Cathy Owens-Oliver

Dr. Cathy Owens Oliver, #DrCathyO, is a speaker, author, professor, instructional leadership coach, education policy analyst, school board member, and National Board Certified Teacher. CEO of Educational Effectiveness Group, she helps education agencies develop school leaders, increase teacher readiness, transform school culture, and close the equity gap. Her book, Why Schools Fumble: Applying the End Zone Mindset to School Improvement is used by school districts and colleges of educating seeking to improve how we "do school" in the US.

Having more than 25 years of service, she has worked with state education officials in 46 of 50 states and in Canada coaching teachers, school leaders, boards of education, and college faculty. Formerly a high school English teacher, she has worked for the NC Department of Public Instruction, the Michigan Association of Independent School Administrators, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, Learning Forward, and Educational Testing Service.

She has presented at countless national conferences and written for leading education journals including Accomplished Teacher Magazine, the Journal of Staff Development, and the Hope Foundation’s What Works in Schools newsletter. Her work also appears in the college textbook: Black Star: An Introduction to African American Studies.

She completed undergraduate studies at the University of NC at Greensboro and postgraduate studies at NC A&T State University and Seton Hall University where she earned her doctorate in Education, Leadership, Management, and Policy. She is the Dean of Education for the COGIC International Sunday School Department and member of the Publishing Board.