Rebecca Gomez is a program officer for the Education program at the Heising-Simons Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2016, Rebecca was an assistant research professor at Rutgers University’s National Institute for Early Education Research, where she led the State of Preschool Yearbook data collection and analysis team, and provided technical assistance to states via the Center for Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes. Rebecca also served as a graduate and postdoctoral research fellow at the National Center for Children and Families at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she conducted domestic and international research on early childhood systems, with a particular focus on governance and professional development. Rebecca is a former board member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. She earned an Ed.D. in curriculum and teaching with a concentration in early childhood policy from Columbia University, a master’s in early childhood policy from the University of New Hampshire, and a bachelor’s degree in American studies at Rutgers University. She began her career in early education as a pre-school teacher.