pressroom
Media Contact
For media inquiries, please email Stephanie Noriega or call 713.993.6226.
Spokespersons
Cary Wright
Chief Executive Officer
Stephanie Noriega
Director of Communications
FAQs
What is Good Reason Houston’s mission?
Good Reason Houston’s mission is to increase the number of students in Houston learning in great public schools.
What does district transformation look like?
Good Reason Houston exists to accelerate progress within school districts and promote courageous decisions that improve the quality of our public schools. We build deep partnerships to improve student achievement and sustain long-term change across Houston. These partnerships include school districts across the city whose leaders understand the need to collaborate for bold change.
Read about a case study in Aldine ISD here.
Watch district transformation in action here.
How does Good Reason Houston work toward improving public schools in Houston?
We know that change is possible with the aggressive growth of great schools paired with a commitment to drive systems change that builds demand for better schools, amplifies what’s possible, and systematizes improvements. The challenge is too vast to rely only on a single school model (ISD or charter), too complex to focus solely on schools holding onto hope that districts will perpetuate quality, and too intransigent to focus on systems level change absent bold school level action. It is the combination of Growing Great Schools with urgency and taking strategic steps to Rally Communities for Change that will increase the share of high-quality schools and foster an ecosystem that sustains any improvements. Read more about our strategies in the Our Work section of our website.
How can a school partner with Good Reason Houston?
A school or district or network in Houston can reach out to our team by submitting a form on our Contact Us page. Read more about the geography we work in here.
How is Good Reason Houston funded?
Good Reason Houston is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization that is funded through donations from generous Houstonians who believe in our mission and vision. (Tax ID# 82-0946654) For more information on donating, click here.
How can I help improve schools in Houston?
At Good Reason Houston, we’re working every day to increase the number of children learning in great public schools in Houston. Join the movement! Sign up here to receive emails keeping you up-to-date on education news in Houston and ways you can make a difference. We’re in this together – and we’re in it for Houston kids!
Logo Use
To download a high-resolution logo, click here.
Press Releases
Good Reason Houston is Propelling Citywide Education, According to New Study (October 2022)
HISD Names New Superintendent Finalist: Millard House II (May 2021)
Launching a Blueprint for Change (November 2020)
2020 Connecting the Dots Annual Report released (September 2020)
Report shows impact of lost in-person learning on Houston students (September 2020)
Good Reason Houston supports launch of ACE in Aldine ISD (November 2019)
Alex Elizondo
Chief Executive Officer
Alexandra “Alex” Hales Elizondo is the founding CEO of Good Reason Houston. 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.
During this period of rapid growth, 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, Southern Methodist University, 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 Graduate School of Business.
Delicia Jones
Chief Strategy and Investments Officer
As the Chief Strategy & Investments Officer, Delicia helps set the vision for Good Reason Houston and develop the tools and resources required to execute against that vision.
Prior to joining Good Reason Houston, Delicia was a Senior Manager at the Monitor Institute by Deloitte where she worked closely with nonprofit and foundation leaders on issues related to strategy, growth, and operational effectiveness. She also worked as an Education Pioneers Graduate Fellow, where she helped YES Prep Public Schools develop a long-term talent strategy for identifying and cultivating future school leaders.
Delicia holds a Bachelor of Arts in Computational & Applied Mathematics and Managerial Studies from Rice University as well as a Master of Business Administration from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. A native Houstonian, she is committed to ensuring every child in her hometown has access to a world-class education.
Cary Wright
Chief External Affairs Officer
As Chief Public Affairs Officer, Cary provides clarity, direction, and focus to Good Reason Houston’s communication, policy, and community engagement efforts.
Cary brings over a decade of experience in public education and public affairs. He began his career as an elementary school teacher. Cary has held various positions at Teach For America, including as Executive Director of the Dallas-Fort Worth region. During his tenure, the organization secured nearly $35M in funding and grew to serve over 60,000 North Texas public school students daily. He also served as the Press Secretary for U.S. Congressman William “Mac” Thornberry in Washington, D.C.
Cary earned a Bachelor’s degree from Davidson College. He is a graduate of Texas public schools and is proud to call Houston home.
Stephanie Noriega
Director of Communications
As Director of Communications, Stephanie leads Good Reason Houston’s internal and external communications, manages and strengthens its brand, and elevates issues of school quality across the City of Houston.
For more than 10 years, Stephanie has managed communications and marketing efforts at nonprofits throughout Houston. Prior to joining Good Reason Houston, she worked at the headquarters of the national social enterprise Genesys Works. Before that, she led marcomm strategies at two exceptional educational institutions: Incarnate Word Academy and St. John’s School.
Stephanie received her Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and she has passionately advocated for nonprofits ever since!
