Natalie Walrond

Overview

Natalie Walrond brings to her work 30 years of experience in K–12 education, finance, and strategy, working with both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Walrond helps state and local education agencies with strategic planning, participatory needs assessments, product development, and program design and implementation. She speaks and writes about effective board leadership, systems alignment and coherence, social and emotional learning, academic excellence, and equity.

Walrond serves as Vice President, Western Educational Equity Assistance Center at WestEd. In addition to directing strategic planning and technical assistance projects, Walrond serves as Director of the Western Educational Equity Assistance Center, leading the vision, strategic direction, and external engagement of the center. She served as Associate Director of the Region 15 Comprehensive Center in 2024 and as Director of the national Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety from 2019 to 2023.

During her career, Walrond has served in a variety of roles: a management team member, a board leader, an investor, and an outside consultant specializing in strategic planning and nonprofit board effectiveness. Walrond is a member of Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC) and serves as the current board chair for Beyond 12. She was awarded the Ed Myers Award for Exceptional Contribution to the WestEd Community in 2021.

Education

• MBA in analytic finance and policy studies, University of Chicago 
• BA in international studies and international business, Trinity University 

Select Publications

Walrond, N. (2025). Establishing organizational clarity within a changing ecosystem: A guide for nonprofits. WestEd. 

Walrond, N., Serwanga, R., & Farrell, G. (2025). Systems alignment and coherence: Opportunities for Alameda County’s early care and education system. WestEd. 

Valdez, A., Bell, A., Derby, K., Dolle, J., Fitzpatrick, R., Rovins, M., Walrond, N., & Willis, J. (2024). Systems change at WestEd: Six guiding principles. WestEd. 

Valdez, A., Walrond, N., & Cerna, R. (2024). Essential conditions for advancing and sustaining cross-sector collaboration: A reflection guide for child-, youth-, and family-serving agencies. California Center for School Climate at WestEd. 

Walrond, N., & Hashmi, S. (2023). Equitable, sustainable systems change at scale: Lessons learned from state collaboratives. Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety at WestEd. 

Walrond, N. (2021, Summer). Decolonize your board. Stanford Social Innovation Review. 

Walrond, N. (2021). Serving the whole person: An alignment and coherence guide for local education agencies. WestEd.  

Walrond, N., & Romer, N. (2021). Serving the whole person: An alignment and coherence guide for state education agencies. WestEd. 

Honors, Awards, and Affiliations

2022–Present 

Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) Collaborating States Initiative (CSI), Advisory Committee 

Serve on the general body, which supports the CSI in its mission to provide a community of practice and direct technical assistance for its members—state education agency leaders 

2009–Present 

Beyond 12, Governing Board 

Serve as Board Chair; served as Treasurer and Chair of Finance Committee and Audit Committee; advise founder/CEO on growth, financial management, and funder cultivation 

2017–2020 

Center for Youth Wellness, Governing Board 

Served as Chair of Strategic Planning Committee; served on Governance and Development Committees; extended strategic planning process to create a clear and intentional roadmap for our larger vision of trauma-informed healthcare for all children 

Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC), 2017 

2009–2015 

Envision Education, Governing Board 

Served as Board Chair and Chair of Executive Committee; Vice Chair, Chair of Education Committee, and Chair of Audit Committee; served on Audit, Education, Finance, Governance, and Development committees; represented the organization publicly; led the reinvigoration of board culture and board process; engaged in long-range strategic planning efforts 

Chartered Financial Analyst designation, 1999