Neena Goswamy is an educator and founder who has spent her career building schools that work for children, teachers, and families.
A Hayward native, she founded Hayward Collegiate Charter School, one of the few schools ever approved by the Alameda County Board of Education. Backed by NewSchools Venture Fund, Charter School Growth Fund, and Silicon Schools, she designed an academic model that became one of the top-performing new schools in California. She later joined Navigator Schools as Director of Strategy and Innovation and now consults with the Golden State Warriors’ impact arm, Generation Thrive, designing programs that strengthen the Bay Area’s teacher pipeline.
Having led a school funded by many of the same organizations that support private and charter schools across the region, Neena understands both the classroom experience and the systems behind it. She keeps active relationships with teachers, counselors, and leaders across the Bay Area, offering families real insight into how schools actually work beyond websites and tour scripts.
Who I Am
How I Work
Through her consulting practice, Neena helps parents navigate school decisions using an approach shaped by years of research and on-the-ground experience. She’s learned that finding the right school fit requires three things:
1. Clarity. Every search begins with an honest assessment of what matters most: your family’s values, your child’s learning style, and what kind of environment helps them thrive. Neena guides families through that reflection so the priorities are clear before the search even begins.
2. Context. With that clarity in hand, Neena draws on her deep Bay Area network to identify schools that truly align. She looks beyond data and reputation to understand culture, leadership, and the small but telling shifts happening inside classrooms and communities.
3. Confirmation. Finally, she helps families pressure-test their top choices; connecting with current parents, surfacing on-the-ground feedback, and ensuring that what’s promised publicly matches what’s experienced day-to-day.
This process, refined through her years of studying and leading schools, gives families the rare combination of data, intuition, and insider perspective needed to make confident, informed choices.