychology from Brown University, where he co-founded and taught extensively through Providence Science Outreach, equipping university students to do hands-on STEM learning with teachers and children in local schools. During his time at Brown, Jeff also studied under Ted Sizer, whose beliefs about learning and school design profoundly shaped his worldview.

Jeff lives in New York with his family, who constantly fuel his inspiration and urgency in this work. More about Jeff’s background, values, and beliefs about learning can be found in [his TEDx talk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWRpkSYDjvQ), [this interview](http://www.re-envisioned.org/a-new-conversation/2016/9/6/jeff-co-founder-of-transcend-father-of-2-ny), [this podcast](https://www.futurized.co/e/k-12-education/), and [this talk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMO50H5FeMw) he gave at Google.



 

 

 





 

 

- ## Person Categories
    
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