Marcela Andrés

About Marcela Andrés

Marcela Andrés is an award-winning author, former classroom teacher, and school administrator with over a decade of experience strengthening student recruitment, enrollment, and family engagement across public, charter, and community-based education systems.As President & CEO of designEDengagement, Marcela has partnered with schools, districts, and education organizations nationwide to ensure thousands of students are successfully enrolled in high-quality schools and programs. Her work sits at the intersection of education leadership, family engagement, and artificial intelligence. Marcela leads the design of AI-powered tools built with and for families and educators—not to replace human connection, but to deepen trust, improve communication, and remove barriers to access. These tools are grounded in lived experience, practitioner insight, and research, ensuring they are culturally responsive, practical, and equity-centered.A graduate of Harvard Graduate School of Education and St. Edward’s University, Marcela’s journey from poverty to prosperity fuels her commitment to human-centered innovation, systems change, and community-rooted solutions. Her leadership has been recognized by Inc. Female Founder 500, Houston’s Most Admired CEOs, Enterprising Women, 100 Women to Know in America, and TEDx.Marcela is frequently invited to advise, speak, and collaborate on- Student recruitment & enrollment strategy- AI in education (family-facing & educator-facing tools)- Family engagement systems & capacity-building- School leadership & community partnerships- Humanity-centered design and implementationBased in Texas | Working nationally

Experience

1. President & CEO

   Designedengagement, Pbc

   Mar 2019 — Present · Austin, TX, US

   Founder and CEO of an education consulting and innovation firm focused on student recruitment, enrollment stability, family engagement, and system-level change.I lead national work supporting schools, districts, and education organizations to design and implement always-on recruitment and retention systems grounded in family trust, student experience, and educator insight.Key areas of leadership and impact:Led recruitment, enrollment, and engagement initiatives that have supported thousands of students enrolling in and remaining connected to high-quality schools and programsPartnered with principals and system leaders to identify early indicators of attrition and redesign recruitment strategies for long-term stabilityDesigned family-centered engagement systems that reduce confusion, improve communication, and strengthen belongingCurrently leading the co-design of AI-powered student recruitment and retention tools, built with and for families and educators to surface early signals, reduce administrative burden, and support proactive decision-makingAdvises school leaders preparing for 2026–2027 enrollment amid demographic shifts and funding pressures

Education

• Universidad Autónoma Coahuila

  Master of Business Administration (MBA), Economics and Finance

  2010 — 2013

• St.Edward's University

  BBA, Finance

• Harvard Graduate School of Education

  Master of Education (M.Ed.), Special Studies

  2015 — 2016