Dr. Shari Becker Albright became president of the Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation in April 2018 after serving as chair of the Trinity University Department of Education. As head of what is now the Charles Butt Foundation, Shari guides programs designed to raise the quality of teachers and school leaders, boost collaboration among families, schools, and communities, and apply a combination of technology and classroom teaching to improve student performance. She also works with the organization’s advocacy team to advance state policy to improve Texas public schools.
At Trinity, Shari shepherded three nationally accredited graduate programs as well as select undergraduate coursework in the Department of Education and oversaw multiple community outreach programs. During her tenure, she served as president of the Texas Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (TACTE), the statewide Council of Deans of Education. She also serves as secretary of the municipal board for Pre-K 4 SA, a citywide early childhood initiative for San Antonio. Prior to her role at Trinity, Shari served as CEO of the Asia Society’s International Studies Schools Network in New York City and before that, as a K-12 teacher and principal.
She served on the organizing board and is currently on the governing board for The Holdsworth Center, an Austin-based leadership institute formed to help public school districts cultivate a stronger pipeline of campus and district leaders.
A native of Fort Worth, Albright holds a doctoral degree in educational leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University. She received her bachelor’s degree in education and master’s degree in school psychology from Trinity University.