Our Team

Vice President, Education TransformationOrganization

Diego Arambula

Icebreaker
I won the 25th annual Columbia chili cookoff

Diego Arambula is vice president for education transformation at the Carnegie Foundation. As vice president, Diego leads ambitious, actionable strategies and builds partnerships with educators, policy makers, parents, employers and community based organizations to advance Carnegie’s mission. 

Diego joins the Foundation with more than 15 years of education experience. Most recently, Diego served as a managing partner with Transcend. There, he worked with teachers, principals and superintendents across the country to explore how to best reimagine learning environments to prepare all children to thrive. Additionally, he served as the founder and executive director of GO Public Schools Fresno, an education advocacy nonprofit focused on unlocking demand for radically re-envisioned school models. Diego began his career in education at Summit Public Schools, a leading network of charter public schools headquartered in Redwood City, California. While there, he served as classroom teacher, a founding principal, and the chief growth and innovation officer.

Diego also exercises his passion for transformational change in education through his positions on multiple boards. In 2020, he was appointed to an 8-year term as trustee for the California State University System, the largest and most diverse postsecondary system in the nation. At CSU, he serves as chair of the Education Policy Committee. He also serves as board chair of Summit Public Schools and the Central Valley Community Foundation. He received his bachelor’s (A.B.) in government from Harvard University and a master’s in education from Stanford University.

Managing Director, Postsecondary Strategy & Innovation

Lauren Asher

Lauren Asher is managing director for postsecondary strategy and innovation at the Carnegie Foundation. As managing director, Lauren drives the development and implementation of Carnegie’s postsecondary strategy to make American higher education a more vital engine of opportunity. 

Lauren joins the Foundation as an expert on postsecondary policy and practice, bringing deep experience in advancing both access and value for low-income and other underserved students. As president of The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS), Lauren led successful initiatives to simplify the financial aid application process, increase need-based grant aid, make student loan payments more manageable, and strengthen consumer protections. She then led a strategy consulting practice for foundations, nonprofits, and colleges committed to expanding educational opportunities. In a career spanning the nonprofit, philanthropic, and public sectors, she also served in senior positions at the National Partnership for Women & Families, Kaiser Family Foundation, and U.S. Department of Labor.  

Lauren’s passion for strengthening educational pathways to prosperity is evident in her current volunteer roles as a public member of the WASC Senior College and University Commission, a college access coach with ScholarMatch, and an advisor to Kids Impact Initiative. She received her bachelor’s degree in Modern Culture and Media from Brown University and a master’s degree focused on U.S. public policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Managing Director, Strategic Operations, Innovation & Impact

Michelle Best

Michelle Best is managing director, strategic operations for the Innovation and Impact team at the Carnegie Foundation. As managing director, Michelle oversees the Foundation’s strategy for cross functional operations to help turn vision into practice with measurable impact.

Michelle brings over 20 years of experience leading growth operations, partnership development, and strategic program management for purpose-driven organizations. Prior to joining the Foundation, Michelle built and led global teams at Meta, where she served as senior director of Social Impact Partnerships and the Global Nonprofit Category. As senior director, she developed frameworks to strengthen nonprofit operational capacity and supported social good programs at scale. She also served as director of adoption and efficacy at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s Education Initiative. Michelle’s previous experience includes leadership roles at Amazon Education and the Salesforce Foundation, as well as advising edtech startups on organizational strategy and growth. She began her career managing poverty alleviation programs at a private foundation, where she scaled microfinance innovations and appropriate technology solutions in India. This early work shaped her passion for aligning solutions with local community needs and realities.

Michelle holds a bachelor’s from the University of California, Los Angeles, in political science and international relations.

Facilities Manager

Hayley Bosold

Hayley Bosold joined the Foundation in August 2022 as the facilities coordinator where she provides administrative, maintenance, and event support for the Foundation’s staff and guests. She has extensive experience in building and property management, most recently coordinating facilities for a tech company whose spaces spanned 240,000 square feet between 5 buildings and 14 floors.

Hayley studied at San Jose State University, is a Bay area Native, and earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and Self Defense.

Senior Digital Strategist, Communications & Engagement

Carla Cain-Walther

Carla Cain-Walther is a social media marketer and communications strategist whose work is rooted in radical authenticity and visual storytelling. 

Before joining the Carnegie Foundation, she was the social media strategist at the Alliance for Decision Education, an education nonprofit based in Greater Philadelphia. She also led the PR and marketing for The Center for Fiction for several years, helping to transform it from a membership library into a nationally-recognized and celebrated cultural hub serving New York City’s literary community. Additionally, Carla served as the Intake and Communications Director for C.A. Goldberg, PLLC, a pioneering victims’ rights law firm based in Brooklyn.

Born in New Jersey, Carla spent ten years living and working in Brooklyn before moving to Philadelphia in 2021 with her husband. She was awarded a full scholarship to Williams College through QuestBridge, earning a BA in English literature. She reads. A lot.

IT/Helpdesk Coordinator

Roberto Candel

Roberto Candel is the IT/helpdesk coordinator for the Carnegie Foundation’s information technology team. In this role, he provides Foundation-wide support, advice, and problem-solving regarding computer software, hardware, audio-visual platforms, and other related technology tasks.

Director, Human Resources

Valeria Cavazos

Valeria Cavazos is the director of human resources for the Carnegie Foundation. She directs the planning, evaluation, and administration of the Foundation’s human resource policies, procedures, and benefit programs to ensure they are proactive, efficient, compliant, and exemplary of Carnegie’s values and organizational culture.

Before joining the Foundation in 2015, Valeria managed human resources for Creative Commons, an international non profit that equips creators with technical, legal, and policy solutions to enable sharing of knowledge and culture in the public interest. She helped the organization streamline onboarding and performance management processes, restructure and simplify employee policies and procedures, put practices in place to ensure full legal compliance with national and international employment legislation, and transition to a fully remote organization operating worldwide.

Prior to Creative Commons, Valeria served with other non profits championing fair housing, workers rights, get-out-the-vote efforts, and equal access to reproductive health and public services. She also taught English as a Foreign Language for three years in South Korea’s most underserved public schools.

A native of the Sunshine State, Valeria holds a bachelor’s from the University of Florida, where she double-majored in political science and women’s studies. She’s passionate about animal rights, vegan cooking, and oreo cookies.

Vice President, Communications & Engagement

Kito Cetrulo

Kito Cetrulo started her career as a market researcher and brand strategist with organizations including Viacom and Public Broadcasting. Kito has supported a range of non-profit, civic and educational organizations including foundations, media organizations, and Departments of Education.

Prior to joining Carnegie, Cetrulo worked in schools across both Connecticut and California. Kito is passionate about the power of education, and the strength of communities. Cetrulo, a native Bostonian, is an alumna of Princeton University.

Chief of Staff, Executive Office

Carmen Echevarria

Carmen Echevarria serves as chief of staff at the Carnegie Foundation. As chief of staff, Carmen manages the strategic operations of the executive team to support the Foundation’s mission.

Before joining Carnegie, Carmen was chief of staff and director of program quality for the Academy Group, where she designed and implemented operational, programmatic, and engagement strategies to increase organizational efficiency. Prior to that, Carmen worked at the University of Chicago’s Urban Education Institute as a program manager and Urban Labs as an operations manager. Furthermore, Carmen brings a wealth of experience from the public and private sectors and immense corporate expertise from her work at Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

Carmen is passionate about ensuring young people from underserved communities receive an excellent education, exposure, and access to the resources necessary to reach their full potential and lead purposeful lives. Carmen is on the board the Chicago High School for the Arts and the Academy Group. She also mentors youth in several Chicago city-wide programs. Carmen received her master’s in urban education from Northeastern Illinois University and a bachelor’s in sociology and English from DePaul University.

Director, IT & Facilities

Steve Giusti

Steve Giusti is the director of information technology and facilities at the Carnegie Foundation, where he manages all aspects of Carnegie’s information technology department.

Among his responsibilities are the administration and maintenance of all IT systems, including VoIP telephony and video conferencing systems; development and implementation of new systems and system upgrade/conversions; supervision of staff; troubleshooting and resolution of operational and technical problems; budget development and management; hardware and software procurement; and implementation and monitoring of IT security systems.

Director, Improvement

LaRena Heath

LaRena Heath is the director of Professional Education Offerings at the Carnegie Foundation and also serves as a senior associate on the Networked Improvement Science team. Since joining Carnegie in 2018, LaRena has focused on coaching improvement leaders and building the capacity of educators to use improvement methods to tackle problems of practice in their contexts. Prior to joining the Foundation, LaRena spent several years as a middle school teacher in California and Massachusetts. While teaching she also served as an instructional technology coach where she helped teachers effectively utilize digital tools to support diverse student needs. Further, LaRena worked as a senior manager of content and instruction at Actively Learn, an online literacy platform, where she created instructional resources, shared evidence-based practices, and delivered professional development to teachers and administrators. Prior to that, LaRena was a research associate at American Institute for Research where she worked on projects that identified and elevated effective practices that led to student success in high-performing, high-need schools.

LaRena is passionate about equipping educators to be creative problem solvers as they improve systems and pursue more better outcomes for students. LaRena co-authored a chapter in Teaching Improvement Science in Educational Leadership: A Pedagogical Guide (2021). She is also certified in adaptive learning engineering and product management and strategy. LaRena holds a master’s in education and a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Stanford University.

In her free time, LaRena enjoys volunteering as a middle school tutor and running (albeit somewhat slowly) while pushing a couple of her kids in the stroller.

Chief Financial Officer

Brad Jewell

Brad Jewell is chief financial officer at the Carnegie Foundation. As chief financial officer, Brad manages the Foundation’s finances and oversees operations to advance Carnegie’s mission.

Brad brings expertise in financial management and organizational leadership, having most recently served as the chief financial officer and treasurer for The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective multidisciplinary collegiate honor society. There, Brad directed financial strategy, endowment and investment management, budgeting, human resources and compliance. Prior to Phi Kappa Phi, Brad served for two decades as senior vice president and chief financial and operating officer of the Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation, providing strategic and financial stewardship to one of the world’s leading university-affiliated research centers. In addition to providing financial and operational oversight to the Foundation, Brad led a statewide collaboration to implement the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act (UPMIFA) across the state of Louisiana. He also served as an audit senior at Hawthorn Waymouth & Carroll, applying auditing methodologies and accounting principles at a full service public accounting firm. 

Nationally, Brad has contributed to improving nonprofit financial reporting standards through his service on the Association of International Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Not-for-Profit Organizations Expert Panel.

Brad is also a chartered advisor of philanthropy from The American College and a certified public accountant, licensed by the State Board of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants. Brad holds a master’s in public administration (M.P.A.) and a bachelor’s in accounting, both from Louisiana State University.

Director of Budgets, Grants, and Contracts

Trinh Kabbabe

Trinh Kabbabe is the director of budgets, grants, and contracts on the Core Operations team and has been with the Carnegie Foundation since 2009.  During her time at the Foundation, she has served in a variety of capacities, providing programmatic, executive, and operations support. In her current role, she oversees the organization-wide operating budget, develops budget and grant proposals for external funding opportunities, and administers vendor contracts to all service providers.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in human development from the University of California at Davis. Prior to Carnegie, Trinh was a Governor’s Teaching Fellow, while earning a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, also from UC Davis. In her first career, she was an elementary public school teacher in underperforming schools. More recently, she has earned a certificate in financial planning and has served as treasurer and secretary on the board of directors for the Financial Planning Association of Silicon Valley.

In her free time, Trinh enjoys ballroom and social dancing, learning, being outdoors, and vanlifing with her dog.

Front Desk & Events Coordinator

Ruby Kerawalla

Ruby Kerawalla is the Carnegie Foundation’s front desk and events coordinator. In this capacity, she is responsible for logistical planning and coordination of internal events of the Foundation, with particular focus on Board of Trustees events. As the front desk receptionist, Ruby is the first point of contact with the public. Ruby also serves as the Foundation’s in-house notary public.

Before joining the Foundation, she worked with an electronic commerce software company as the executive assistant to the president and CEO and has vast experience in planning events and making complex meeting and travel arrangements. She also has experience in human resources and employee benefits.

Originally from India, Ruby graduated from the University of Bombay with a bachelor of arts degree in history.

Operations Strategist

Abroo Khan

Abroo Khan is the operations strategist for the Communications and Engagement team at the Carnegie Foundation, where she builds the systems, processes, and infrastructure that enable the team to plan strategically, collaborate effectively, and scale its engagement and impact.

Before joining the Foundation, Abroo spent nine years in the California State University system supporting academic leadership and advancing budgeting, planning, and cross-functional operations. She served as an initiative consultant to the CSU chancellor’s office, guiding fiscal planning for all 23 campuses and supporting large, multi-stakeholder efforts in higher education. She later joined Stanford University’s Center for Innovation in Global Health at the School of Medicine, where she supported programs advancing global and refugee health equity and strengthening partnerships across research, education, and policy. She most recently worked at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative before joining Carnegie.

Abroo’s commitment to education and equity is rooted in her early career with the United Nations Refugee Commission, where she worked on international development initiatives focused on expanding access to education for children and women affected by conflict and displacement.

She holds a master’s degree in political science and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Assistant Director, Impact Lab

Angel Li

Angel Li serves as an assistant director on the Impact Lab team at the Carnegie Foundation, supporting improvement teams and networks in leveraging data and analytics for better outcomes for all students. She has led projects focusing on the development and use of practical measurement and has developed resources to facilitate capacity building in those areas. Prior to joining the Carnegie Foundation, Angel worked for Denver Public Schools (DPS) as an innovation and improvement specialist,  holding the position of analytics lead of the College Ready On Track Network for School Improvement. In her time with DPS, she utilized her expertise in research and evaluation, as well as training in liberatory design and networked improvement science to guide network initiation and progress monitoring.

Angel is passionate about integrating user-centeredness into data processes and is always curious about how to bring in those closest to the improvement work to lead disciplined inquiry. Her own iterative learning journey has resulted in publications in education, communication, psychology, and sociology. Angel’s collection of work has been cited over 900 times. Angel holds a doctorate (Ph.D.) in psychology from the University of Hong Kong and a bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Michigan.

When she is not working, Angel enjoys hanging out with her family and her cat. She loves to dance and appreciates a good classical ballet performance.

Assistant Director, Education Transformation

Veeko Lucas

Veeko Lucas serves as an assistant director on the Education Transformation team at the Carnegie Foundation. His work supports the development of improvement communities focused on generating and spreading practices that enable colleges and universities to better support students’ economic mobility from enrollment to graduation. Prior to Carnegie, Veeko was an engagement manager at Mass Insight Education and Research where he co-led a networked improvement community focused on improving outcomes for historically underserved student populations in Advanced Placement (AP) courses.

Veeko’s passion for addressing the needs of students who are most vulnerable at a systems-level drives all his work. TThis professional conviction is evident in Veeko’s writing on culture clashes in the classroom, facilitation of conference sessions about tools that can increase academic participation and success in AP courses, leadership in holding demonstrations leading to the roll-out of new education standards nationally, or working to support access with leading education nonprofits in his home state of Kentucky.

Veeko earned a bachelor’s in biology from Berea College, a master’s (M.Sc.) in secondary education from Indiana University and a master’s (M.Ed.) in school leadership from the Summer Principals Academy at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Senior Project Manager, Innovation & Impact

Laura McReynolds

Laura Saldivar is a senior project manager at the Carnegie Foundation. Prior to joining Carnegie, Laura worked in marketing and communications for non-profits for over 10 years. She was responsible for directing teams to promote performances and events as well as managing brand and audience segmentation strategies. Her passion for data lead her to take on the role of application owner for Tessitura, a CMR application specific to non-profit organizations, as well as taking on leadership opportunities by chairing the annual conference planning committee for 4 years and presenting at national and regional convenings. Laura also served several years at genARTS Silicon Valley, a young professionals network, developing and promoting career development programs to support early career arts administrators.

Earlier in her career, Laura developed a passion for teaching children and served as a dance and gymnastics instructor for various studios, community centers, and school programs for many years. Other past projects include supporting the launch of an experimental 3-day street festival, Market Street Prototyping Festival, in collaboration with the SF Planning Department where she used her background to promote the design submission process and the festival as well as data collection procedures and analysis.

A San Francisco Bay Area native, Laura received a bachelors in psychology and a bachelors in dance from San Jose State University.

Payroll & Accounts Payable Manager, Finance

Kathleen Morse

Kathleen Morse serves as payroll & accounts payable manager at the Carnegie Foundation. In her role, she manages payroll processing for employees, ensuring compliance with multi-state regulations. Kathleen also oversees full-cycle accounts payable, processing transactions, and maintaining strong relationships with vendors.

Before joining the Carnegie Foundation, Kathleen worked at Silvaco, Inc. for nearly six years, where she spearheaded several key initiatives, including the successful implementation of the ASC 606 Revenue Standard within the Intacct ERP system and three separate HRIS systems. Prior to that, Kathleen honed her skills at organizations like Corsair Memory, where she served as a revenue recognition accountant for five years, and Green Bits, where she managed all accounting processes and payroll. Kathleen has received several accolades, including the Medallion Award in 2019 and 2021 for her contributions to the implementation of Bill.com and Expensify. Kathleen holds coursework in business administration with a focus on accounting from De Anza College and has completed additional accounting fundamentals training through Santa Clara Adult Education.

Outside of her professional commitments, Kathleen is dedicated to giving back to the community and cherishes quality time with her family. Recently, she has embraced the joy of building with Legos, having successfully completed a 1,438-piece set of the White House.

Executive Assistant to the Vice Presidents, Executive Office

Adriana Ortega

Adriana joined the Foundation in 2022 as the Executive Assistant to the Vice Presidents and Secretary to the Board of Directors. She has over 12 years of experience supporting C- level executives in various industries, most recently as an Associate for Teneo, a global CEO consulting and advisory firm, and as an Executive Assistant at Calibre One, an international executive search firm.

Adriana was born and raised in the Bay Area and graduated from Palo Alto University. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and social action in 2019. Upon graduating, Adriana volunteered for over 3 years with an organization helping children cope with separation and anxiety due to deportation. Now, she spends her free time alongside her husband and daughter, watching as many Disney movies as possible and hiking new trails all over the US.

Program Coordinator, Education Transformation

Brago Osei-Tutu

Brago Osei-Tutu currently works as a program coordinator for the Education Transformation team.

Before joining the Foundation, Brago interned at various organizations including the Petrie Foundation, Disability Unite, Bottom Line, and the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE). In her recent experience at the NYCDOE, she provided trauma-informed counseling to elementary school students who lived in temporary housing. Brago holds a B.A. in Social Work with a double minor in Psychology and Early Childhood Education from CUNY Lehman College and is currently based in New York. 

Director, Impact Lab

Eli Pristoop

Eli Pristoop is a director in the Carnegie Foundation’s Impact Lab. In this role, Eli collaborates closely with school system partners in gathering and using evidence to deepen our understanding of competency-based models for secondary education, improve attainment, and reduce inequities through the effective implementation of student success systems. 

Before joining the Carnegie Foundation, Eli was a director on the education team at Alvarez & Marsal and prior to that served as a senior program officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and as a data analyst at The Education Trust. Eli spent time working for homeless services organizations in New York City as a GED-prep teacher, case manager, and as the waterfront director at the nation’s first sleep-away summer camp designed to serve kids experiencing homelessness.

Eli holds master’s degrees from The Columbia University School of Social Work and The Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

Director, Impact Lab

David Sherer

David Sherer serves as a director on the Impact Lab team at the Carnegie Foundation. In this role, David leads the Skills for the Future initiative to create a robust, scalable suite of assessment and analytic tools with partners from the Educational Testing Service that captures the full range of skills required for students to succeed in K-12, post-secondary education and beyond. 

Prior to joining Carnegie, David was an analyst and evaluator at SRI International’s Center for Education Policy. He also led the Hewlett Foundation’s Deeper Learning + Diffusion of Innovation and Scaled Impact Network. David has deep experience coaching educational leaders on the use of evidence in the improvement process, the development of indicators and measures, and the assessment of organizational health. His work has been presented nationwide and published in peer-reviewed journals and policy reports. 

David holds a master’s degree and a doctorate (Ed.D.) from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. 

Managing Director, Improvement

Barbara Shreve

Barbara Shreve serves as managing director of the Networked Improvement Science team at the Carnegie Foundation. In this role, she leads strategy to advance access to and use of improvement science to address a wide array of challenges in education and enable system transformation. As a senior associate she also supports leaders and educators to build capacity to apply improvement methods to problems in their local contexts. Since joining the Foundation in 2017, Barbara has coached improvement network leaders, including through a long-term partnership with Baltimore City Public Schools, and served as director of professional education offerings. She came to Carnegie from Oakland Unified School District where she was a mathematics coordinator, supporting teacher leadership and professional learning as well as curriculum, instruction, and assessment for secondary mathematics. Prior to working at the district level, Barbara taught high school math for 12 years in public schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

Barbara is passionate about building collaborative communities and empowering educators to transform systems to be more effective, engaging, and supportive places for each student to learn. Barbara has contributed to edited volumes focused on improvement science, co-edited Mathematics for Equity: A Framework for Successful Practice, and was a contributing author and editor for a mathematics textbook series. She holds a master’s from Mills College and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and history from Williams College.

Outside of work, Barbara enjoys cooking with ingredients from her local farmer’s market and serving on the board of Pageturner, a nonprofit committed to building young people’s curiosity and independence through reading.

Senior Strategic Program Manager, Education Transformation

Ana Skwierinski

Ana Skwierinski joined the Carnegie Foundation in 2022. As senior strategic program manager, she is responsible for planning and executing programs and projects to achieve the Foundation’s mission.

Ana’s experience spans the Health Care, International Development, and Consumer Goods industries. Before joining the Carnegie Foundation, Ana worked for Kaiser Permanente, overseeing strategic projects to improve patient care, competitiveness, and operational efficiency. Previously, she served as Advisor for GIZ Mexico, where she partnered with government and private counterparts to deliver cooperation projects within GIZ’s Sustainable Energy Program. Before joining GIZ, Ana worked for P&G, focusing on consumer understanding and product design.

Ana holds a Project Management Professional certification from PMI. In addition, she received an M.S. degree granted jointly by KTH Royal Institute of Technology, IMT Atlantique, and Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, and a Chemical Engineering degree from Universidad de Los Andes (Venezuela).

Director of Finance, Accounting

Timothy So

Tim So brings to his role as director of finance at the Carnegie Foundation experience in financial administration and accounting for nonprofit organizations to. Previously, he served as the Senior Assistant Director of Finance at The University of Chicago Harris School of Policy, where he oversaw the annual budget and managed all finance processes and procedures, and as the Accounting Analyst at Distinctive Schools, an education management organization that operates charter schools throughout the Chicagoland area where he oversaw the financial operations for each campus.

So earned a Bachelor’s degree with honors in Finance from Loyola University Chicago and a Master’s degree with honors in Public Policy from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.

Brand Strategist, Communications & Engagement

Emily Supple

Emily Supple serves as brand strategist on the Communications & Engagement team at the Carnegie Foundation, developing content to promote and uplift the Foundation’s key messages and stories to external audiences and stakeholders. Prior to this role within the Foundation, Emily served as communications and content strategist, where she managed Carnegie’s social media channels, planned and designed communications and networking activities for major events, and worked on improvement project teams with external partners. Emily joined the Foundation in 2019 as a post-baccalaureate fellow, supporting a variety of core program initiatives through email marketing, social media posting, and experience design. Before her time at Carnegie, Emily held a variety of internships at educational non-profit organizations such as Girls on the Run NYC and Behind the Book, and she served as a health and education intern at the Office of the Mayor in Berkeley, CA.

Emily is a passionate storyteller and strategic thinker who believes deeply in the power of narrative to catalyze change. In 2021, Emily received an award from the Carnegie Foundation for Outstanding Service in recognition of her contribution to advance the Foundation’s programmatic work. She is a member of the National Political Science Honor Society and California Scholarship Federation, as well as a recipient of the Barnard College Judith Lewittes ’55 Scholarship. She received a bachelor’s from Barnard College of Columbia University (cum laude) in political science.

In her free time, Emily enjoys playing tennis, running, seeing live music, and spending time with friends and family.

Director, Education Transformation

Denise Thorne

Denise Thorne serves as director of education transformation at the Carnegie Foundation. As director, Denise collaborates with education innovators committed to implementing a new education architecture that catalyzes competency-based learning at persuasive scale.

Denise brings over a decade of experience in school innovation and transformation, having played critical roles in launching and leading schools. She was part of a team to launch a secondary school, serving as a teacher, instructional coach, and school director before leading a bilingual school focused on holistic student development, where she emphasized belonging, identity formation, and strong relationships alongside academic growth. After, Denise joined Transcend where she co-developed innovative high school models and postsecondary pathways rooted in community-centered design. At Transcend, she led school transformation efforts across Texas aimed at advancing 21st-century readiness and prioritizing better outcomes for all learners.

Denise is passionate about advancing competency-based education, fostering collaborative ecosystems, and equipping educators with actionable tools. She holds a bachelor’s from the University of Colorado at Boulder in Spanish and Ethnic Studies. 

In her free time, Denise enjoys hiking near Boulder, Colorado, attending athletic events, and spending time with her family.

Director, Systems Transformation, Education Transformation

Tinkhani White

Dr. Tinkhani Ushe White is the director of systems transformation at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. She leads work that seeks to learn how systems transform to make education more engaging and relevant for the lives our young people wish to live and serve society. She joined the Carnegie Foundation in 2021 as a Networked Improvement Science associate, overseeing the Learning Leadership Network (LLN) and facilitating several courses. She also served as a member of the Summit Program team and worked on several partner-facing projects. Previously, she supported the enhanced school performance in Chesterfield County Public Schools in Virginia as the Director of School Improvement, leveraging her expertise in improvement science and state accountability. Her career includes roles as a building administrator, principal, and mathematics teacher in various New York and Virginia schools, where she significantly improved student outcomes.

Passionate about access and economic mobility, Tinkhani works to empower others to solve problems through skill development. She holds an Ed.D. in educational leadership and policy from Virginia Tech, a master’s in educational leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a bachelor’s in mathematics from the State University of New York at Geneseo. Additionally, she mentors future educational leaders as an adjunct professor at the University of Virginia and participates in dissertation committees at Virginia Tech.

Outside of her professional endeavors, Tinkhani enjoys family time, volunteering with her church and sorority, and crocheting.

President, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

Timothy Knowles

Timothy Knowles is the 10th president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Prior to joining Carnegie, he served as founder and managing partner of the Academy Group, an enterprise designed to prepare extraordinary young people from under-resourced communities to own and operate successful companies nationwide; reduce economic disparities and; serve as a human capital engine, built on a sustainable business model, to unlock human potential at scale.

Previously, Knowles founded and served as director and chairman of the University of Chicago Urban Education Institute. Knowles also founded and served as director of the University of Chicago Urban Labs, which works globally to design, test, and scale policies and programs that are effective, humane, and cost-efficient. Knowles also served as the John Dewey Clinical Professor of Education.

Prior to his work in Chicago, Knowles served as the deputy superintendent of the Boston Public Schools and co-directed the Boston Annenberg Challenge, a nationally regarded initiative to improve literacy. Knowles also served as director of a full-service K–8 school in New York City, founding director of Teach for America in New York, and a teacher of African history in Botswana.

Knowles has started multiple social sector organizations, holds appointments at the University of Chicago, and has written and spoken widely on education and entrepreneurship.

Senior Vice President, Innovation & Impact

Brooke Stafford-Brizard

Brooke Stafford-Brizard is senior vice president for Innovation & Impact at the Carnegie Foundation.

As senior vice president, Brooke oversees Carnegie’s research and development activities and stewards cross-sector partnerships to accelerate the Foundation’s mission.

As an educator, researcher, and philanthropic leader, Brooke has spent the past three decades focused on bringing a more holistic approach, grounded in the science of learning and development, to schools and classrooms. Most recently, Brooke served as vice president for research to practice at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. There, she led the organization’s grantmaking in education to support researchers, educators, and policymakers in their efforts to transform our education system toward one grounded in whole child development. Throughout Brooke’s career, she has served in a range of scholarly and practice-focused roles, including serving as director of data strategy and evaluation at the New York City Department of Education’s District 79. While in Rochester, NY, she co-founded an all-girls public charter school. She began her career as a middle school teacher in the Bronx.

As a well-respected expert in the learning sciences field, Brooke regularly contributes opinion pieces, talks, and papers focused on holistic student development. She holds a doctorate (Ph.D.) in cognitive science in education from Columbia University, is a Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow, and a member of the Aspen Institute’s Global Leadership Network.