Learning Economy Foundation is entering the next phase of its work to build a more open, trusted and learner-centered future for education—marked by a new $7 million investment from Walton Family Foundation.
New chapters require more than new resources. They require new structures, new voices and people willing to carry the work into places it has not yet been. As LEF advances LearnCard, develops the forthcoming EducationOS platform and expands its work across the United States and globally, several members of our community are stepping into new or expanded roles.
John Goodwin is rejoining LEF’s Board of Directors as Executive Vice Chairman. A former CEO of the LEGO Foundation, CFO of the LEGO Group and senior executive at Procter & Gamble, John previously served as LEF’s Board Chair. His return brings extraordinary experience—and a deep understanding of LEF’s history—to the work ahead.
“In this new role,” said John, “I hope to help LEF navigate its next phase of growth by strengthening trust-based governance, building and deepening relationships with key eco-system partners, and enabling the powerful LEF technology solutions to deliver lasting, systems-level impacts for learners of all ages around the globe.”
Amanda Slavin is transitioning from Chief Development Officer to Senior Strategic Advisor while becoming Co-Founder and Chief Community Officer of LearnLand, a new children’s learning and media company using original characters, stories and technology to help children understand how they learn. LEF will serve as its fiscal sponsor, fiduciary and strategic partner.
“My mission for this new phase,” said Amanda, “is to turn the vision of learner agency into experiences children can actually feel, use and own, helping every child understand how they learn, see their uniqueness as a strength, and carry that understanding with them as they grow.”
Taylor Kendal will become LEF’s Chief Trust and Community Officer. In this new role, Taylor will help LEF remain closely connected to the standards organizations and communities shaping the future of learning infrastructure. He will also establish new working groups to inform EducationOS, strengthen LearnCard and ensure that our technology continues to be built not merely for communities, but with them. Trust cannot be installed at the end of a product cycle; it must be present in the architecture from the beginning.
"Deciding that something belongs to everyone is a moral act long before it is a technical one," said Taylor, "and my work is to make that decision durable so that what a person knows belongs to them by design, and doesn't require anyone's permission."
Arabella Nyffenegger has been promoted to Vice President of Partnerships, leading LEF’s work to build stronger relationships across our rapidly growing network of funders, governments, institutions and implementation partners.
Duncan Cox has been promoted to Vice President of Product, where he will guide LearnCard’s continued alignment with global standards while advancing its usability through rigorous, learner-driven design.
Diana Ringe Krogh is also joining LEF as a Senior Advisor supporting our global expansion. Formerly Vice President of Social Responsibility and Engagement at the LEGO Group, Diana brings decades of experience building partnerships at the intersection of purpose, institutions and international impact.
We are also seeking a fractional Chief Financial Officer to help steward LEF through this next period of growth. The right person will bring both financial rigor and an understanding that the systems beneath meaningful change matter just as much as the vision above them.
Together, these changes reflect the organization LEF is becoming: more global, more connected and increasingly prepared to turn years of experimentation into durable public infrastructure. The next chapter is already underway. We are grateful to the people who brought us here—and thrilled by those helping us build what comes next.
