Larkin Tackett is Founder and Executive Advisor at MAYA Consulting. A social sector leader and advocate with more than 25 years of experience in education, policy, and community development, he is focused on expanding opportunity by supporting equity and excellence in community.
In 2017, Larkin launched MAYA to support organizations working on behalf of students and families in marginalized communities, striving to achieve his vision that every child has an opportunity to live a good life. As an executive advisor, he works with communities & systems, as well as cultivates opportunities for MAYA to support school districts, agencies, corporations, foundations, and nonprofits in Austin, Texas, and nationwide.
Larkin holds a Bachelor of Arts in politics and history from Brandeis University and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to founding MAYA, he served as executive director and vice president of community at IDEA Public Schools in Austin, where he supported principals, led community engagement, and helped to raise more than $35 million in public and private funding.
Prior to leading schools, Larkin served in the U.S. Department of Education as part of the Obama administration. He designed and launched Promise Neighborhoods with the vision of breaking generational cycles of poverty by wrapping children in a seamless pipeline of health, social, and educational supports from birth through college and career. His passion for supporting youth and families in underserved communities began when he taught middle school social studies in the Mississippi Delta with Teach for America, a program promoting educational equity in low-income areas.
Larkin lives in Austin with his wife, Katie, and their five children. Committed to equity and excellence across sectors, he is Vice Board Chair of the Center for the Study of Social Policy in Washington DC and leads the Social Justice and Advocacy Core Team for Temple Beth Shalom. Larkin is also a former foster parent and kidney donor. Outside of MAYA and his volunteer work, you can find Larkin distance running, reading, playing with his children, and camping in Texas State Parks. He has run more than 30 marathons with the goal of completing a marathon in all 50 states and Washington D.C.