Dr. Heather Cunningham is the Director of Educational Equity & Research at BootUp, where she leads the organization’s national research agenda, oversees all evaluation and metrics, and drives continuous learning across programs. With 25 years of experience in education and a doctorate in Educational Equity and Leadership, she brings both the scholarly expertise and practical leadership needed to shape sustainable, equity-centered computer science education pathways.

Over the past five years, Dr. Cunningham has expanded BootUp’s research portfolio to include multi-year, grant-funded projects that focus on some of the most pressing challenges in education today. She currently manages an Amazon in the Community grant in Seattle and leads several additional research initiatives, including:

• Indigenous language acquisition, multilingual  learners, and computer science integration 
• CS opportunities for students experiencing homelessness 
• Studies on how rural communities design and implement elementary CS pathways in collaboration with local industry partners

Her work not only measures outcomes but also builds actionable frameworks that inform
policy, strengthen industry partnerships, and ensure that investments directly benefit
historically underserved communities.