If careers can be described as works of art, then Reed’s is a mosaic: a mosaic united by a delight for ideas, a knack for execution, and dedication to people. Her varied path is made continuous by a penchant for gritty work in sometimes vexing situations. She has been a high school teacher and track/cross-country coach. She has supported two high-tech startups. She has managed a political campaign and led a Super PAC in the deep South. She has turned around one troubled nonprofit and led three others through the complexities of leadership transition.
Colleagues know Reed as a capable and tenacious leader —a quick study who can assess a thorny problem and chart a path to its resolution. Prior to entering the nonprofit arena, Reed managed Fortune 500 high technology projects as part of a San Francisco-based consultancy that she helped to found. In 2005, she accepted her first nonprofit executive role, leading the turnaround of a beloved $2 million human services transportation agency in Greater Boston. Buoyed by the mission, Reed stayed on as E.D. until 2014, deepening her facility with nonprofit strategy, public policy, fundraising, and operations.
A decade ago, Reed relocated to her home state of Mississippi to care for family. While there, she managed a campaign for state senate, organized voters and headed a super PAC for a gubernatorial candidate. She also led successful interim executive engagements at the Children’s Museum of Memphis and Ballet Memphis. Reed returned to Boston in 2024, where she pursues a range of projects along with interim executive work, most recently for the ACE Mentor Program of Greater Boston.
Reed earned an undergraduate degree in history at Brown University and an MPA at the Harvard Kennedy School.
LinkedIn: Reed Cochran