Mia Howard is a Managing Partner at NewSchools Venture Fund. In her role, she brings her experience as a school founder and education funder to the organization’s efforts to find, fund, and support diverse educators with bold ideas for new schools and PK-12 education solutions around the country. Prior to joining NewSchools, Mia was the Founding Partner of Schools and Talent at The Opportunity Trust, where she led the organization’s strategy for the design, development, and launch of innovative schools and support of educators and existing schools throughout the St. Louis region. Before that, Mia was Founder and CEO of Intrepid College Prep Schools, a growing network of public charter schools in Nashville, Tennessee. She began her career in education at Building Excellent Schools, where she spent two years in deep study of successful school models around the country. Mia has a Juris Doctor with a concentration in Business Economics and Public Policy from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and the Wharton School and her bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from Vanderbilt University. Mia is an alum of the Posse Foundation, a non-profit rooted in the belief that a small, diverse group of talented individuals –a Posse– can serve as a catalyst for increased individual and community empowerment on college campuses, in the workforce, and in the world. Mia is currently on the boards of NAMI St. Louis and City Garden Montessori School. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, she currently resides in St. Louis with her dog, Fizzy. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time at the beach, discussing pop culture, and exploring new restaurants.

Andrew Vega is Senior Associate Partner on the Innovative Schools team at NewSchools Venture Fund. Prior to joining NewSchools, Andrew served as a high school principal with Alliance-College Ready Public Schools, leading the turnaround of a high school campus in South Los Angeles. Andrew began his career as Teach for America corps member in Los Angeles, teaching high school English with the ICEF Public Schools, before moving to Boston. He spent seven years with the Boston Public Schools as a middle school English and ESL teacher and principal of a special education inclusion elementary school. The son of a Mexican immigrant and migrant farmworker, Andrew’s passion for racial and educational equity is rooted in his family’s story. Andrew has served on advisory councils for the Achievement Network, The Boston Foundation, and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in addition to participating in the Teach Plus Teaching Policy and America Achieves Fellowships. He holds a BA from UCLA and MA from Loyola Marymount University. Andrew is also an alumnus of the Lynch Leadership Academy at Boston College and the National Principal Academy Fellowship at the Relay Graduate School of Education. Outside of NewSchools, Andrew serves on the board of REACH LA, a nonprofit in Los Angeles that provides health and wellness programming and resources to LGTBQI+ Black and Latinx youth. In his free time, he enjoys running/spinning, going to concerts, and spending time with his family.