Thomas C. Murray is a nationally recognized and highly sought-after keynote speaker known for blending clarity, authenticity, and practical insight to help leaders strengthen culture, communication, and learning design. He serves as Director of Innovation for Future Ready Schools®, a project of All4Ed based in Washington, D.C., where he works at the intersection of leadership, policy, and practice to support learner-centered transformation at scale.

Murray has testified before the United States Congress and collaborated with the U.S. Senate, the White House, the U.S. Department of Education, state departments of education, corporations, and school systems across the country. His work focuses on helping leaders move from intention to action by building trust, aligning systems, and designing experiences that actually impact people. As a keynote speaker, Tom is known for engaging, story-driven sessions that challenge thinking, spark reflection, and leave audiences with ideas they can use the next day.

An ASCD best-selling author, Murray has been recognized as one of District Administration’s Top 100 Influencers in Education (2024), EdTech Digest’s National/Global EdTech Leader of the Year (2018), Education Thought Leader of the Year (2017), NSBA’s 20 to Watch (2016), and Education Policy Person of the Year (2015) by the Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is the co-author of Learning Transformed: 8 Keys to Designing Tomorrow’s Schools, Today (ASCD) and the author of Personal & Authentic: Designing Learning Experiences that Impact a Lifetime.

Before his national work, Murray served as an elementary and middle school teacher, principal at both levels, and a district leader in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. That experience still grounds his message. Whether speaking to superintendents, principals, teachers, or organizational leaders, Tom brings credibility from the field, humility from experience, and a clear focus on what truly moves people and organizations forward.

He works with school systems and organizations across the country for keynotes, leadership retreats, opening convocations, and professional learning experiences, consistently helping audiences reconnect to purpose, strengthen culture, and lead with greater intention.

As an author, Murray has released, or been a part of, six books:

Because of a Teacher: Stories of the Past to Inspire the Future of Education

(IMPress, 2021)
Personal & Authentic: Designing Learning Experiences that Impact a Lifetime

(IMPress, 2019)
10 Perspectives on Innovation in Education

(Routledge, 2018)
Learning Transformed: 8 Keys to Designing Tomorrow's Schools, Today

(ASCD, 2017)
Education Write Now

(Volume 1, Routledge, 2017)
Leading Professional Learning: Tools to Connect and Empower Teachers

(Corwin, 2015)