Rebecca Watson is an educational consultant, seasoned facilitator, coach, and leadership development strategist. She joins NewSchools to lead the HBCU Charter Incubation work, utilizing her experience partnering with leaders to sharpen their vision, shift their practices, and deliver meaningful results.
For nearly two decades, Rebecca has built leadership capacity across the education, nonprofit, and business sectors. As a consultant, she has led school quality reviews nationally and internationally, coached leaders across all three sectors, and designed and facilitated staff development, strategic planning, and key stakeholder convenings for organizations including SchoolWorks, the Nonprofit Leadership Center of Tampa Bay, and Teach For America Florida.
Rebecca’s approach is grounded in her own experience leading schools. She began her career as a middle school teacher and went on to serve as a turnaround principal in Chicago, leading K–12 schools to double-digit gains in reading and math and award-winning culture transformation.
She holds an M.Ed. in Administration and Supervision and an M.A.T. in Elementary Education from National Louis University, and a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Hampton University. She has served on the boards of Leadership Pinellas, Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties, the YMCA of the Suncoast, and the YWCA of St. Petersburg.
A native Chicagoan, Rebecca now calls Sarasota, Florida home. She considers being a mother to her son, Jaleel, her most important and rewarding role. Jaleel is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Morehouse College and currently works as a software developer in Atlanta. Outside of work, you’ll find Rebecca enjoying plant-based cuisine, watching historical documentaries, or crafting a latch hook rug, a hobby she recently rediscovered. Two dream jobs remain on her list: stunt car driver and owner of a vegan bakery famous for the best chai, chocolate chip cookies, and chocolate cake, all made without white flour or refined sugar.