Liliana Polo-McKenna

Dr. Liliana Polo-McKenna, EdLD, is the executive director of the Responsive Design team at the Bank Street Education Center. With over 25 years of experience as an educator and workforce leader, Liliana has worked with local, state, and national leaders and teams to expand what is possible in education. Liliana was the founding principal of West Brooklyn Community High School, a transfer school in the same neighborhood where she was born and raised. Liliana also served as Vice President of School Leadership Support at the Leadership Academy and Technical Advisor at FHI 360, where she coached, designed, and facilitated professional development for district- and school-level leaders across the country. Liliana was chief program officer and chief executive officer of Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow, one of New York City’s largest youth education and workforce development nonprofits. Liliana founded a professional learning consulting firm, Leading from Within, through which she was coach and facilitator with Latinos for Education and Seattle Public Schools. She also serves as board president of the Malverne Afterschool Center and board secretary for Building 21, an innovative, competency-based high school in Philadelphia. Liliana has a Doctorate in Education Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a BA/MAT from Brown University.