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As school and district leaders enter 2026 facing tightening budgets and rising expectations, the challenge is clear: how do you build systems that last when resources are uncertain?

In this premiere episode of Leading for Impact, we sit down with Tyra Mariani — a nationally respected education leader whose career spans local, national, and philanthropic systems — to explore what sustainable impact really looks like in this moment.

Tyra has spent her career helping organizations turn vision into reality: from serving in federal education leadership roles that shaped policies from early learning through college and career, to transforming New America into a modern civic platform blending research, technology, and public problem-solving. Earlier in her career, she helped strengthen leadership pipelines and financial planning as Budget Director for Chicago Public Schools and a Broad Resident in Urban Education. Today, as founder of UP Advisors, she coaches leaders across sectors to build systems that endure change.

Together, we dig into how education leaders can act with both urgency and endurance — ensuring equity, access, and results don’t become casualties of fiscal uncertainty.

Recorded live in front of an audience of education innovators, this 20-minute conversation introduces the hallmark of the Leading for Impact series:
What must change? What must endure? And what gives you hope?

Kicking off 2026 with purpose and clarity, this episode invites leaders to reimagine sustainable impact for the students and staff they serve — even in uncertain times.