Tesha McCord Poe, J.D. and MBA

Tesha McCord Poe is a passionate educator and fundraiser who uses her legal and business background to leverage and support the long-term success of nonprofits. She particularly focuses on fundraising and diversity, equity and inclusion.

A graduate of Barnard College, Columbia University with a B. A. in economics, Tesha received a JD/MBA from Northwestern University and has worked in several industries including broadcast journalism for NBC News, banking for Merrill Lynch, corporate attorney in Silicon Valley and as a tenure track law teacher at a community college under Martha Kanter, former U.S Undersecretary of Education.

Tesha has spent more than a decade working as a senior administrator in Independent Schools in the Bay Area. In this capacity Tesha has partnered with leadership teams to set and implement innovative educational strategies and provide growing revenue streams through admissions and fundraising K-12.

She’s also helped raise over $100M, including direct solicitations of 6 and 7 figures. She served as the Chief Development Officer for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Peninsula and as the Chief Advancement Officer for Castilleja School in Palo Alto, California, where she helped to lead the largest campaign in the school's history. 

Formerly she served as Associate Head of School for Hillbrook School in Los Gatos California where she later returned to serve as a trustee. Tesha currently serves as a Trustee for Prospect Sierra School in Richmond, EatReal Certified in San Francisco and is the Board Chair for the Mariposa Foundation DR based in the Dominican Republic.

Most recently she served as Interim Head of School at the Girls’ Middle School in Palo Alto. An inspiring and engaging speaker to audiences large and small, Tesha is a presenter for Tedx Boston in November 2022 and is the co-author of the book, Beyond Widow.