Amy Jones has joined 85 Advisors as Chief Operating Officer and will lead the firm’s new education technology advisory practice. She is based in New York City.

“Amy brings extensive education industry experience and an impressive track record of transforming institutions, systems, and practices to deliver better educational outcomes for students,” said Steven Freitas, Executive Managing Director at 85 Advisors. “We are thrilled to have an individual of Amy’s caliber lead our emerging EdTech practice, as her deep strategic and product insights will be of tremendous value to 85 Advisors’ clients.”

Background

Amy brings nearly 20 years of education leadership. Most recently she was Chief Academic Officer and Deputy Chief Executive for Special Education at the New York City Department of Education, the largest school district in the United States, with 1.1 million students and a $24 billion operating budget. She directed professional development for more than 100,000 staff supporting more than 290,000 students with disabilities, and led projects to re-engineer the systems behind specialized instruction, from learning management and student information systems to analytics, personalized learning and accessibility.

Earlier in her career she was a teacher, a school principal, an adjunct professor for online graduate courses and Director of University Partnerships for Teach For America. She holds an M.A. in Organization and Leadership from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis.