Michelle Brown

Michelle is the founder and CEO of CommonLit, an award-winning nonprofit education technology organization dedicated to closing persistent opportunity gaps in literacy education. Under Michelle’s leadership, CommonLit has become a robust free online reading program that has been accessed in 75% of American public schools. Michelle holds a B.A. in English Literature and Spanish from Butler University and a master’s degree in Education Policy and Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Prior to starting CommonLit, Michelle was a classroom teacher; she has taught in urban and rural environments and at the university level. Today, Michelle speaks frequently about technology in education, and the importance of grounding innovation in the science of what works. She was a finalist for the Forbes 30 Under 30 Change the World Competition in 2016 and the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for her region in 2018. In her spare time, Michelle coaches early stage edtech entrepreneurs and blogs for Women@Forbes.