About Liz Hofreuter

About Liz

Innovating for a
Better Future

It was a seven-year-old who taught me how to lead a school. On my first day as Head of School, he looked up at me with wide eyes, slid his fingers into my hands, and asked, "What do we do now?" I answered simply and quietly, "Go learn something new." It was a lightning bolt and a catalyst for everything that followed. I approach every situation as an opportunity to learn something - to humble myself to expand and clarify my thinking.

Years later another wide-eyed boy walked into my life and told me he couldn't learn at his old school. Everything changed. Seeing the learning differences in EVERY child was a paradigm shift in my educational philosophy. From the school's leader to the youngest child each person must push out of a comfort zone where one must humble oneself to truly learn.

The leadership and culture of any organization has to believe in the potential that inherently lives in everyone in the building - but especially so in a school.

That's the lightning in a bottle - every individual as a learner, as a risk taker with a mission to leave something better than we found it and with the scaffolding to support possibility for all kinds of minds.

Creation of GEN-Ed

While GEN-Ed is a public benefit company impacting Education for this GENeration, the GENesis for it is Liz's three children: Grace, Ella and Nicolas. After 15 years as a Head of School at Wheeling Country Day School, Liz decided to step away from headship (don't say "retire," she hates that) to impact Education more broadly and to remember her priority was Grace, Ella and Nicolas. Thus, GEN-Ed was born.

Supporting Leaders

Drawing from decades of experience, Liz supports educational leaders through their most significant challenges. Quite frankly, she knows the gift of headship and its headaches. In her roll-up-her-sleeves approach, Liz works alongside school heads to reduce administrative overwhelm and takes lead on projects to relieve the burden of headship. She achieves actionable solutions and concrete deliverables that transform leadership challenges into opportunities, so heads can reclaim valuable time. Through targeted and collaborative problem-solving, she empowers leaders to build resilient, collaborative educational communities. Whether a leadership team needs strategic mentorship or practical assistance, Liz gets it done.

Learning Differences

The GEN-Ed team has pioneered innovative approaches to support diverse learning needs in the classroom and in afterschool programming. They partner with school leaders and educators to design learning environments where neurodiversity is not just accommodated but celebrated. Their proven track record empowers faculty to build robust support systems for students with learning differences. GEN-Ed helps schools transform traditional classrooms into dynamic spaces with high belonging for different learning styles. They can support development of in-school, afterschool or contracted services to meet students where they are.

Leadership Transition

With specialized expertise and a seasoned perspective on leadership transitions, Liz helps institutions navigate periods of organizational change with confidence, clarity and compassion. She provides frameworks and strategies that ensure smooth leadership succession, maintain institutional momentum, and strengthen organizational culture during times of transition. Her approach focuses on people while preserving what works while creating space for necessary innovation and growth.

Amplifying Voices

Central to Liz's approach is the art of deep listening and authentic storytelling. She creates spaces where educators, leaders, and community members can share their experiences and insights, ensuring that diverse perspectives shape the future of education. By amplifying these voices, she uncovers patterns of success, challenges to address, and innovative solutions that might otherwise go unheard. This collaborative approach transforms individual stories into collective wisdom that drives meaningful change in a school or organization.