Natalie Spitzer is a doctoral candidate in the Education Policy and Planning program at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research centers around school leader sensemaking and implementation of sustainability and climate adaptation at the district and school level.

Natalie's career in education started in Brooklyn, New York, immediately following Hurricane Sandy. She saw first-hand the impact that a natural disaster can have on a school system and its students, and started to explore themes of equity and access, organizational culture, and the role of school administrators during extreme climate events. She earned her Master's degree from New York University's Steinhardt School of Education, Culture, and Human Development in Sociology of Education, conducting qualitative research for her Master's thesis on school administrative response to extreme flooding and the organizational barriers to progress post-disaster. Most recently, Natalie has worked with the Center for Green Schools and Learning Policy Institute, exploring the impacts of climate change on schooling and students, climate adaptive practices, and green school leadership.