People who practice what they teach.
Improvement Collective is a team of experienced practitioners who teach, coach and advise organizations to build the capability to improve outcomes that matter—across education, healthcare, and social welfare.
Our Team
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Alicia Grunow
CO-FOUNDER & PARTNER
Alicia Grunow is a co-founder of the Improvement Collective and a Senior Partner at the National Center for Improvement in Education (NCIE). She began her career as a bilingual teacher in Denver and New York City and later served as a Senior Managing Partner at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, where she co-authored Learning to Improve: How America’s Schools Can Get Better at Getting Better. Alicia holds a B.A. from Reed College, an M.A. in Economics and Ph.D. in Education from Stanford University, and an Improvement Advisor certificate from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
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Brandon Bennett
PARTNER
Brandon Bennett is Senior Partner at the Improvement Collective. He is an advisor, teacher, and author who helps organizations across healthcare, education, and social welfare improve outcomes for the communities they serve. He is the author of Journey to Improvement and Improvement Science at Your Fingertips, and has partnered on improvement efforts ranging from clinical care to national education systems. Brandon holds a B.S. from UC Davis and an M.P.H from Loma Linda University, and is a frequent speaker on improvement science around the world.
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Sandra Park
CO-FOUNDER & PARTNER
Sandra Park is a co-founder of the Improvement Collective and a Senior Partner at the National Center for Improvement in Education (NCIE). She previously led external offerings and partnerships and directed the Building a Teaching Effectiveness Network at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Sandra taught elementary school in Oregon, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., and served as director of programs at First Graduate in San Francisco. She holds a B.A. from Georgetown University, an M.A.T. from Lewis & Clark College, an Ed.M from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, a Ph.D from UC Berkeley, and an Improvement Advisor certificate from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
Grounded in practice. Built for real systems.
Our work draws on decades of experience designing, leading, and studying improvement efforts across sectors. We specialize in helping teams move from intention to action—using evidence, measurement, and disciplined learning to make improvement a daily practice.
Journey to Improvement is a practical guide for leaders and practitioners who want to improve outcomes they care about. It offers clear tools, examples, and habits for teams getting started—and for those looking to deepen their improvement practice.
How we show up matters.
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Courage over comfort
We believe in taking risks even if it’s scary, accepting responsibility for our actions, leaning into difficult conversations, and using our voices to create space for those whose voices are often silenced or ignored.
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Do the work, inside and out
Changing systems requires us to see how our own intentions, assumptions and actions are contributing to the problems we see. In particular, we are fiercely committed to examining race, identity, power, and privilege in ourselves and in partnership with the organizations we work with.
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We, not I
No one person or organization has the expertise or knowledge to solve any complex problem. It requires collective effort that draws on the gifts and skills of many. As a result, we actively seek to work in partnership with people and organizations that value the synergy of working together toward a common vision.