Transformative Educational Leadership

What Transformative Educational Leadership does

Transformative Educational Leadership (TEL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2018 and operating as a fiscally-sponsored project of Tides Center. TEL's core offering is a yearlong Fellowship program for educational leaders that integrates mindfulness and contemplative practice, social-emotional learning, racial/social/ecological justice frameworks, and systems thinking into a cohort-based personal and professional transformation experience. The program structure combines opening and closing in-person five-day retreats (held at Stony Point Center, NY, and Omega Institute), one virtual four-day midyear retreat, twice-monthly virtual learning sessions featuring guest faculty (including Daniel Goleman, Pedro Noguera, Zaretta Hammond, Peter Senge, and john a. powell), racial affinity groups, one-on-one coaching, and an ongoing alumni community. TEL has graduated four cohorts since inception and reports that alumni leaders have reached approximately 1.5 million students and 100,000 educators.

TEL monetizes primarily through a $5,500 per-Fellow tuition for the yearlong program, with travel and lodging billed separately. An optional 9 Graduate Level Professional Development Units add-on is offered through the University of the Pacific for an additional fee, and need-based scholarships plus three-installment payment plans (June 2026, November 2026, April 2027) broaden access. Customer segments include district and school-site leaders, nonprofit/CBO leaders, SEL coaches, higher-education professionals, and teacher leaders. Go-to-market is community-led: TEL drives applications through virtual info sessions in January–February, alumni testimonials, email newsletters, and annual gatherings, with annual competitive applications opening January 15. TEL's reach extends globally through alumni, notably alumna Richa Gupta's Labhya Foundation (scaling SEL to 2.4 million children in India) and alumna Kamilah Drummond's co-development of CASEL's first adult Transformative SEL series.

Name

Transformative Educational Leadership

Legal name

Transformative Educational Leadership

Website

https://teleadership.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Transformative Educational Leadership (TEL) is a nonprofit offering a yearlong fellowship for education leaders that integrates mindfulness, equity, and systems thinking through cohort-based retreats, virtual sessions, and coaching, serving superintendents, principals, and nonprofit leaders globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Leadership Development & Professional Development Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits (BPAGADAL), Student & Alumni Communities (BPAMABAK)

Keywords

• Education leadership development
• Executive fellowship programs
• Social emotional learning
• Equity-centered leadership
• Mindfulness professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

Remote

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Fellowship Tuition: The primary revenue stream is the $5,500 fellowship program fee covering three facilitated retreats, twice-monthly learning sessions with guest thought leaders, shared curriculum resources, and ongoing support throughout the year. Travel and lodging for in-person retreats are not included.
2. Graduate Level Professional Development Units: Option for Fellows to obtain 9 Graduate Level Professional Development Units/Credits through the University of the Pacific for additional fees.
3. Fiscal Sponsorship (Tides Center): TEL is a fiscally-sponsored project of Tides Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. This structure may support grant funding and charitable contributions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

TEL offers a yearlong Transformative Educational Leadership Fellowship for educators and education leaders, priced at $5,500 per fellow. The fellowship includes three facilitated retreats (two in-person five-day retreats and one virtual four-day midyear retreat), twice-monthly virtual learning sessions with guest thought leaders, racial affinity groups, one-on-one coaching, and shared curriculum resources. TEL also offers an optional 9 Graduate Level Professional Development Credits through the University of the Pacific for an additional fee, an ongoing alumni community, and free educational resources such as meditations, events, and research.

Product overview

Transformative Educational Leadership (TEL) is a non-profit organization offering a single, unified yearlong Fellowship program for educational leaders. The TEL Fellowship is the core offering, supplemented by info sessions, an alumni community network, and educational resources. TEL does not operate as a software platform or technology product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TEL Fellowship Program A yearlong immersive fellowship for educational leaders priced at $5,500 per fellow that integrates mindfulness, equity, and systems thinking into personal and professional transformation. Includes three facilitated retreats (two in-person five-day retreats and one virtual four-day midyear retreat), twice-monthly virtual learning sessions with guest thought leaders, racial affinity groups, one-on-one coaching, and shared curriculum resources. Optional 9 Graduate Level Professional Development Credits through the University of the Pacific available for additional fees.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.5M+ students impacted by TEL alumni leaders
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• University of the PacificminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTEL Fellows have the option to obtain 9 Graduate Level Professional Development Units/Credits through the University of the Pacific for additional fees.
• Omega InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual summer retreats are held at the Omega Institute in New York, providing the natural setting for intensive fellowship gatherings and community building.
• Guest Faculty Thought LeaderscoreOthersTEL has engaged renowned thought leaders as guest faculty including Daniel Goleman (co-founder of CASEL), Pedro Noguera, Zaretta Hammond, Tish Jennings, Peter Senge, john a. powell, Yvette Jackson, Timothy Shriver, Elena Aguilar, Martin Brokenleg, Robert Gass, Meg Wheatley, Michael Yellow Bird, Helen Weng, and others. These leaders contribute expertise in mindfulness, equity, SEL, systems change, and leadership.
• Labhya FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTEL alumni Richa Gupta co-founded Labhya Foundation, which partners with state governments across India to institutionalize SEL programs reaching 2.4 million children. This represents alumni-led scaling of TEL's approach globally.
• CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTEL alumni Kamilah Drummond co-developed CASEL's first adult Transformative Social and Emotional Learning (T-SEL) series. TEL's philosophy aligns with CASEL's framework while emphasizing culturally responsive and equity-centered approaches.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Equity Project: Builds leadership capacity for equity-centered change in schools and districts through coaching, fellowships, and cohort programs. Highly comparable in mission, methodology, and target audience.
• Teaching Trust: Provides cohort-based leadership development for school and system leaders in under-resourced communities, with a focus on equity and instructional leadership. Closely parallels TEL's fellowship structure and target buyer (district leaders).

Broad incumbents

• Relay Graduate School of Education: Larger, accredited institution training teachers and school leaders, including equity-focused leadership pathways. Overlaps in audience and leadership development, but operates at much greater scale and as a degree-granting body.
• CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning): Field-builder for SEL frameworks adopted by districts nationwide. TEL alumni have co-developed content with CASEL; both share SEL as a core pillar, though CASEL is a policy/framework leader rather than a fellowship operator.
• KIPP Foundation: Largest U.S. charter network, with substantial leadership development infrastructure for school leaders serving low-income communities. Overlaps in equity-centered leadership development at scale, but operates schools rather than offering external fellowships.
• Aspen Institute Education & Society Program: Convenes and develops education leaders and policymakers through fellowships and thought leadership. Operates at the systems/policy layer that overlaps with TEL's district-leader audience.
• New Teacher Center: National nonprofit focused on teacher and school leader development with equity and SEL-adjacent frameworks. Comparable audience (school leaders) but at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
• EL Education: National nonprofit partnering with K-12 schools on deeper learning, character, and equity-centered practices. Comparable in mission orientation (equity + student belonging) but delivers via whole-school partnership rather than leader fellowship.

Emerging players

• Blue Engine: Multi-year cohort-based program partnering with schools and districts on teacher and leader development with equity focus. Comparable model (cohort, multi-year) and target audience, smaller in scale than TEL.
• Public Impact: Education-focused nonprofit working on workforce, leadership, and equitable outcomes through consulting and advocacy. Overlaps with TEL's audience of education leaders tackling systemic change.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/teleadership
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/transformative-educational-leadership

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Transformative Educational Leadership