Kathleen Mathers

An original member of ESG’s founding team, Kathleen serves as a Principal, leading the firm’s secondary education efforts focused on quality pathways as drivers of economic and social mobility. Within this role, she helps state and local education leaders and their partners assess and strengthen career preparation systems to lead more learners to fulfilling, in-demand, high-wage career opportunities. She brings deep experience in designing, managing, and executing projects and programs like New Skill ready network, FutureReadyNYC, Launch, and Energy Pathways of the Permian Basin that often focus on career advising and navigation, work-based learning, high-value credentialing, early college coursework, and social capital development to put more learners on an accelerated path to economic and career success.

Prior to joining ESG, Kathleen served as Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement in Georgia, a P-16 research, policy, and accountability agency. In that role, she collaborated on new legislation and policy initiatives to improve student achievement, and she directed related research efforts to drive overall policy and practice change from early childhood education through postsecondary education and training. In earlier roles, Kathleen also served as director of a statewide program to strengthen math and science teacher quality through the Georgia Department of Education, led program development and evaluation efforts at a non-profit science center, and served as a classroom teacher for eight years in Atlanta.

Kathleen earned a Master’s Degree from Georgia State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Education and Math from St Mary’s College.

Why are you in this work?

I’ve spent my career moving between classrooms, nonprofit leadership, state policy making, and mission-minded consulting, and every stop has deepened the same core conviction: achievement gaps are not inevitable. They’re the product of systems we built, which means they’re systems we can change. When we design smart policy, implement it strategically, and stay relentless about using data to adjust course, we don’t just close gaps; we unlock potential that was always there. Every child deserves a clear path to economic security and a career they find meaningful. That’s within reach, and it’s what drives my work.

Why ESG?

At ESG, I get to pull all of my experience from classroom teaching, nonprofit leadership, and state policy together to work on problems that matter. I work with states, districts, community partners, and foundations to build systems that actually change outcomes for kids and put them on a path to pursue their postsecondary aspirations. Being at a small firm allows me to design strategy, lead implementation, evaluate impact, and make the calls that determine whether our work succeeds or falls flat. Every team member here has real influence on the design and delivery of the work. That means when I see a better approach, I can act on it. When a project needs to pivot, I can make it happen. The combination of meaningful work around problems I care deeply about and genuine agency to create is what keeps me engaged.