Dr. Derrick Chau is the senior executive director of strategy and innovation for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). He previously worked as senior executive director of P-12 instruction at the district, overseeing curriculum, instruction, and assessment policy for early childhood programs through high schools. Prior to joining LAUSD, Dr. Chau was a teacher, principal, and vice president of instruction in the Alliance College-Ready Public Schools in California. During his tenure as founding principal of Alliance Marc and Eva Stern Math and Science High School, it was recognized as a California Distinguished School and ranked No. 40 out of all California high schools in the 2011 Washington Post High School Challenge.

A member of the third cohort of the Future Chiefs leadership development program, Dr. Chau began his career as a Teach For America corps member teaching high school science in the Long Beach Unified School District. He spent five years conducting education research, earning his Ph.D. in education from the University of Southern California. Dr. Chau was also a RAND/Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in education policy at the RAND Corporation. He has a master’s degree in secondary education from Loyola Marymount University and a bachelor’s in chemistry from Harvey Mudd College.