Chera Reid

Dr. Chera Reid (she/hers) partners with social sector leaders and organizations who are imagining and creating a more just and equitable world. Chera dreams about an expansive practice of education for liberation for her children and for all of our children. She dreams about traveling to places where her family can have racial rest. After twenty years in the social sector, Chera returned to the Black radical tradition of freedom dreaming to reconnect with her creative, bolder self.

Chera recently served as co-Executive Director of the Center for Evaluation Innovation. There, her personal inquiry and longstanding commitment to just futures gave rise to Freedom Dreams in Philanthropy, a collaborative of social sector professionals who embrace the tradition of freedom dreaming in service to racial justice and collective liberation. Chera previously served as Program Officer in Education and later as inaugural Director of Strategic Learning, Research, and Evaluation at the Kresge Foundation. She guided one of the nation’s largest private foundations to become an intentional learning organization rooted in values of equity and opportunity. She also co-led foundation-wide efforts to raise consciousness about race and the impact of structural racism as the foundation made a comprehensive commitment to advancing equity. Before joining Kresge, Chera worked at MDRC, where she focused on ensuring that all students have access to quality public education and can pursue a college education that matches their needs regardless of their family income. She has held leadership positions at New York Needs You and the Phillips Academy Andover Institute for Recruitment of Teachers, programs that expand educational and career opportunities for first-generation, low-income, and students of color. Chera serves on the boards of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations and ProInspire. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia, a master’s degree from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. from New York University.