Heather Boughton

Heather Boughton is the Associate Director of State Policy at the Alliance for Learning Innovation, where she works with state education leaders to build their agencies' capacity to engage with, learn from, and apply education R&D.

Before joining ALI, Heather was the Director of Education Policy Implementation at Results for America, where she supported 200+ local education leaders nationwide in implementing evidence-based high-impact tutoring and summer learning programs, and led RFA's State Education Fellowship for leaders from 10 politically diverse states. Prior to RFA, she spent over a decade at the Ohio Department of Education, most recently as Director of Research and Evaluation, building the state's capacity to use research in decision-making.

A first-generation college student, Heather credits her public school system with opening doors to opportunities she'd never imagined — and it's that same belief in possibility for every student that drives her work today. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from The Ohio State University, an M.A. in Sociology from the University of Akron, and a B.A. in Psychology from Miami University, and is an alumna of Harvard's Strategic Data Project and the Aspen Institute's Coherence Lab Fellowship.

Heather lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her two boys and a dog named Fritz. When she's not geeking out over education research, you'll most likely find her doing something outdoorsy, at a concert, tinkering with a new project or hobby, or traveling.