Barbara Gao Shapiro

Barbara founded Blueprint to Great Schools in 2024. She leads innovation, manages internal operations, and maintains an advisory practice focused on college access program design and leadership. Before founding Blueprint to Great Schools, Barbara scaled high school and college access programs at the largest network of K-12 charter schools in New York City. 

She serves on advisory boards for the University of Pennsylvania (from which she earned degrees in finance and history) and Columbia University. Barbara lives in New York with her husband and son, and can be seen on TV competing on game shows.