Linda Brown wanted every child, regardless of zip code, to have an excellent school. 

A titan in education reform, Linda founded Building Excellent Schools, which she led for two decades. Linda identified and trained hundreds of aspiring school leaders in a rigorous national Fellowship; many of Linda’s Fellows have founded some of the highest performing charter schools in the country.

Linda spent the first half of her career educating children fortunate enough to access a superb private school. With education reform of the mid-1990s and the growth of charter schools, Linda devoted the remainder of her life to bringing an excellent education to all children - especially those in historically underserved communities.

Linda was fierce, loving, and truthful. She saw public schools that were not good enough and worked relentlessly to build excellent ones—schools that would place every child on the road to college and a life of opportunity. She was also mischievous, witty, and intensely loyal.