Kati Haycock served as the national spokeswoman, advocating for children as the executive vice president of the Children’s Defense Fund, the nation’s largest child advocacy organization. In 1992, Haycock founded The Education Trust, a national organization dedicated to “the high academic achievement of all students at all levels — kindergarten through college.” Acknowledged as a true authority in the world of education reform, The Trust strengthens the voices of students most likely to be left out of mainstream educational improvement efforts. The organization also provides hands-on assistance to educators who want to work together to improve student achievement, pre-kindergarten through college. Of additional significance was Haycock’s founding and service as president of The Achievement Council, a California organization that assists teachers and principals in improving student achievement in predominantly minority schools. She also served as director of the Outreach and Student Affirmative Action programs for the University of California system. Currently, Haycock serves on the Boards of the Hunt Institute for Education Leadership and Policy, the New Teacher Project, and the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Educated in the Los Angeles city schools, Haycock received her B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara and her M.A. in Education Policy from the University of California, Berkeley.