Chief Executive Officer
AJ brings over 14 years of leadership in education nonprofits, including 10 as Cofounder and Chief Policy and Public Affairs Officer at Saga Education.
Gutierrez has over a decade of experience leading education reform and scaling mission-driven organizations. Known for translating research into practice, he has advanced evidence-based policies that have driven federal and state investment in high-impact tutoring and accelerated learning strategies.
Previously, as Co-Founder and Chief Policy & Public Affairs Officer of Saga Education, Gutierrez played a pivotal role in transforming the organization from a startup into a national leader in high-impact tutoring. Under his leadership, Saga reached students across 17 states and internationally in the Netherlands and Ukraine, while securing over $140 million in funding from philanthropic partners, federal grants, and school districts. He also helped build bipartisan coalitions to support the adoption of scalable, evidence-based interventions.
Raised in Boston and a graduate of Match Education, Gutierrez credits access to rigorous coursework and personalized academic support as life-changing influences in his own educational journey. AJ is extremely passionate about eliminating barriers to opportunity for underserved students, and has advised federal agencies, philanthropic coalitions, and school system leaders on deploying evidence-based strategies to accelerate learning at scale.