Alexis Gonzales-Black

Alexis Gonzales-Black is an expert in organizational design and change initiatives with experience across the education, retail, and technology sectors. She is the co-author of The NEW School Rules: 6 Vital Practices for Thriving and Responsive Schools (Corwin, 2018), which translates modern management and agile organizational design principles into practical routines for school and district teams. Drawing on work with Education Elements and other organizations, the book offers a framework for creating more responsive, high-performing schools through improved planning, teaming, roles, decision-making, information-sharing, and continuous learning.

Gonzales-Black has led major organizational redesign efforts, including implementing Holacracy at Zappos and shaping an emerging organizational design practice at the global design firm IDEO as a principal designer. She currently serves as Partner and Org Design Practice Lead at August Public, working with large organizations to build agile, responsive structures and effective change programs. She began her career in education after earning a B.S. in Biology from James Madison University, teaching high school science and working as a recruiter and leader at Teach For America. Her work has been featured in outlets such as Forbes, Huffington Post, Fox, and CNN Money, and she has held board roles including the Nevada State Board of Education, WestEd,