Alexandra Elizondo — Chief of Public Affairs and Communications

  • Alexandra “Alex” Hales Elizondo was the founding CEO of Good Reason Houston, a nonprofit established to champion a citywide vision for education progress. While leading Good Reason Houston, Alex defined the organization’s mission and strategy, built a capable team and Board of Directors, shaped an intentional culture, and led the organization through its first phase of work supporting local school systems. 

    Under Alex’s leadership, the organization accelerated progress in school systems across Houston. Columbia University’s Center for Public Research and Leadership studied Good Reason Houston's distinctive approach to city-based education work and found evidence of success in supporting district leaders to make student-centered decisions. During her tenure, the organization supported the creation of quality public schools of choice, facilitated critical school turnaround initiatives in low-performing schools, and leveraged meaningful influence on state policy in alignment with the needs of Houston families.

    Prior to launching Good Reason Houston, Alex served as the Executive Director of Teach For America Dallas-Fort Worth, leading a team of 50 staff members and a network of 1,200 educators. During her tenure, the DFW region grew by 160%. She and her team tripled the number of teachers deployed, doubled their annual fundraising, and significantly increased student achievement. TFA DFW was the pace-setting region across the TFA network in both teacher performance and teacher culture indicators. Simultaneously, Alex and her team sparked educational innovation in North Texas by re-imagining teacher training in DFW and designed a new training institute in collaboration with other local education organizations including Dallas ISD, SMU, and Momentous Institute.

    Alex started her career as a first-grade teacher in South Louisiana, and in 2009 was named East Feliciana Parish Schools Elementary Teacher of the Year. She is a graduate of Lake Forest College and Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.

    Contact Information:

    Alexandra Elizondo

    Chief of Public Affairs and Communications
    Houston Independent School District
    4400 West 18th Street, Houston, TX 77092-8501

    Phone: 713-556-6300
    Email: alexandra.elizondo@houstonisd.org