Our Team
Sehba Ali - CEO of KIPP Texas Public Schools and KIPP Texas Future Fund
Sehba Ali is CEO of both KIPP Texas Public Schools and KIPP Texas Future Fund. Under her leadership, KIPP Texas expanded to a statewide network of 54 tuition free, public charter schools. KIPP Texas educates 31,000 students across four regions: Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. In the latest state accountability ratings, issued August 2025, KIPP Texas earned a “B” from the Texas Education Agency. The 11-point increase in the KIPP Texas accountability score from 2023 to 2025 exceeds gains made by all other major district and charter systems in the cities in which KIPP Texas operates.
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Prior to leading KIPP Texas, Sehba was superintendent of KIPP Houston Public Schools, now the largest region within the statewide network. A long-time member of the KIPP Team and Family, she was chief academic officer for KIPP Bay Area Schools and founded KIPP Heartwood Academy Middle School in San Jose, California. The school was consistently rated as one of the highest-performing middle schools in the state.
Sehba began her career as a middle school English teacher in Houston with Teach For America. She earned a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s from Stanford University. In addition, she was a Pahara-Aspen fellow and completed the Broad Academy for Superintendents.
Leila Walsh - Executive Director of KIPP Texas Future Fund
Leila Walsh oversees a team that secures financial resources to support KIPP Texas Public Schools.
Leila brings a background in philanthropy, development, and stakeholder relations to the KIPP Texas Future Fund. A longtime champion for schools that educate all children well and for reliable, affordable postsecondary pathways, she has also directed K–12 advocacy initiatives focused on federal and state policy and has led communications for one of America’s largest school systems. Her professional experience includes serving as vice president of communications at the Laura and John Arnold Foundation; as chief external affairs officer at Chiefs for Change, a national network of school district superintendents and state education commissioners; and in senior communications positions under two administrations at the Houston Independent School District. Prior to her work focused on education, Leila spent a decade as a television news reporter, including five years at WOAI, the NBC affiliate in San Antonio.
SÆ¡n Hàn - Chief Financial Officer of KIPP Texas Public Schools and KIPP Texas Future Fund
SÆ¡n Hàn is the Chief Financial Officer of both KIPP Texas Public Schools and KIPP Texas Future Fund, where he oversees financial strategy, compliance, and investment management.
He is a licensed CPA and CFA charterholder with expertise in nonprofit finance, endowment oversight, and public sector accountability.
