Heather Rieman

Heather Rieman is America Forward’s Advocacy Director. Heather leads America Forward’s early childhood care and education, K-12 education, youth mental health and wellbeing, and national service policy and advocacy work. Heather also oversees America Forward’s Advocacy Institute.

Heather comes to her role at America Forward having dedicated her over 20-year career to ensuring that all youth have the supports they need to succeed in school and life. Prior to joining America Forward, Heather served as the P-12 Policy Director at the Education Trust, a non-profit that works to close opportunity gaps. She led the organization’s P-12 policy work exposing inequities, identifying research-based policy solutions, and supporting advocates to push for policy change. Heather also has significant federal education policy experience. She served as the chief of staff in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and as a senior policy advisor at the Department of Education’s Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development, where she helped advance innovative policies on school climate, school discipline, evidence-based policymaking, and whole child supports. Heather also served as the senior education advisor for AmeriCorps, where she saw the important role that social innovation organizations play in supporting student success across the country. In 2001, Heather was named a Presidential Management Fellow and worked both at the Department of Education and on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee.

Heather is also a social entrepreneur. She was the co-founder and co-director of Critical Exposure, an innovative nonprofit that teaches youth how to use the power of photography and their own voices to create public and political will for change. The organization was founded on the belief that proximate youth deserve a seat at the policy table, and their engagement is critical to advocating for strong schools and communities.

Heather earned an MPP from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a BA from Tufts University.