Session Presenters

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  Cyndia Acker-Ramirez

  Senior Program Manager, CORE

  Cyndia Acker-Ramirez

  Senior Program Manager, CORE

  Cyndia Acker-Ramirez partners with schools and districts to reimagine job-embedded professional learning, with a focus on the instructional core, instructional decision-making and leveraging curricular materials to deepen students’ mathematical understanding. As part of these efforts Cyndia is leading the development of CORE’s curriculum-aligned collaborative inquiry model that aims to support growth in student belonging, academic identity and achievement while fostering teacher collective efficacy and individual agency in instructional decision-making. Prior to joining CORE, Cyndia was a Professional Learning Specialist at WestEd and a Math Instructional and Systems Specialist with the Math Leadership Corps for Loyola Marymount University. In both roles, she supported schools and districts in using a framework for collaborative problem solving to impact student math identity and achievement through facilitation of teacher and instructional leadership collaborations. Cyndia holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from California State University Long Beach and a master’s degree in Cross-Cultural Teaching from National University.

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  Jorge Aguilar

  Superintendent, Sacramento City Unified School District

  Jorge Aguilar

  Superintendent, Sacramento City Unified School District

  Jorge A. Aguilar became the twenty-eighth Superintendent of the Sacramento City Unified School District on July 1, 2017. He leads the thirteenth largest school district in California with 42,231 students, more than 4,700 employees and a budget of more than $640 million. Aguilar was selected Superintendent by the Board of Education because of his proven track record using data to improve student outcomes.

  Prior to serving as Superintendent, Mr. Aguilar was the Associate Superintendent for Equity and Access at Fresno Unified School District. In his career, Superintendent Aguilar has also served as an Associate Vice Chancellor for Educational and Community Partnerships and Special Assistant to the Chancellor at the University of California, Merced; as a Spanish teacher at South Gate High School; and a legislative fellow in the State Capitol.

  A son of farm workers who grew up in the central valley, Superintendent Aguilar is a product of the migrant education program. He spent his early childhood migrating back and forth between Parlier, California and the state of Michoacán, Mexico. He graduated from Parlier High School and was accepted into the University of California, Berkeley, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies and Spanish and Portuguese. He spent his junior university year abroad at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Mr. Aguilar also earned his Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles after graduating from college.

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  June Ahn

  Associate Professor and Faculty Director OCEAN, Orange County Educational Advancement Network (OCEAN) UCI School of Education

  June Ahn

  Associate Professor and Faculty Director OCEAN, Orange County Educational Advancement Network (OCEAN) UCI School of Education

  Dr. June Ahn is an Associate Professor of Learning Sciences and Research-Practice Partnerships at UC Irvine (UCI) School of Education. His core research interest is understanding how technology and information can enhance the way we learn and deliver education. He partners with local organizations, after-school programs, and schools to design new learning environments. The goal of this design-based research is to explore how we might broaden participation and create more equitable learning pathways for learners. He is also interested in designing and studying the impact of new technologies, to solve problems within Research Practice Partnership and Networked Improvement Community settings. His projects are varied ranging from creating social media tools for young learners to share science and alternate reality games for scientific inquiry, to creating AI chatbots for college mentoring and data visualization systems for K-12 teachers to improve their instruction.

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  Stacey Alicea

  Director of Early Learning Strategy, Newark Trust for Education

  Stacey Alicea

  Director of Early Learning Strategy, Newark Trust for Education

  Stacey Alicea is the Director of Early Learning Strategy at the Newark Trust for Education. She leads the Trust’s efforts to strengthen Newark’s early childhood ecosystem with a focus on equitable healthy development and successful transitions to Pre-K learning environments. She is a community psychologist focused on bridging research and practice initiatives grounded in community participatory action, critical pedagogy, social network, continuous improvement, and systems design frameworks. Alicea holds an M.P.H. in Population and Family Health from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in Psychology and Social Intervention from New York University.  

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  Erin Anderson

  Assistant Professor, University of Denver

  Erin Anderson

  Assistant Professor, University of Denver

  Erin Anderson, PhD. is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Denver. She is the program lead and primary investigator of a state turnaround grant. She facilitates professional learning for leadership teams that integrates liberatory design and improvement science into school improvement work. This Design Improvement program is co-constructed and delivered in partnership with Denver Public Schools. She is also a member of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Improvement Leadership Education and Development (iLEAD) Steering Committee. She worked in public middle and high schools in Virginia and New York City, including alternative schools, which initiated her interest in how to make schools equitable and inclusive spaces for students historically marginalized in the education system. Her research focuses on planning, leading, and implementing continuous school improvement.

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  Eve Arbogast

  Director, Instructional Reform Facilitator Network, San Francisco Unified School District

  Eve Arbogast

  Director, Instructional Reform Facilitator Network, San Francisco Unified School District

  Eve Arbogast leads a team of equity driven instructional coaches who aim is to address persistent equity gaps impacting student success and support their school community in strengthening its’ professional capacity systems through data informed mindsets and practices.

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  Richard Arum

  Dean UCI School of Education, Orange County Educational Advancement Network (OCEAN) UCI School of Education

  Richard Arum

  Dean UCI School of Education, Orange County Educational Advancement Network (OCEAN) UCI School of Education

  Richard Arum is professor of education and (by courtesy) sociology, criminology, law and society at the University of California, Irvine. He recently served as dean of the UCI School of Education (2016-2021), senior fellow at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (2013-2015); and director of the Education Research Program at the Social Science Research Council (2006-2013), where he oversaw the development of the Research Alliance for New York City Schools, a research consortium designed to conduct ongoing evaluation of the New York City public schools. He is author of Judging School Discipline: A Crisis of Moral Authority (Harvard University Press, 2003); coauthor of Aspiring Adults Adrift: Tentative Transitions of College Graduates (University of Chicago Press, 2014) and Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses (University of Chicago Press, 2011); as well as coeditor of Improving Quality in American Higher Education: Learning Outcomes and Assessment for the 21st Century (Jossey Bass, 2016), Improving Learning Environments: School Discipline and Student Achievement in Comparative Perspectives (Stanford University Press, 2012), and Stratification in Higher Education: A Comparative Study (Stanford University Press, 2007). He received a Masters of Education in Teaching and Curriculum from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley.

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  Bob Balfanz

  Professor, Center for Social Organization of Schools and Director of the Everyone Graduates Center, John Hopkins University

  Bob Balfanz

  Professor, Center for Social Organization of Schools and Director of the Everyone Graduates Center, John Hopkins University

  Robert Balfanz, PhD, is a research professor at the Center for the Social Organization of Schools at Johns Hopkins University School of Education, where he is the director of the Everyone Graduates Center. He co-founded of Diplomas Now, an evidence based school transformation model for high needs middle and high schools that combined whole school reform with enhanced student supports guided by an early warning system, and winner of a federal Investing in Innovation (I3) validation grant which was implemented in forty schools across twelve school districts. He has published widely on secondary school reform, high school dropouts, early warning systems, chronic absenteeism, school climate, and instructional interventions in high-poverty schools. He focuses on translating research findings into effective school interventions. He is also a frequent speaker on dropout prevention and early warning indicators and has consulted with numerous state education associations through partnerships with the National Governors Association and Jobs for the Future. Dr. Balfanz is the first recipient of the Alliance For Excellent Education’s Everyone a Graduate Award and the National Forum’s to Accelerate Middle Grade Reform Joan Lipsitzs Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2013 he was named a Champion for Change for African American Education by the White House.  He holds a B.A. in history from Johns Hopkins University and a PhD in education from the University of Chicago.

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  KaCee Ballou

  Missoula Education Association President, Missoula County Public Schools

  KaCee Ballou

  Missoula Education Association President, Missoula County Public Schools
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  Cynthia Barron

  Coordinator, Ed.D. Program in Urban Education Leadership, University of Illinois Chicago

  Cynthia Barron

  Coordinator, Ed.D. Program in Urban Education Leadership, University of Illinois Chicago

  Dr. Cynthia K. Barron is Coordinator of the UIC Ed.D. Program in Urban Education Leadership, where she has served as clinical faculty and leadership coach for ten years. She co-leads the full-year residency course for aspiring principals, and coordinates and teaches courses in the UIC superintendent endorsement strand of the Ed.D. Program. Cynthia has more than forty years’ experience in education, of which thirty-five were in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) as a teacher, athletic coach, counselor, assistant principal, principal, truancy & dropout prevention coordinator, Area Instruction Officer, and Interim Chief Officer for High Schools. She has received school leadership awards at elementary and high school levels. As Area Instructional Officer, Cynthia supervised and developed 40+ high school principals. During a seven-year period, schools under her supervision improved school performance on a wide range of measures. Cynthia completed her baccalaureate degree at George Williams College, her master’s degree at Chicago State University, and her Ph.D. at Loyola University of Chicago.

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  Rebecca Beaulieu

  Principal, Neuse River Middle School

  Rebecca Beaulieu

  Principal, Neuse River Middle School

  Rebecca Beaulieu is the principal of Neuse River Middle School in Raleigh, NC. She is a native of North Carolina and has been in education for 28 years at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. She completed her principal training at East Carolina University. Rebecca has always worked in Title 1 schools and is passionate about removing barriers to learning and advancing teacher practices.

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  Jacobē Bell

  Network Director, Teaching Matters

  Jacobē Bell

  Network Director, Teaching Matters

  Network Director Jacobē Bell leads Teaching Matters’ network of 16 middle schools focused on improving outcomes for students through a culturally responsive lens utilizing continuous improvement methods. Previously as a Field Leader and Senior Educational Consultant, Jacobē was a change agent who supported leaders and educators in strengthening their literacy and academic programs. Prior to joining Teaching Matters, Jacobē served as a National Board Certified Teacher, Instructional Coach, Network Administrator, and consultant in both the public and charter sectors. At the foundation of Jacobē’s work is the belief that schools must be places where cultural pluralism, high expectations, asset-based pedagogy, and student voices flourish. To cultivate change in schools, Jacobē believes we must stop the “spirit-murder” of students by humanizing every aspect of education. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, a master’s degree in Urban Education from Mercy College, and is a doctoral candidate in Curriculum and Teaching at Teachers College, Columbia University.  

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  Rachel Bello

  Senior Director of Design and Development, Bank Street Education Center

  Rachel Bello

  Senior Director of Design and Development, Bank Street Education Center

  As the Senior Director of Design and Development at the Bank Street Education Center, Rachel Bello works with teams to develop, implement, and scale high-quality adult learning solutions to complex instructional problems. Prior to joining the Ed Center team, Bello worked as a Director of Professional Learning Design in the NYC DOE’s Office of Teacher Effectiveness and spent eight years teaching 11th– and 12th-grade English in New York City public schools. She holds a B.A. in American History and Literature from Harvard University and an M.A.T. in Secondary English Education from Brown University. 

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  Brandon Bennett

  Principal Advisor, Improvement Science Consulting, LLC; Senior Fellow, Improvement Science, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Brandon Bennett

  Principal Advisor, Improvement Science Consulting, LLC; Senior Fellow, Improvement Science, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Brandon Bennett, MPH, Principal Advisor for Improvement Science Consulting began his career as a United States Peace Corps volunteer, where he worked to continuously improve microfinance repayment rates for people living with HIV and struggling in poverty. He has served as an improvement advisor in the fields of healthcare and education, leading and advising on diverse initiatives from disease specific processes to country wide improvement programs. Brandon has published on the application of improvement science methods and has been a featured speaker at quality conferences around the world. He is currently a senior fellow at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, faculty for the Improvement Advisor Professional Development Program offered through the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, faculty for the Improvement Science for Academics offered through HAELO (a UK based innovation and improvement center) and senior advisor to Ko Awatea, a New Zealand based organization that delivers health system innovation and improvement services to Australasia.

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  Al Bertani

  Senior Advisor, Urban Education Institute, University of Chicago; Senior Fellow, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Al Bertani

  Senior Advisor, Urban Education Institute, University of Chicago; Senior Fellow, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Al Bertani is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. He also serves as a senior advisor with the Urban Education Institute at the University of Chicago and a senior advisor with LEAP Innovations at 1871 in Chicago. His work focuses on designs for professional learning; 21st century personalized learning models; leadership and organization development; and innovation and improvement for large-scale change. Al spent the last third of his career working on urban school reform in support of the Chicago Public Schools, having served as: senior researcher for the Urban School Leadership Program with University of Illinois at Chicago; chief officer for professional development with Chicago Public Schools; senior executive director for Chicago Leadership Academies for Supporting Success with the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association; and co-director of School and Leadership Development with the Center for School Improvement at the University of Chicago.

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  Drewanna Bey

  Chief Secondary Schools, District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS)

  Drewanna Bey

  Chief Secondary Schools, District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS)

  Dr. Drewana Bey’s life mission is to serve the school communities of DCPS to ensure all secondary students have access to rigorous educational programming and opportunities that support their goals and passions to obtain postsecondary success. Dr. Bey completed her bachelor’s degree at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Master’s in Educational Administration from Trinity University (DC), and Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Bowie State University in 2011. She has over twenty-two years of educational experience as a middle/high school chemistry teacher, assistant principal, high school principal, central office organizational culture facilitator, mentor principal and supervising principal for school system resident principals. Prior to her appointment as Chief of Secondary Schools, Dr. Bey was the Instructional Superintendent for Cluster 8, which saw continuous gains in student PARCC performance, Advanced Placement performance and participation, Ninth-grade promotion, and graduation rate improvement. Throughout her leadership, Dr. Bey has had numerous opportunities to lead principals and central office staff through various professional development opportunities aligned to school improvement, positive school culture, implementation of state standards and instructional coaching/feedback. Her unwavering belief in the brilliance and talent of DCPS students and staff is what solidifies her commitment to K-12 public education.

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  Manuelito Biag

  Senior Associate, Networked Improvement Science; Managing Director, Center for Post-Secondary Innovation, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Manuelito Biag

  Senior Associate, Networked Improvement Science; Managing Director, Center for Post-Secondary Innovation, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Manuelito Biag joined the Carnegie Foundation in 2016. As a senior associate, he provides leadership, instructional, and research support in the area of networked improvement science. Currently, he aids the Foundation’s field-building efforts in higher education by directing the Improvement Leadership Education and Development (iLEAD) network – a community of 12 district-university partnerships committed to localizing leadership preparation through the use of improvement science principles, methods, and tools. Manuelito comes to Carnegie from Stanford University where he served as senior researcher at the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and their Communities at the Graduate School of Education. His work, which has been presented in community forums, professional conferences, and published in academic journals, policy briefs, and edited volumes, examines the organizational structures, policies, and programs that influence students’ learning and overall development—particularly those from vulnerable and historically-marginalized backgrounds. Manuelito holds a doctorate in school organization and education policy from the University of California, Davis.

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  Lauren J. Bierbaum

  Head of Research, Data and Evaluation, XQ Institute

  Lauren J. Bierbaum

  Head of Research, Data and Evaluation, XQ Institute

  Dr. Lauren J. Bierbaum is the Head of Research, Data, and Evaluation at XQ Institute. In this role, she oversees XQ’s learning agenda by directing research and evaluation, supporting implementation and policy change efforts, and constantly agitating for richer and more meaningful systems of assessment and accountability. Lauren’s expertise includes the science of youth development, the design and implementation of qualitative and mixed methods studies, ethnographic research, collective impact frameworks, translational science, and strategic planning. Prior to joining XQ, Lauren was a Senior Research Analyst at the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University, where she researched the impacts of various educational interventions on student success. Earlier in her career, Lauren served as Director of the Partnership for Youth Development, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rebuilding the K12, out-of-school time, and juvenile justice sectors in post-Katrina New Orleans. She has also worked in market research and as a youth services provider and classroom teacher. Lauren holds an M.S. in Developmental Psychology and a doctorate in American Studies from Yale University.

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  Heidi Black

  Director of Collaborative Improvement, StriveTogether

  Heidi Black

  Director of Collaborative Improvement, StriveTogether

  As director of collaborative improvement at StriveTogether, Heidi Black builds the capability of local leaders and practitioners across the country to improve outcomes for children and youth through data-driven decision making, systems thinking, and community voice. She developed StriveTogether’s unique improvement science approach combining tools and techniques from continuous improvement, design thinking, Results Counts™, and equity for which she received a Spotlight on Quality in Continuous Improvement from the Carnegie Foundation in 2018. While at StriveTogether, she has supported more than 30 communities in applying the organization’s improvement strategies toward key outcomes, including prenatal to age 3 development, kindergarten readiness, 3rd grade reading, high school graduation, postsecondary enrollment, and workforce. She is currently working to develop StriveTogether’s Training and Talent Hub, which will focus on building people’s knowledge and skills in the leadership competencies to create equitable systems change in their communities. Black holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Skidmore College and a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with focus on literacy from Lesley University’s School of Education.  

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  Shay Bluemer-Miroite

  Director of Improvement Advising, Shift

  Shay Bluemer-Miroite

  Director of Improvement Advising, Shift

  Shay Bluemer-Miroite leads the improvement advising team at Shift. She supports a team of improvement advisors and project managers as they partner with organizations transforming systems across multiple sectors like education and public health. Her journey to improvement work began as a global health training program evaluator. Removing systems-level barriers that prevented healthcare workers from applying their learning led her to the improvement field. She has firsthand experience leveraging improvement science and human-centered design for equity. Shay is passionate about creating inclusive design spaces that center the experience of those often overlooked by the system and putting their insights into practice.  Bluemer-Miroite holds an M.P.H. from the University of Washington. 

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  Erica Boas

  Improvement Specialist, WestEd

  Erica Boas

  Improvement Specialist, WestEd

  Erica Boas has served in K–12 education for more than 20 years as a teacher, resource specialist, researcher, and teacher educator. She is currently an Improvement Specialist at WestEd where she supports stakeholders in K–12 and institutions of higher education in equity-engaged continuous improvement projects. Boas holds a B.A. in American/Ethnic Studies from the University of California at Santa Cruz and an M.A. and Ph.D.  in Education, Social and Cultural Studies and a Designated Emphasis in Gender, Women, and Sexuality from the University of California, Berkeley. 

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  Andrew Brannegan

  Senior Research Associate, WestEd

  Andrew Brannegan

  Senior Research Associate, WestEd

  Andrew Brannegan is a Senior Research Associate at WestEd. He has expertise in research methods, analytics, and data visualization. Previously, he served as Research Director at Hamilton Families, Senior Data Analyst at Aspire Public Schools, and as a special education teacher in Oakland Unified School District. Brannegan holds a M.P.P. and Ph.D. in Public Policy & Administration from American University. 

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  Jennie Brotman

  Director of Service Design, Teaching Matters

  Jennie Brotman

  Director of Service Design, Teaching Matters

  Jennie Brotman is the Director of Service Design at Teaching Matters and leads the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of professional learning programs, including the Teaching Matters Network for School Improvement. She also served as a Senior Educational Consultant at Teaching Matters, supporting teachers and leaders in enacting and sustaining high-quality instruction and assessment across subject areas. Prior to joining Teaching Matters, Brotman was a teacher of middle school science, an adjunct faculty member who taught preservice and in-service teachers at Barnard College, and a consultant who led professional development and curriculum development work in several New York City public schools. She holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in Biology and a Ph.D. in Science Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. 

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  Mai Anh Bui

  Data Analyst, Evidence & Analytics, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Mai Anh Bui

  Data Analyst, Evidence & Analytics, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Mai Anh Bui is a data analyst in the evidence and analytics group. Her work helps education systems improve outcomes through analytics, automates analytic processes, and works with collaborative technology for social network analysis. Mai Anh previously worked at the World Bank Group as a statistical analyst who utilized time series analysis and regression models to provide timely updates on global economic developments and gross domestic product forecasts. She also worked as a research analyst at the International Monetary Fund assessing country risk from the Vulnerability Exercise for Low-Income Countries.

  Mai Anh received an M.A. in statistics from the University of California, Berkeley. She also holds a B.A. in economics and mathematics from Grinnell College.

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  Angela Bush

  Principal, Erwin Middle School, Jefferson County Schools, Birmingham, AL

  Angela Bush

  Principal, Erwin Middle School, Jefferson County Schools, Birmingham, AL

  Angela Bush is completing her 26th year as an educator. As the Principal of Erwin Middle, she has made notable strides to move the school from a low-performing school with a goal of becoming a model high-performing school in the school district, state, and nation. Previously, she served as an English teacher for nine years, Supervisor of Student Services for 10 years, and Principal for seven years.  She currently serves as a mentor to assistant principals and novice principals in the Jefferson County School District. Bush received a B.A. and M.Ed. from Alabama A&M University, an Ed.S. from the University of Montevallo, and an Ed.D from Samford University. 

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  Stacey Caillier

  Director, Center for Research on Equity & Innovation (CREI), High Tech High Graduate School of Education

  Stacey Caillier

  Director, Center for Research on Equity & Innovation (CREI), High Tech High Graduate School of Education

  Stacey Caillier is Director of the Center for Research on Equity & Innovation at the High Tech High Graduate School of Education where she supports improvement work within High Tech High schools and beyond. She has helped to launch and facilitate improvement networks focused on increasing 8th grade on-track, improving K–12 literacy instruction, and supporting college access for students who are Black, Latinx, or experiencing poverty. Caillier has been with the HTH Graduate School of Education since its inception in 2006, previously serving as the Director of the Teacher Leadership M.Ed. program and Co-Director of Instructional Support for HTH schools. She began her career as a high school physics and mathematics teacher at a Portland, OR, high school affiliated with the Coalition of Essential Schools. Caillier holds a bachelor’s degree in Physics and English, a master’s degree in Teaching from Willamette University, and a doctoral degree in School Organization and Educational Policy from the University of California, Davis. 

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  Alexis Canalos-Castillo

  Senior Director of Coaching, StriveTogether

  Alexis Canalos-Castillo

  Senior Director of Coaching, StriveTogether

  Alexandra “Alexis” Canalos-Castillo is Senior Director of coaching for StriveTogether, where she designs and delivers a range of intensive coaching and strategic assistance engagements across the Cradle to Career Network. Alexis is a Professional Certified Coach and a Results CountTM practitioner with a passion for facilitating courageous action so that individuals and partnerships advance better and more equitable results.

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  Ryan Carpenter

  Superintendent, Estacada School District, Oregon

  Ryan Carpenter

  Superintendent, Estacada School District, Oregon

  Ryan Carpenter serves as the Superintendent for the Estacada School District in Oregon. During his tenure, the Estacada School District has received numerous accolades, including being recognized as a Model PLC District by Solution Tree, selected as one of The Oregonian’s Top Workplaces in the State of Oregon in 2020, and being named a “Top High School” by US News and World Reports for six consecutive years. Carpenter holds a B.A.Sc. in History from Eastern Oregon University, an M.A. in Secondary Education from Concordia University-Portland, and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy from Portland State University.  

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  Kimberly Carter

  Superintendent, Battle Creek Public Schools

  Kimberly Carter

  Superintendent, Battle Creek Public Schools
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  Victor Cary

  Senior Director, National Equity Project

  Victor Cary

  Senior Director, National Equity Project

  Victor Cary has worked in education for over 40 years, starting as a high school teacher in Richmond, CA. As Senior Director at the National Equity Project, he leads the development of an equity-centered coaching and leadership model, and currently facilitates Leading in C.A.O.S. (Complex, Adaptive, Oppressive Systems) with educators and communities across the country, particularly collective action initiatives. Prior to joining the National Equity Project, Victor served as Director of the California Alliance for Mathematics and Science (CAMS) Initiative – a statewide initiative aligning secondary and post-secondary institutions around mathematics. He also served as Director for Regional Center and School Support in the national office of the Coalition for Essential Schools. He received his B.A. and Teaching Secondary Credential from UC Berkeley, and M.A. in Education from Stanford University.

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  Lora Cawelti

  Graduate Student Researcher, Orange County Educational Advancement Network (OCEAN) UCI School of Education

  Lora Cawelti

  Graduate Student Researcher, Orange County Educational Advancement Network (OCEAN) UCI School of Education

  Lora Cawelti is a Ph.D. student in the School of Education at UC Irvine and a community research fellow with the Orange County Educational Advancement Network (OCEAN). Previously, she was Associate Director at P.S. ARTS—a Los Angeles nonprofit that provides arts education to underserved public schools and communities. Her background as a performing artist, teaching artist, and nonprofit administrator informs her research agenda where she prioritizes community engaged research, equity and inclusion, and seeks to bridge the gap between policy and practice in arts education. Cawelti holds a B.A. in Music and English from the University of Hawaii and an M.A. in Education from Pepperdine University. 

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  Cate Challen

  Improvement Coach, High Tech High Graduate School of Education

  Cate Challen

  Improvement Coach, High Tech High Graduate School of Education

  Cate Challen is an educator and improvement coach working within the Center for Research on Equity & Innovation at the High Tech High Graduate School of Education. Cate supports school teams in continuous improvement to address educational inequities. Cate also supervises new teacher residents in the San Diego Teacher Residency program. Previously, Cate taught high school mathematics, biology and physics, where she emphasized student-centered instructional techniques and alternative assessment strategies for more equitable academic outcomes. Prior to her career in education, Cate spent ten years in the biotechnology and venture capital industries, commercializing biomedical innovations. An Encorps Fellow, Challen holds a B.S. and Ph.D.in Biotechnology from the University of Queensland, Australia.  

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  Anthony Chavez

  Systems Engagement Manager, XQ Institute

  Anthony Chavez

  Systems Engagement Manager, XQ Institute

  Raised in the farm worker movement his grandfather founded, Anthony grew up participating in United Farm Workers’ marches, picket lines, and political campaigns. He spoke around the country about the movement’s legacy while advocating for service-learning and character education initiatives with the Alameda County Office of Education. The political trail captured his attention, including campaigning for President Obama’s 2008 drive in Colorado, serving as campaign manager during a successful Phoenix city council contest and interning in Sacramento with one of California’s most prominent political strategists. Anthony spent many years serving as travel assistant and executive assistant to Benedictine Brother David Steindl-Rast, world-renowned author, lecturer, and interreligious pioneer, during his national and international tours. Anthony earned a B.A. degree in religious studies at California State University, Bakersfield and completed the San Francisco-based Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs. He spent nearly five years with the Education Trust—West educational equity advocacy group championing improved outcomes for low-income, English learner and students of color. Anthony is now with XQ Super Schools, focusing on re-thinking and re-designing the American high school experience. He a leader in the Latino Community Foundation’s giving circle network and has served on the Gratefulness.org board and as an adviser to both the Fredrick Douglas Family Initiative and the President’s Advisory Council at Character.org.

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  Liz Chu

  Executive Director, Center for Public Research and Leadership

  Liz Chu

  Executive Director, Center for Public Research and Leadership

  Pulled from Website: Elizabeth Chu is the Executive Director of CPRL and a lecturer of law at Columbia Law School. At CPRL, her focus is on readying graduate students and clients to use Evolutionary Learning to enhance the education sector’s capacity to improve and serve all children, particularly those who are traditionally underserved. Before joining CPRL, Elizabeth was an Assistant Professor of Practice at Relay Graduate School of Education, where she taught general pedagogy courses, designed and managed internal data collection systems, and performed research on school discipline, teacher preparation, and social-emotional learning. Elizabeth began her work in education as a middle and high school English teacher in the South Bronx. Liz earned her PhD from Columbia University in educational policy. She also has an MS from Pace University in teaching secondary English and a BA from Yale University in English language arts and literature.

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  Jennifer Ciok

  Middle Grades Network Coach, UChicago's To&Through Project

  Jennifer Ciok

  Middle Grades Network Coach, UChicago's To&Through Project

  As the Middle Grades Network Coach for the University of Chicago’s To&Through Middle Grades Network, Jennifer Ciok works closely with schools, partners, and the To&Through team to create more equitable and supportive educational environments where middle school students can thrive. In this role, she supports six middle schools in Chicago Public Schools by helping to build these systems using both qualitative and quantitative data and research that defines problems of practice and implement change ideas. Prior to her work at To&Through, Ciok was a middle school social studies and English teacher for and a high school Social-Emotional Learning Manager. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Education and a master’s degree in Reading Education from Ohio University. She also is credentialed in College and Career Advising and Gifted Education. 

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  Andrea Clay

  Director of Legal Strategy and Policy, Center for Public Research and Leadership

  Andrea Clay

  Director of Legal Strategy and Policy, Center for Public Research and Leadership

  Andrea Clay is a Director of Legal Strategy and Policy at the Center for Public Research and Leadership. She provides policy advice and leads student project teams on topics addressing high-quality instructional materials and teacher professional development in the use of these materials; the use of continuous improvement methodologies to improve teacher training and instructional practice; and the spread of innovative, interdisciplinary practices in professional education. Prior to joining CPRL, Clay worked at various organizations in the education sector, including community-based organizations, legal services groups, and schools. She also Clay holds a B.A. in English from Princeton University and a J.D. from Harvard University Law School. 

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  Juli Coleman

  Chief of Improvement School Networks, CORE Districts

  Juli Coleman

  Chief of Improvement School Networks, CORE Districts

  Juli Coleman has worked in public education for 27 years, which has spanned across K-12, regular and special education. She began her career as an elementary teacher in the Menifee Union School District. Juli moved to the Oceanside Unified School District and worked in a variety of roles and schools. She was a Resource Specialist at an elementary school, Teacher on Special Assignment at a middle school, and a Coordinator at the high school. She has worked at the San Diego County Office of Education as an Executive Leadership Coach for the past 7 years, where she has worked closely with districts through out the County helping to plan their improvement efforts. She also serves as the regional lead for Imperial, San Diego, and Orange County for the statewide regional system of support (RSDSS) that provides assistance to Title I funded schools. Juli has her Master of Special Education, Doctorate in Educational Leadership, and recently completed the Institute of Healthcare Improvement coaching program. She lives in Carlsbad with her husband and they have six kids, a dog and one cat.

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  Benjamin Cooper

  Senior Officer / Strategy, Learning, and Evaluation, Walton Family Foundation

  Benjamin Cooper

  Senior Officer / Strategy, Learning, and Evaluation, Walton Family Foundation
• 

  Ben Daley

  President, High Tech High Graduate School of Education

  Ben Daley

  President, High Tech High Graduate School of Education

  Ben joined High Tech High to teach physics as a founding faculty member in fall 2000. He has been a school director, chief operating officer, and chief academic officer for High Tech High and is now the president of the Graduate School of Education. As a student at Haverford College, Ben majored in physics and was credentialed in secondary physics and math, student teaching at Lower Merion High School outside Philadelphia. After graduation, he traveled to the Philippines and taught science and math at an international school in Manila. Upon his return to the U.S., he taught physics and AP physics at the Madeira School, a girls’ boarding school in suburban Washington, D.C. He then moved to California to coach basketball and to teach physics at Pomona and Pitzer Colleges. He earned an M.A. in Science Education at the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership at the University of California, San Diego.

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  Tanisha Dasmunshi

  Middle School ELA Teacher and Fellow for Fluency, Baltimore City Public Schools

  Tanisha Dasmunshi

  Middle School ELA Teacher and Fellow for Fluency, Baltimore City Public Schools
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  Cori Davis

  Improvement Advisor, Shift

  Cori Davis

  Improvement Advisor, Shift

  Cori Davis is an Improvement Advisor at Shift, which she joined in 2019. In this position, she supports the design and implementation of improvement networks and collaboratives and provides technical facilitation and coaching of improvement science through the Improvement Methods for Equity (IM4E) program. Previously, Davis spent 10 years at the University of Michigan and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital supporting Learning Health Systems and Collaboratives focused on a variety of pediatric chronic diseases. 

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  Patrice Dawkins-Jackson

  Associate, Networked Improvement Science; Director, Organizational Learning & Development

  Patrice Dawkins-Jackson

  Associate, Networked Improvement Science; Director, Organizational Learning & Development

  Patrice Dawkins-Jackson is an associate in networked improvement science. She joined the Foundation in 2017 as a networked improvement fellow. Most recently, Patrice was an instructional leader, learner, and assistant principal at Sandy Springs Charter Middle School in Georgia. There, she used her knowledge of design-thinking to help impact professional development, engagement, and instructional practices there.

  Prior to joining Carnegie, Patrice had worked as an educator in Fulton County Schools for 12 years. During that time, she served two terms as a U.S. Department of Education Classroom Teaching Ambassador Fellow, where she worked on recruitment and support of teachers of color in partnership with TEACH.org, the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans. Her passion for teacher leadership was further ignited when she joined Teach to Lead, an initiative convened by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, ASCD, and the U.S. Department of Education, whose mission is to advance student outcomes by expanding opportunities for teacher leadership.

  Patrice earned her certified associates in project management as well as a bachelor of science in early childhood education from the University of Central Florida. She went on to receive a masters in education in early childhood education also at the University of Central Florida, with specializations in home-school-community and educational leadership with aspirations of pursuing her doctorate and opening her own school.

  Marytza is an associate for networked improvement science at the Carnegie Foundation. Prior to joining Carnegie, Marytza worked as an assistant professor for Wayne State University and Florida State University in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies department. In addition, she served as a senior research associate at the Learning Systems Institute at Florida State University. As a faculty member, Marytza worked to prepare teachers and teacher leaders for the principalship and superintendent roles. Marytza’s research and expertise spans policy and organizational sociology, focusing primarily on the intersection of research and practice in leadership, accountability and school choice. Most recently, Marytza worked for the Jacobs Institute for Innovation at the University of San Diego, developing and designing a blueprint for administrator standards and dispositions.

  Marytza has also served as a Freedom School Teacher in Hunter’s Point, San Francisco through the Children’s Defense Fund and developed an Afro-centric curriculum for second and third graders in literacy and mathematics.

  Marytza earned a doctorate in education policy from the University of California at Berkeley, a master’s in economics from the New School for Social Research, and a bachelor’s from University of California at Berkeley in psychology.

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  Kris DeFilippis

  Executive Director, New York City Department of Education

  Kris DeFilippis

  Executive Director, New York City Department of Education

  Beginning his career in education as a custodian, Kris served as a Social Studies and English teacher in public schools in the Bronx, a Department Chairperson at a Special Act district in Westchester, and an Associate Principal for Warwick Valley Middle School. Currently an Executive Director in New York City Department of Education, Kris supports school and district leaders to craft and enact equitable goals and strategies through context specific cycles of inquiry. With a research focus on using continuous improvement models to advance school based equity, Kris graduated from Fordham University with his Ed.D in January of 2022.

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  Christina Dixon

  Improvement Advisor and Independent Consultant,, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Christina Dixon

  Improvement Advisor and Independent Consultant,, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Christina J. Dixon is an advisor, consultant, and coach partnering with education leaders to transform their organizations through continuous improvement. She currently collaborates with the Improvement Collective, WestEd, the University of Pittsburgh, Studer Education, A+ Schools, and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, where she recently served as an associate for networked improvement science. Prior to joining the foundation, she provided coaching and professional development to leaders of education, health care, and nonprofit organizations seeking to use systems principles to better meet the needs of the people they serve. She co-founded True North Institute, where she co-created a model for using Toyota Production System principles to improve student achievement, and was a principal of Value Capture LLC, where she consulted with health care systems to accelerate their transformation to achieve safety, quality, and financial goals. Dixon holds a B.A. from Stanford University, an M.Ed. from Bank Street College of Education, and an Ed.D. in Education Leadership from the University of Virginia.

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  Jon Dolle

  Director of Improvement Science, WestEd

  Jon Dolle

  Director of Improvement Science, WestEd
• 

  Sarah Duncan

  Co-Executive Director, Network for College Success

  Sarah Duncan

  Co-Executive Director, Network for College Success

  Sarah Duncan is the Co-Executive Director with the Network for College Success. She began her career with Ariel Education Initiative in 1991, coordinating the I Have A Dream program, working to improve the life chances of forty seventh-graders from Shakespeare School. In her twelve-year tenure with Ariel, she worked in every aspect of the nonprofit: designing and implementing academic, enrichment, and jobs programs; raising funds; supervising and supporting staff and volunteers; and board development, finance, and planning. In 1996, Ariel opened a Chicago Public School through the Small Schools Initiative and Sarah worked to help develop the staff, curriculum, program and policy at the school. The Ariel Community Academy became a community school before the term was popularized, offering before and after school programs as well as clubs and services for parents, and a unique economics and investment curriculum. Sarah started at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration in 2004, where she developed the Leadership in Community Schools Program and helped to support the quickly-growing community schools movement in Chicago with professional development opportunities for school teams and community school managers. Sarah co-founded the Network for College Success in 2006 to support school leaders with research and data, peer networks, and job-embedded coaching to improve student outcomes, particularly high school graduation and college success. Sarah is a board member of the Ariel Education Initiative and the McDougal Family Foundation. She was also a founding board member of the Young Women’s Leadership Charter School of Chicago.

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  Mark Dunetz

  President, New Visions for Public Schools

  Mark Dunetz

  President, New Visions for Public Schools

  Mark Dunetz has served as the President of New Visions for Public Schools since 2016. He began his career as an educator teaching English as a second language and social studies in New York City public schools. In his two decades working in education, he has worked as a program evaluator, an educational consultant, and a professor of research methods and educational administration. He also is the Founding Principal of the Academy for Careers in Television and Film—one of NYC’s most academically successful non-selective high schools.  

  He is responsible for leading the organization’s partnership with the New York City Department of Education and expanding the organization’s data and analytics capacity, the launch of a software development team, and the creation of open source high school curriculum in core subjects. Dunetz sits on the boards of the New York City Charter School Center and The Research Alliance for New York City Schools. He holds a B.A. in U.S. History from the University of California, Santa Cruz; an M.A. in Teaching Speakers of Other Languages from New York University; and a Ph.D. in Urban Education with a concentration in Education Policy from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.  

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  David Eddy-Spice

  Professor, University of Virginia

  David Eddy-Spice

  Professor, University of Virginia

  David Eddy-Spicer is a professor of educational leadership in the department of Leadership, Foundations, and Social Policy at the School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia. He designs and teaches courses and workshops on improvement science and continuous improvement to aspiring and advanced educational leaders in Virginia and nationally. At the University of Virginia, he leads UVA’s partnership with Chesterfield County Public Schools as part of the iLEAD initiative of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Learning (CFAT). As a member of the Carnegie National Faculty, he has been recognized by CFAT for contributions to expanding the teaching and learning of improvement science and continuous improvement. His research interests include continuous improvement and the adaptive integration of instructional innovation through partnerships between universities and school systems. He has expertise in program evaluation, case study research, and the design and evaluation of innovative professional learning environments internationally. He has authored or co-authored a wide range of major reports, book chapters, journal articles, and case studies on the diffusion of innovation, professional learning, and organizational change in the public sector.

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  Jennifer Enns

  Executive Leadership Coach, Fresno County Superintendent of Schools

  Jennifer Enns

  Executive Leadership Coach, Fresno County Superintendent of Schools

  Dr. Jennifer Enns is an Executive Leadership Coach for the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools (FCSS). She specializes in coaching administrator and teacher improvement teams. An educator for 25 years, Jennifer began her career as a high school English teacher and has served as a middle school and high school site leader. Jennifer strives to serve with passion, purpose, and joy. When not coaching improvement teams, she’s obsessed with running, Chai lattes, reading, shoes, and the three boys in her life (husband, son, and a Labrador Retriever).

• 

  Segun Eubanks

  Professor of Practice and Director of the Center for Education Innovation and Improvement, University of Maryland

  Segun Eubanks

  Professor of Practice and Director of the Center for Education Innovation and Improvement, University of Maryland

  Dr. Segun Eubanks is a Professor of Practice and Director of the Center for Education Innovation and Improvement at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) where he works to bring together the shared expertise of research and practice to develop leadership, improve schools, and advance equity. Dr. Eubanks also served as the Chair of the Board of Education for Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) and worked in various leadership roles at the National Education Association, including as Director of Professional Educator Support and for 11 years as the Director of Teacher Quality.

• 

  Shelah Feldstein

  Senior Improvement Specialist, WestEd

  Shelah Feldstein

  Senior Improvement Specialist, WestEd
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  Neal Finkelstein

  Senior Managing Director, WestEd

  Neal Finkelstein

  Senior Managing Director, WestEd
• 

  Enikia Ford-Mothel

  Deputy Superintendent of Instruction, San Francisco Unified School District

  Enikia Ford-Mothel

  Deputy Superintendent of Instruction, San Francisco Unified School District

  Enikia Ford Morthel is an urban educator with over 21 years of experience serving the Bay Area’s most historically underserved communities. She is currently the Deputy Superintendent of Instruction for San Francisco Unified School District. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, she has facilitated the turn-around of underperforming schools and incubation of new schools in some of the Bay Area’s highest needs communities, including San Francisco’s Bayview/’Potrero Hill communities, where she was the Assistant Superintendent for 2.5 years, prior to her appointment as Deputy. She has diverse experience in private, charter and traditional public schools, including teacher, board member, principal, chief of schools, curriculum developer and leadership/teacher coach. Enikia sees education as an act of social justice and is committed to the transformation of our educational system to be more responsive, relevant and revolutionary in the lives of the children who need it most.

• 

  Sofi Frankowski

  Chief Learning Officer, Schools That Lead

  Sofi Frankowski

  Chief Learning Officer, Schools That Lead

  Sofi Frankowski is the Chief Learning Officer for Schools That Lead, where she works with teacher leaders and principals from more than 50 K-13 public schools in North Carolina using Improvement Science to advance student outcomes. She has taught elementary, middle school and high school students in Connecticut, Washington DC, Japan, California and North Carolina. Her leadership has been shaped by a belief in the power of adult collaboration and a commitment to equitable and excellent outcomes for all students. A National Board Certified teacher, Frankowski holds a bachelor’s in public policy studies from Duke University and a master’s in education from Stanford University.

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  Denise Frasure

  Teacher Leadership Coach, Teach Plus Chicago NSI

  Denise Frasure

  Teacher Leadership Coach, Teach Plus Chicago NSI
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  Tracy Fray-Oliver

  Vice President of Bank Street Education Center, Bank Street College of Education

  Tracy Fray-Oliver

  Vice President of Bank Street Education Center, Bank Street College of Education

  Tracy Fray-Oliver is the Vice President of the Bank Street Education Center. In this role, she leads the division of the college that is committed to disrupting inequity through systems-level change by working closely with partners to design better educational learning experiences for everyone. Fray-Oliver began her career in education as a middle school mathematics teacher; later, she transitioned into the role of a mathematics coach and instructional specialist. She continued her commitment to curriculum and instruction at New York City Department of Education’s district office, where she served first as the Director of Mathematics Curriculum and the Common Core Fellows Program to support the city’s transition to the Common Core Standards and then as the Senior Director of STEM, playing a major role in defining the city’s approach to STEM instruction. Fray-Oliver earned a bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies at John Jay College and a master’s degree in Mathematics Teacher Education from City University of New York-Brooklyn College.

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  Blake Frazier

  Assistant Director of Federal Programs, Jefferson County Schools, Birmingham, AL

  Blake Frazier

  Assistant Director of Federal Programs, Jefferson County Schools, Birmingham, AL

  Mr. Frazier received a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Florida in 1999 and a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2005. He also earned an Education Specialist Degree in Instructional Leadership from Samford University in 2012. An educator of 20 years, Mr. Frazier has served in a number of roles in his teaching/education career from teacher, interventionist, assistant principal, principal, and Federal Programs assistant director. Mr. Frazier believes in servant leadership and strives to support schools and administrators on their improvement journey, including Federal Programs guidance. If we believe that all students can be successful, then we must remove barriers for students, identify problems of practice, address those problems of practice, and maintain an improvement mindset.

• 

  Marytza Gawlik

  Associate, Networked Improvement Science, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Marytza Gawlik

  Associate, Networked Improvement Science, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Marytza is an associate for networked improvement science at the Carnegie Foundation. Prior to joining Carnegie, Marytza worked as an assistant professor for Wayne State University and Florida State University in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies department. In addition, she served as a senior research associate at the Learning Systems Institute at Florida State University. As a faculty member, Marytza worked to prepare teachers and teacher leaders for the principalship and superintendent roles. Marytza’s research and expertise spans policy and organizational sociology, focusing primarily on the intersection of research and practice in leadership, accountability and school choice. Most recently, Marytza worked for the Jacobs Institute for Innovation at the University of San Diego, developing and designing a blueprint for administrator standards and dispositions.

  Marytza has also served as a Freedom School Teacher in Hunter’s Point, San Francisco through the Children’s Defense Fund and developed an Afro-centric curriculum for second and third graders in literacy and mathematics.

  Marytza earned a doctorate in education policy from the University of California at Berkeley, a master’s in economics from the New School for Social Research, and a bachelor’s from University of California at Berkeley in psychology.

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  Nikki Giunta

  Chief of Staff, New Visions for Public Schools

  Nikki Giunta

  Chief of Staff, New Visions for Public Schools

  Nikki Giunta is the Chief of Staff and Project Manager of the New Vision’s Gates College Readiness Network for School Improvement grant. She joined New Visions in 2013 and is responsible for supporting cross organizational project management, developing and refining the organization’s continuous improvement strategy, training coaches in implementing the strategy with schools, and overseeing the scaling of the Portal by New Visions. Prior to working at New Visions, shewas a kindergarten teacher in Alexandria, VA. Giunta holds a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, a master’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Virginia, and a master’s degree in Education in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment from the University of Illinois at Chicago.  

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  Tim Godbey

  Educational Recovery Director, Kentucky Department of Education

  Tim Godbey

  Educational Recovery Director, Kentucky Department of Education

  Tim Godbey has been a Kentucky educator for the past twenty-three years serving as classroom teacher, athletic coach, assistant principal and head principal. During his tenure as high school principal, Tim was successfully able to transform one of Kentucky’s persistently low-achieving schools into a school of distinction. This effort led to his current role with the Kentucky Department of Education as Educational Recovery Director where he oversees school turnaround work in various parts of the state. Mr. Godbey earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Middle School Education and a Master’s degree in Instructional Leadership from Eastern Kentucky University.

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  Jeff Gold

  Assistant Vice Chancellor, California State University System

  Jeff Gold

  Assistant Vice Chancellor, California State University System

  Jeff Gold is the Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Success at the California State University, the largest and most diverse higher education system in the nation. In this role, Jeff provides leadership to Graduation Initiative 2025, the CSU’s signature strategic effort to facilitate the path to a high-quality college degree for an additional half million students by 2025. Jeff also oversees a variety of mission-driven projects that provide faculty, staff, and administrators with innovative analytical tools to better understand the impact their programs have on student success and equity. Jeff began his career as a bilingual public-school teacher in San Diego and has over 25 years of higher education experience in both the public and private sectors. He holds an Ed.D. in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California and an MBA from the Escuela de Negocios Las Palmas, a business school in Spain.

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  Hannah Goldstein

  Doctoral Student and Researcher, Learning Sciences and Policy, School of Education University of Pittsburgh

  Hannah Goldstein

  Doctoral Student and Researcher, Learning Sciences and Policy, School of Education University of Pittsburgh
• 

  Corey Golla

  Superintendent, School District of Menomonee Falls, Minnesota

  Corey Golla

  Superintendent, School District of Menomonee Falls, Minnesota

  Corey Golla is presently serving in his third year as Superintendent in the School District of Menomonee Falls, WI. Previously, he served two years as Director of Curriculum and four years as Principal of Menomonee Falls High School. Throughout this time, he has been a lead learner as the team worked to apply the principles of improvement in the education setting. He began as a classroom teacher and now has over 25 years of experience in education in myriad roles. In addition to his work as a middle and high school educator, he has completed training in Project Management and the Kepner Tregoe Decision Analysis framework. Golla earned a B.S. in History and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, an M.S. in Educational Leadership from Marian College and a Superintendent Certification from Concordia University. He is presently working toward a doctoral degree at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

• 

  Heather Gomez

  Executive Leadership Coach, Fresno County Superintendent of Schools

  Heather Gomez

  Executive Leadership Coach, Fresno County Superintendent of Schools

  Heather Gomez works as an Executive Leadership Coach on the Differentiated Assistance team with the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, supporting various districts to eliminate inequities using improvement science. Prior to joining the county office, she served as a site and district administrator, overseeing some of the most vulnerable and at-promise students in the county. Before moving to Fresno, Gomez worked with San Diego Unified, supporting students at risk of being expelled for violent offenses, and as an AmeriCorps counselor with students on juvenile probation. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Ethnic Studies from University of San Diego, M.S.W from San Diego State University, a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Fresno State, and a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from Brandman University.

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  Louis Gomez

  Professor of Education and Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles; Senior Fellow, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Louis Gomez

  Professor of Education and Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles; Senior Fellow, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Louis Gomez is Professor of Education (and of Information Studies) at the University of California, Los Angeles. Gomez has served since 2008 as a senior fellow at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, where he leads the Network Development work. Beginning in 2009, he held the Helen S. Faison Chair in Urban Education at the University of Pittsburgh, where he was also director of the Center for Urban Education and a senior scientist at the Learning Research and Development Center. From 2001 to 2008, he held a number of faculty appointments at Northwestern University, including the Aon Chair in the Learning Sciences at the School of Education and Social Policy. Prior to joining academia, he spent 14 years working in cognitive science and person–computer systems and interactions at Bell Laboratories, Bell Communications Research Inc. and Bellcore. His research interests have encompassed the application of computing and networking technology to teaching and learning, applied cognitive science, human–computer interactions and other areas. Gomez received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1974 and a doctorate in cognitive psychology from UC Berkeley in 1979.

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  Pritha Gopalan

  Director of Research and Learning, Newark Trust for Education

  Pritha Gopalan

  Director of Research and Learning, Newark Trust for Education

  Pritha Gopalan is the Director of Research and Learning at the Newark Trust for Education. An applied anthropologist, she leads formative and summative research on NTE’s initiatives and supports the continuous improvement of NTE and partner programs through research-practice partnerships. Previously, she worked on diverse policy areas, such as K–12 education, community development, urbanization, and refugee resettlement, and she has published extensively on her work. Goplan holds an M.A. in Communications Theory and a Ph.D. in Educational Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania. 

• 

  Carmen Graf

  Principal, East Garner Elementary School

  Carmen Graf

  Principal, East Garner Elementary School

  Dr. Carmen Graf is currently employed at Wake County Public School System, since May 2011, holding the title of Principal. Previously, Dr. Graf held the position of Assistant Principal, while working at Wake County Public School System. Dr. Graf held this role for 5 years. She completed a Masters Degree in School Administration from UNC Chapel Hill in 2007. Additionally, Dr. Graf received a Bachelor of Science with a concentration in Child Development in 2001 from Meredith College. Most recently, Dr. Graf earned her doctorate in Learning and Leading Organizations from Vanderbilt University in 2021. Dr. Carmen Graf has presented at the district and state level on closing the achievement gap, building teacher efficacy, and systems and structures that promote the well being of the whole child. Her work in closing the achievement gap of underperforming schools has been focused on tenets of improvement science.

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  Patricia Greco

  Superintendent Emeritus, School District of Menomonee Falls; Senior Director of Thought Leadership, Huron Studer Education

  Patricia Greco

  Superintendent Emeritus, School District of Menomonee Falls; Senior Director of Thought Leadership, Huron Studer Education

  Patricia Greco serves as the Senior Director for Thought Leadership with Studer Education℠. Pat dedicated her life to education serving 38 years in Wisconsin public schools; 15 as a superintendent. Greco is a champion of organizational excellence. She is skilled in building system, leader, and team capacity for Evidence Based Leadership. Greco is internationally published and extensively trained in systems thinking, organizational learning, and continuous improvement processes. Her work has been published by the Carnegie Foundation, Time Magazine, USA Today, Education Week, AASA, ASQ among many others. Her efforts, and those of her Menomonee Falls Colleagues, received the Carnegie Foundation Spotlight Organization Award and the Top Work Award Place for Large Businesses. Geco received the WI Public Policy Forum Lifetime Achievement Award, the Dr. Mike Kneale Distinguished Leader Award, AASA WI Superintendent of the Year, WASCD Educational Influence Award, and WI Manufactures & Commerce Educator of the Year Award.

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  Alicia Grunow

  Co-Founder and Improvement Specialist, Improvement Collective; Senior Fellow, Networked Improvement Science, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Alicia Grunow

  Co-Founder and Improvement Specialist, Improvement Collective; Senior Fellow, Networked Improvement Science, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Alicia Grunow is an educational improvement expert, specializing in how to apply the science of improvement to help teams, organizations, and networks reach their improvement goals. Alicia started her career as a bilingual teacher in Denver Public Schools and then in New York City, working to improve outcomes for students that speak a language other than English. Through this work she discovered a passion for redesigning systems to better meet the needs of students. She pursued a specialization in improvement science and has spent the past seven years adapting these methodologies for education at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, where she coauthored the seminal book on the topic—Learning to Improve: How America’s Schools Can Get Better at Getting Better.

  Alicia remains senior fellow at the Carnegie Foundation and recently co-founded the Improvement Collective, a partnership dedicated to helping organizations to build their improvement capacity in order to solve important problems in education and the broader social sector. She holds a BA in psychology from Reed College, an Improvement Advisor certificate from the Institute from Healthcare Improvement, and a master’s degree in economics and PhD in education from Stanford University.

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  Sarah Gudenkauf

  Educational Consultant, Catalyst @ Penn GSE

  Sarah Gudenkauf

  Educational Consultant, Catalyst @ Penn GSE

  Sarah Gudenkauf is an Educational Consultant who supports organizations with academic and improvement initiatives. Prior to her current role, she was a Research Assistant at Catalyst @ Penn GSE where she convened and co-led multiple continuous improvement communities. She has worked in school systems at the school and district level as a curriculum director, a science coordinator, assistant principal, and middle and high school science teacher. Gudenkauf holds a B.S. in Animal Behavior from Bucknell University and an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Lamar University. She is currently working toward an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.  

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  Elise Guest

  Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Missoula County Public Schools

  Elise Guest

  Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Missoula County Public Schools

  As the Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Missoula County Public Schools, Elise M. Guest is committed to leading the educational community with integrity and collaboration by creating positive and successful academic and social education experiences for all students, families, and staff. Her career spans across the globe from beginning as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi to teaching students with special needs in South Africa to serving as a High School Vice Principal in Oregon and an Elementary School Principal in Singapore. From the University of Oregon, Guest holds a B.A. in English, a B.A. in French, an M.Ed. in Special Education, and an Ed.D. in Education, Methodology, Policy and Leadership.  

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  Michael Hanson

  Former Superintendent, Fresno Unified School District; Senior Fellow, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Michael Hanson

  Former Superintendent, Fresno Unified School District; Senior Fellow, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Mike Hanson is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. He is the former superintendent of the third largest urban school district in California, and co-founder and inaugural president of CORE, a nonprofit organization that seeks to improve student achievement by fostering highly productive, meaningful collaboration and learning between California’s largest school districts. Mike currently serves on the Board of Valley Children’s Healthcare System where he chairs the compensation committee.

  Prior to his 12-year tenure as superintendent, Mike served in many roles as a public educator in both New York and California, including deputy superintendent, high school principal, social science teacher and coach.

  His work has focused on teacher, school and district improvement through building capacity in others, systems knowledge, formalized collaborative relationships and improved governance. His work in continuous improvement focuses on issues of equity and access. Areas of demonstrated expertise are improved student achievement, improved behavior of students, increased diversity of high-quality human capital, and leadership development. His interests include strategic creation and use of data systems as well as supports for public school employees. Mike is a California native who lives in Sacramento with his wife, Julie. They laugh constantly with their three children.

• 

  Benjamin Hargrave

  Principal, Estacada School District, Oregon

  Benjamin Hargrave

  Principal, Estacada School District, Oregon

  Benjamin Hargrave is the Principal at Estacada Middle School in Estacada, OR. As an educational leader, he follows evidence-based leadership strategies to strengthen staff capacity when practicing DuFour Model PLCs, supporting the inclusion of all learners, implementing restorative discipline practices, and developing the school’s intervention models.  Hargrave holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Dickinson College and a Master’s degree in Educational Administration from Lewis & Clark College. 

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  Betsy Hargrove

  Superintendent, Avondale Elementary School District

  Betsy Hargrove

  Superintendent, Avondale Elementary School District

  Dr. Betsy Hargrove, Superintendent of the Avondale Elementary School District, engages in the continuous improvement by implementing and monitoring the achievement of district goals and mission for every child to grow as a thinker, problem solver and communicator to pursue a future without limits. Ensuring this mission is reached, Dr. Hargrove and her team actively seek opportunities to build relationships with community stakeholders, business people and civic leaders to make connections within the district and school sites.

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  Chris Hartley

  Deputy Executive Director, California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)

  Chris Hartley

  Deputy Executive Director, California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE)
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  Mandy Harvell

  Instructional Coach, Ritenour School District

  Mandy Harvell

  Instructional Coach, Ritenour School District

  Mandy Harvell is an Instructional Coach for Ritenour (MO) School District focused on secondary mathematics. Previously, she taught middle school mathematics in Illinois and Missouri. In recent years, she has presented at NCTM conferences in Orlando, Kansas City, and Seattle, and co-developed Math Camp for Teachers, a two-day professional development opportunity that provides teachers with hands-on rich task experiences and practice implementing high quality discourse in their mathematics classrooms.  

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  Heidi Hata

  Director, SELPA System Improvement Leads, El Dorado County Office of Education

  Heidi Hata

  Director, SELPA System Improvement Leads, El Dorado County Office of Education
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  Susan Haynes

  Partner Success Manager, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Susan Haynes

  Partner Success Manager, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Susan Haynes is the partner success manager for the Carnegie Foundation’s collaborative technology team. She provides product development support, partnership management, and technical assistance for various products and platforms developed by Carnegie for faculty and community partners. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2016, she worked as a legal and policy assistant in the Silicon Valley’s tech sector, specializing in print and digital copyrights. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Stanford University, where she specialized in creative writing and Shakespearean studies.

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  LaRena Heath

  Associate, Networked Improvement Science; Director, Professional Education Offerings, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  LaRena Heath

  Associate, Networked Improvement Science; Director, Professional Education Offerings, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  LaRena is an associate in the networked improvement science group as well as the director of professional education offerings. She joined the Foundation in 2018 as a networked improvement science fellow. Most recently, LaRena was Senior Manager of Content and Instruction at Actively Learn, an online literacy platform. Her work focused on creating instructional resources and delivering professional development to teachers and administrators emphasizing evidence-based practices for critical reading, formative assessment, and scaffolding.

  LaRena started her career at American Institutes for Research and worked on numerous projects investigating factors that led to success in high-performing, high-need schools. Inspired by the dedicated teachers she met through this work, LaRena spent the next several years teaching in San Jose, CA and Brookline, MA where she enjoyed designing project-based units that supported the needs of diverse learners. As a teacher leader, LaRena facilitated grade-level teams in data analysis and developed intervention plans to support ELLs and struggling students. She also served as an instructional technology coach where she helped teachers throughout her district effectively utilize digital tools in their classrooms.

  LaRena earned a bachelor’s degree in public policy and a master’s degree in education from Stanford University.

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  Erin Henrick

  President, Partner to Improve

  Erin Henrick

  President, Partner to Improve

  Dr. Henrick, President of Partner to Improve, is an education researcher, evaluator, professional development provider, speaker, and author. Dr. Henrick is a professional development facilitator for the Research+Practice Collaboratory and has facilitated over seven National Science Foundation CSforALL workshops, supporting teams of researchers and education practitioners to develop high functioning research-practice partnerships aimed at ensuring that all students in the United States have access to high quality computer science education. Dr. Henrick has facilitated sessions for the Education Leadership Institute at Union University, focused on developing school leaders’ capacities to use continuous improvement methodologies and view improvement as an organizational issue that requires improvement across multiple layers of a system. Dr. Henrick has also served as faculty for the Governor’s Academy for School Leadership at Vanderbilt University, leading sessions on parental engagement, improving instruction at scale, and improvement science. Dr. Henrick also provides school improvement consulting services, and most recently has consulted with The Webb School, a private boarding college preparatory school in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. She also conducted an ½ day seminar for high school principals in Denmark on system-wide instructional improvement and was the invited speaker for a professional development retreat for over 150 teachers from the Silkeborg high school, the largest high school in Denmark.

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  Kimberly Hinton

  Leadership Coach, University of Chicago, Network for College Success

  Kimberly Hinton

  Leadership Coach, University of Chicago, Network for College Success

  Kimberly Hinton joined the Network for College Success in 2018 as a Leadership Coach. She partners with and supports school leaders in dismantling and disrupting inequities using data, research, continuous improvement, and radical love for self and others. Prior to joining NCS, she taught and held various leadership positions for 15 years in Chicago Public Schools. Hinton holds a B.A. in Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago, an M.Ed. from Governors State University, and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership with a concentration in Higher Education from Argosy University.  

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  Paige Hoffman

  Deputy Chief, School Improvement, District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS)

  Paige Hoffman

  Deputy Chief, School Improvement, District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS)

  Paige has loved DC Public Schools since she started as Pre-Kindergarten student at Bunker Hill Elementary School. In her role as Deputy Chief, School Improvement, Paige works with school communities across the city to support their school transformation work, through equity programming for staff and students, community-led redesigns, Connected Schools, and Comprehensive School Planning. She is driven by a desire to create opportunities that empower school communities to dream big and boldly, learn from failure, and continuously improve to ensure all students are prepared to succeed. Paige lives in the Shaw neighborhood with her husband, toddler, and cat, Missy.

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  Jill Hoogendyk

  Chief of Staff, San Francisco Unified School District

  Jill Hoogendyk

  Chief of Staff, San Francisco Unified School District

  Jill Hoogendyk is the Chief of Staff for the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD). In her 10 years in SFUSD, she has held the positions of Chief Academic Officer, Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction, and the Director of State and Federal Programs. Previously, she worked in the Hayward Unified School District as the Director of State and Federal Programs and as a Site Administrator at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. She also taught elementary school in Hayward and middle school in Houston, Texas. Hoogendyk has a master’s degree in Education Administrator from Stanford University. 

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  Gregory Imhoff

  New Faculty Instructional Coach, Missoula County Public Schools

  Gregory Imhoff

  New Faculty Instructional Coach, Missoula County Public Schools

  Greg Imhoff is a New Faculty Instructional Coach for the Missoula County Public School District who specializes in working with first- through third-year teachers. During his 26 years in public education, he has taught grades 2 through 8; served as the Teachers’ Union President; and coached basketball, baseball, soccer, and track.  Imhoff holds a B.A. in Elementary Education from Michigan State University, an M.Ed. from the University of Washington and is currently a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership at the University of Montana. 

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  David Imig

  Professor of Practice, College of Education, University of Maryland; Senior Fellow, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  David Imig

  Professor of Practice, College of Education, University of Maryland; Senior Fellow, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  David Imig, PhD, is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and a Professor of the Practice in the College of Education at the University of Maryland. He teaches courses in teacher education policy and practice, school and teacher leadership. A founder of the Carnegie Project on Education Doctorate (CPED), a national organization of some 85 graduate schools of education, he is co-leading an effort at Maryland to transform doctoral education to focus on “expectations, outcomes and achievements” of four professional cohorts of EdD students in large metropolitan school districts in areas surrounding the campus.

  Prior to coming to College Park in 2006, Imig was the president and chief executive officer for the Washington, DC-based American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) for twenty-five years. He was awarded emeritus status upon his retirement from AACTE. Imig has also served as chair of the NCATE executive committee, the National Policy Board for Educational Administration and the Forum for Education Organization Leaders, as well as the National Society for the Study of Education. He has conducted program reviews and served on numerous college and university advisory committees in the US and abroad. He holds a lifetime achievement award from the UK-based Universities Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET).

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  Zachary Jaffe

  Literacy Coordinator for Continuous Improvement, Baltimore City Public Schools

  Zachary Jaffe

  Literacy Coordinator for Continuous Improvement, Baltimore City Public Schools

  Zachary Jaffe has been a literacy educator in Baltimore City Public Schools for 19 years. He currently is the Coordinator of Continuous Improvement for Blueprint Literacy. Previously, he was a Blueprint Literacy Coach for three years and a high school English teacher for 15 years. Jaffe has a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Amherst College and a master’s degree in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University. 

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  Amy James

  Educational Recovery Leader, Kentucky Department of Education

  Amy James

  Educational Recovery Leader, Kentucky Department of Education

  With a focus on curriculum and instruction, Amy James has worked as a science teacher, an instructional coach, a curriculum developer, an educational consultant and master trainer, and, as an Education Recovery Leader with the Kentucky Department of Education. In these roles, she has worked to support the education of all students as autonomous thinkers, bold innovators, and empathetic collaborators. James works to build teacher capacity by building a culture of thinking and investing in educators to find their voice as designers, as transformational leaders, and as improvement scientists. 

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  Emily Jaskowski

  Middle School ELA Teacher and Fellow for Fluency, Baltimore City Public Schools

  Emily Jaskowski

  Middle School ELA Teacher and Fellow for Fluency, Baltimore City Public Schools
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  Beverley Jenkins

  Project Coordinator, SELPA System Improvement Leads, El Dorado County Office of Education

  Beverley Jenkins

  Project Coordinator, SELPA System Improvement Leads, El Dorado County Office of Education
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  Angela Jerabek

  Founder & Executive Director, BARR Center

  Angela Jerabek

  Founder & Executive Director, BARR Center

  Angela Jerabek is the founder and executive director of BARR Center. She developed the BARR model 20 years ago and has expanded it from one school in the Midwest to more than 200 schools throughout the U.S. that serve more than 200,000 students. She has published five books, several op-eds and articles, and has been featured in USA Today, National Public Radio, and CNBC. She presented at the White House’s “Evidence in Education Roundtable” in 2016 and at several International Education events. Jerabek holds a B.A. in. Education and Music from the College of Saint Benedict and an M.S. in Psychology from St. Cloud State University.

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  Derek Jones

  Vice President of School Support, New Visions for Public Schools

  Derek Jones

  Vice President of School Support, New Visions for Public Schools

  Derek Jones joined New Visions for Public Schools in 2012 and, as the Vice President of School Support, is responsible for guiding the instructional and operations support of its network of 70 district schools. He manages the organization’s relationship with the NYC Department of Education and leads the support of its schools and initiatives. Jones also leads the organizational efforts related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism. Previously, he worked for the NYCDOE as the founding principal of Excelsior Preparatory High School in Queens for six years and as a deputy network leader responsible for overseeing leadership, professional development, and youth development for 31 schools.  Jones holds a B.A. in Political Science And Government From City College Of New York, An M.S. In Multicultural education from the College of Mount Saint Vincent, and an M.S. in Educational Leadership from Baruch College. 

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  Rebekah Kang

  Assistant Principal, UCLA Community School

  Rebekah Kang

  Assistant Principal, UCLA Community School

  Rebekah M. Kang is the Assistant Principal and one of the Founding Teachers of the Robert F. Kennedy UCLA Community School. She has led the school’s efforts to embed improvement science principles and tools in efforts to support professional learning and collective leadership at the school. She is a National Board Certified Teacher, a UCLA Writing Project Fellow, the Teacher-Powered Schools LA Lead, and the School Leadership Fellow for UCLA Center for Community Schooling.

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  John Kania

  Executive Director, Collective Change Lab

  John Kania

  Executive Director, Collective Change Lab

  A visionary social sector leader with a passion for inspiring and empowering others to create change, John recently launched the Collective Change Lab, a nonprofit seeking to increase the use of transformational change practices in mainstream social and environmental problem solving. Prior to founding the Collective Change Lab, John was an Executive-in-Residence for two years at venture philanthropy New Profit, where he co-led the launch of a systems change practice. From 2001 to 2018, John built and ran FSG, a social sector consulting firm and think tank. As Board member and Global Managing Director at FSG, John focused on inspiring FSG’s Leadership Team, consultants, and operations staff to achieve excellence in their work, leading strategic initiatives incorporating equity and systems thinking into FSG’s culture and strategic perspective. John has led dozens of strategic planning and evaluation efforts for foundations, nonprofits, and corporations. He has significant experience in education, economic and community development, health care, and the environment. John is a co-author of the ground-breaking Stanford Social Innovation Review articles “Collective Impact,” and “The Dawn of System Leadership,” as well as “The Water of Systems Change,” among other works. John continues to serve on the FSG Board of Directors. He is also Board Chair for the Full Frame Initiative.

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  Jennifer Karnopp

  Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Leadership, College of Education, San Diego State University

  Jennifer Karnopp

  Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Leadership, College of Education, San Diego State University

  Dr. Jennifer Karnopp is Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at San Diego State University. She works with practitioners, researchers and students to better understand how to shape an educational system so that all students can experience a high quality and meaningful education. Her research explores the intersection of leadership practice and organizational change for more equitable and inclusive educational systems. Having been a classroom teacher and school principal in a rural area, Dr. Karnopp is particularly interested in how organizational structures, routines and resource-access influence reform implementation; how local context shapes change processes; and inter-organizational approaches to change. She has supported two large school districts and one multinational organization in their efforts to implement a networked improvement community.

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  Steve Kellner

  Director of Program Sustainability & Growth, California Education Partners

  Steve Kellner

  Director of Program Sustainability & Growth, California Education Partners

  Steve serves as the Director of Program Sustainability and Growth where he develops and delivers a clear external communications strategy that supports the recruitment of districts and funders while informing other external stakeholders about the organization’s work. Additionally, he works directly with superintendents to provide coaching, support and coherence. Over his 25 years in public education Steve has served as a classroom teacher, site and district administrator and superintendent. Under Steve’s leadership the West Sonoma Union High School District was recognized as one of the top 100 districts in California. Steve earned a Doctorate in Educational Administration and Supervision from Loyola University Chicago where he researched the impact of superintendent leadership on student achievement. Throughout his career Steve has seen the transformative power of college access. He has worked to close achievement gaps and open doors for first generation college students at every opportunity.

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  Edit Khachatryan

  Founder and Principal Consultant, Sovoroom: Carnegie National Faculty, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Edit Khachatryan

  Founder and Principal Consultant, Sovoroom: Carnegie National Faculty, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Edit Khachatryan is an improvement facilitator, researcher, and educator with a mission to create lasting educational improvements by facilitating and strengthening collaborative learning among educators. Edit started her career as a high school teacher, and cares deeply about strengthening the teaching profession and ensuring that educators have the collaboration time, necessary supports and resources, and authentic professional development opportunities. The desire to understand how to do this well led her out of the classroom to engage in federal policy at the U.S. Department of Education as a Teaching Ambassador Fellow, then to earn her doctorate from Stanford University. Edit’s scholarly work has focused on feedback on teaching from classroom observations, teacher professional development, teacher and district leadership development, and improvement coaching. Most recently, Edit co-authored an article with Emma Parkerson on how to organize the social dimensions of school improvement in Kappan magazine.

  In order to truly address educational disparities and ensure sustainable change for our most vulnerable students, Edit believes that we must invest in accessing and utilizing both research and practitioner expertise within our system. She recently founded Sovoroom, an organization committed to supporting continuous improvement through professional development, research, and strategy development. Edit holds a B.A. in sociology, two master’s degrees and teaching and administrative credentials from UCLA, and a Ph.D. in curriculum and teacher education from Stanford University.

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  Jennifer Kim

  Instructional Continuous Improvement Coach, New Visions for Public Schools

  Jennifer Kim

  Instructional Continuous Improvement Coach, New Visions for Public Schools

  Jennifer Kim supports school teams in the Instructional Network for School Improvement with mathematics curriculum adoption and continuous improvement cycles in order to improve academic outcomes for Black and Latinx students, as well as students from low-income households, with a focus on 9th-grade success. She has also collaboratively developed an inquiry-based curriculum aligned to the NYS Mathematics Learning Standards and Instructional Routines that fosters student mathematical practices. Before joining New Visions in 2013, she worked as a middle and high school mathematics teacher and instructional coach for preservice and in-service educators. Kim holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Barnard College and a master’s degree in Secondary Education from Loyola Marymount University. 

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  Ayeola Kinlaw

  Consultant, Center for Public Research and Leadership

  Ayeola Kinlaw

  Consultant, Center for Public Research and Leadership

  Ayeola Kinlaw is a Project Director at CPRL. She provides research, organizational strategy and development, and philanthropic advising services to nonprofit organizations and foundations. At CPRL, she has developed strategic plans and measurement frameworks, designed and conducted a formative evaluation of improvement networks, and facilitated trainings on evolutionary learning. Prior to launching her consulting practice, Ayeola served as a Senior Program Officer at the Wallace Foundation. Where she focused on school and district leadership. She was also the Founding Director of the 100Kin10 Funders’ Collaborative where she supported the strategic philanthropy of more than 34 national, regional, and corporate funders. Kinlaw has a B.A. from Duke University in Biological Anthropology and Anatomy and an Ed.M. from Harvard Graduate School of Education in Education Policy and Management.

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  Megan Kizer

  Supervising Improvement Partner, Partners in School Innovation

  Megan Kizer

  Supervising Improvement Partner, Partners in School Innovation

  Megan Kizer is the Supervising Improvement Partner for Partners in School Innovation. She began her career in education as an English teacher for Kalamazoo Public Schools. Kizer holds a B.A. in English and Spanish from Western Michigan University and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from Grand Canyon University. 

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  Rachel Klein

  Partner, Strategic Initiatives

  Rachel Klein

  Partner, Strategic Initiatives
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  Madison Knapp

  Senior Manager, Strategic Partnerships, Colorado Succeeds

  Madison Knapp

  Senior Manager, Strategic Partnerships, Colorado Succeeds

  Madison Knapp is a Senior Strategic Partnerships Manager at Colorado Succeeds, overseeing strategic partnerships and special projects such as the Homegrown Talent Initiative. Her expertise in grant writing, project management, and stakeholder engagement supports the entire organization in achieving its mission. Previously, she supported the development team at PACER Center—an information and advocacy nonprofit serving children and youth with disabilities and their families—and the National Bullying Prevention Center.  

  Knapp holds a bachelor’s degree in Community and Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and master’s degrees in Business Administration and Nonprofit Management from Hamline University in St. Paul, MN. 

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  Jim Kohlmoos

  Partner, Edge Consulting; Senior Fellow, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Jim Kohlmoos

  Partner, Edge Consulting; Senior Fellow, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Jim Kohlmoos is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, co-founder and partner of EDGE Consulting LLC, and a senior advisor to the National Network of Education Research-Practice Partnerships. With more than four decades of experience in education leadership, Kohlmoos supports new innovative approaches in policy development, organizational management, research and development, marketing, and evaluation. Prior to founding EDGE, Kohlmoos was executive director of the National Association of State Boards of Education, a non-partisan non-profit membership association dedicated to serving and strengthening State Boards of Education. From 2001-2012, he was the president and CEO of Knowledge Alliance, a nonpartisan nonprofit trade association in Washington, D.C. dedicated to the effective use of research-based knowledge in education policy and practice. Prior to joining the Alliance, Kohlmoos was vice president of The Implementation Group. From 1993 to 2000 Kohlmoos served at the U.S. Department of Education as both deputy assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education and as senior adviser and special assistant. He also served on the presidential transition team in 1992. A graduate of Stanford University, Kohlmoos started his career in education with the U.S. Teacher Corps in Salinas, CA, and subsequently served two years in the U.S. Peace Corps in Malaysia as a professional development specialist.

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  James Korndorffer, Jr.

  Assistant Professor and Vice Chair of Education, Department of Surgery, Stanford University

  James Korndorffer, Jr.

  Assistant Professor and Vice Chair of Education, Department of Surgery, Stanford University

  Dr. James R. Korndorffer, Jr. MD MHPE FACS is Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Education in the Department of Surgery at Stanford University.  He is actively involved in numerous national societies, such as the American College of Surgeons, the Society for Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, the Association for Surgical Education, and the Association for Program Directors in Surgery. He was inducted as a member in the Academy of Master Surgeon Educators in 2021. Dr. Korndorffer has published extensively, including more than 80 papers in peer-reviewed journals, and has over 120 presentations at national meetings. His research interests include surgical education, surgical simulation, trainee assessment, and patient care quality. His clinical interests include minimally invasive surgery for gastrointestinal disorders and hernias. Dr. Korndorffer holds a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Tulane University, a medical degree from the University of South Florida College of Medicine, and a master’s degree in Health Professions Education from the University of Illinois Chicago. 

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  Uma Kotagal

  Senior Executive Leader, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center; Senior Fellow, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Uma Kotagal

  Senior Executive Leader, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center; Senior Fellow, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Dr. Uma Raman Kotagal currently serves as the Executive Lead for Community and Population Health at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Medical Center and Professor of Pediatrics Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Cincinnati. A neonatologist and Health Services Researcher by training, Dr Kotagal previously served as Senior Vice President for Quality Safety, and Transformation at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Executive Director of the James .M. Anderson Center for Health Systems Excellence. Dr. Kotagal has been a pioneer in the application of System Science to improve outcomes in health care delivery across the world with the goal of dramatically changing medical and quality of life outcomes, patient and family experience, and value Dr. Kotagal directed the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Pursuing Perfection initiative at Cincinnati Children’s. As a result of Dr. Kotagal’s endeavors, Cincinnati Children’s has received several prestigious national and international awards for their efforts to transform health care delivery. Dr. Kotagal is a Senior Fellow of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, serves on the Board of the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association and Chairs the Quality Improvement Committee of the Children’s Hospital association. She has served on the Advisory Committee of the Toronto Patient Safety Center, and as Associate Editor of BMJ Quality and Safety. Dr. Kotagal is a member of the Institute of Medicine and is a recipient of the Prestigious Daniel Drake medal from the UC college of Medicine, Dr. Kotagal holds a MS in Epidemiology from Harvard University-School of Public Health, and an MBBS and a Bachelors of Medicine, Surgery from Grant Medical College in Mumbai, India.

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  Andy Krumm

  Assistant Professor of Learning Health Sciences; Assistant Professor of Information, University of Michigan

  Andy Krumm

  Assistant Professor of Learning Health Sciences; Assistant Professor of Information, University of Michigan

  Andrew Krumm is an Assistant Professor in the Medical School, Assistant Professor in the School of Information, and Affiliated Faculty with the Michigan Institute for Data Science (MIDAS) at the University of Michigan. His research focuses on data-intensive quality improvement. Prior to joining the Department of Learning Health Sciences at U of M, he was the Director of Learning Analytics Research at Digital Promise and a Senior Education Researcher in the Center for Technology in Learning at SRI International where he directed the Improvement Analytics group. At both organizations, Andrew developed data-intensive research-practice partnerships with educational organizations of all types.

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  Katie LaPointe

  K-5 New Faculty Mentor Program Instructional Coach, Missoula County Public Schools

  Katie LaPointe

  K-5 New Faculty Mentor Program Instructional Coach, Missoula County Public Schools

  Katie LaPointe is a New Faculty Instructional Coach for Missoula (MT) County Public School District. Prior to working at the district level, she taught 3rd grade and provided mental health support as a Behavior Specialist at one of Missoula’s nine elementary schools. She began her career in New England as the Director of a truancy alternative program for middle and high school students. LaPointe holds a B.A. in Elementary Education and Psychology from Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, VT and is currently working toward an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from the University of Montana.  

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  Robin Largue

  Director of Operations and Leader Coach, Huron Studer Education

  Robin Largue

  Director of Operations and Leader Coach, Huron Studer Education

  Robin Largue is the cofounder and lead educational specialist for Huron Studer Education. With more than 30 years of education industry experience in secondary and higher education, she specializes in assisting school districts with implementing Evidence-Based LeadershipSM principles to create cultures of excellence and accountability in education. Previously, Largue worked as a high school history teacher, Assistant Principal at Escambia High School and Principal of Pine Forest High School in Pensacola, and Lead for the educational leadership program at the University of West Florida. She also cocreated the first pilot program for TeacherReady, an online alternative certification program. Largue holds a B.S. in Secondary History and Mathematics from the University of Alabama, an M.A.T. in American History from the University of West Florida, and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Florida State University. 

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  Katie Laskasky

  Program Manager, CORE

  Katie Laskasky

  Program Manager, CORE

  Katie Laskasky works to collaboratively develop and support implementation of CORE’s professional learning and coaching model with schools and districts to include developing teacher capacity in instructional decision‐making and integrating job‐embedded curriculum implementation support. Katie also revises CORE’s professional learning curriculum to deepen teacher pedagogical content knowledge in providing math instruction aligned to the CA Mathematics Framework. Before joining CORE in 2021, she was a high school math teacher and, as clinical faculty, worked to design and implement a math instructional program, a K-12 teacher leadership program, and an innovative problem solving approach that fosters a teacher team’s collective efficacy and individual teacher agency. Katie holds a bachelor’s degree in business and mathematics from the University of Notre Dame, a master’s degree in Secondary Education from Loyola Marymount University, and a doctoral degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Loyola University Chicago.

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  Gina Le

  Special Educator, Baltimore City Public Schools

  Gina Le

  Special Educator, Baltimore City Public Schools

  Gina Le is a special educator at Academy for College & Career Exploration (ACCE) in Baltimore, MD. She is a former Hollyhock Teaching and Leading Fellow at Stanford University. She began her teaching career in 2013 as a founding teacher at a charter school in Brooklyn, NY and taught English courses across the spectrum of general education, integrated co-teaching, Pre-AP, AP, and Honors. She later earned an additional certification in Special Education from Brooklyn College and was a mentor to new special education teachers in a teacher residency program. She also worked with Girls for Gender Equity, where she facilitated after-school programs through the lens of social consciousness and youth empowerment. Gina holds dual degrees in English and Psychology from Ohio State University and a Master of Arts in English Education from Columbia University. Gina’s pedagogy is rooted in literacy as liberation and equitable access for all learners.

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  Paul LeMahieu

  Senior Vice President, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Paul LeMahieu

  Senior Vice President, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Paul LeMahieu is the senior vice president of the Carnegie Foundation. Previously at Carnegie, he managed the Foundation’s programmatic work and directed the work of the Carnegie Hub, which supports the networks the Foundation convenes to engage problems of education practice in the field.

  LeMahieu came to Carnegie from the National Writing Project (NWP) at the University of California, Berkeley where he was director of research and evaluation. He has also served as superintendent of education for the state of Hawaiʻi, the only state in the nation that is a single unitary school district with operating and capital budgets totaling over $1.8 billion. He has held top educational research and policy positions for the state of Delaware and in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. He has a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, a master’s from Harvard University and a bachelor’s from Yale College.

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  Ashley Leonard

  Associate Director of the Middle Grades Network, UChicago's To&Through Project

  Ashley Leonard

  Associate Director of the Middle Grades Network, UChicago's To&Through Project

  Ashley N. Leonard is the Founding Associate Director of the To&Through Middle Grades Network (MGN), a cohort of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) dedicated to creating more equitable and supportive educational environments where middle grades students thrive. Prior to joining the MGN, she was the Executive Director for Spark in Chicago, a career exploration and self-discovery program that helps middle schoolers pursue what’s possible. Ashley’s diverse experience in education also includes special projects roles at the Chicago Public Education Fund and CPS. She holds a Masters of Education in Education Policy and Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Vassar College. Ashley is a proud alumna of the 2017 Surge Institute Fellowship and is eager to see how her new role as mom deepens her commitment to the field.

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  Tarima Levine

  Senior Director of Content Development, Bank Street College of Education

  Tarima Levine

  Senior Director of Content Development, Bank Street College of Education

  Tarima Levine, the Senior Director of Content Development at the Bank Street Education Center, is responsible for overseeing, researching, and designing high-quality professional learning content aligned to the Bank Street approach to improve district-wide systems and instructional practices. In her role on the YPS NSI and BKS NSI teams, she is responsible for developing and building network capacity around core content including continuous improvement processes, equity-oriented systems and instruction, and high-quality developmentally meaningful practice. Tarima has developed and overseen professional learning creation across a wide range of the Education Center’s school system partnerships including the NY Network, Newark Public Schools, the New York City Department of Education, Providence Public Schools, New Haven Public Schools, and Cleveland Public Schools. Tarima holds a B.A. from Barnard College and M.S. Ed from Bank Street College of Education.

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  Angel Li

  Associate, Evidence & Analytics, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Angel Li

  Associate, Evidence & Analytics, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Angel Li joined the Foundation as an associate in the evidence and analytics group in 2020. Prior to joining the Foundation, Li 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 leveraged her expertise in quantitative and qualitative research, as well as training in liberatory design and networked improvement science to support network initiation and progress monitoring. She is interested in studying how an equity X design X networked improvement model can be applied at the classroom, school, network, and district level.

  Li earned a B.A. in psychology from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Hong Kong. Reflecting the cross-disciplinary nature of her work, she holds publications in education, communication, psychology, and sociology.

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  Abbey Loehr

  Research Director, Institute for School Partnership, Washington University in St. Louis

  Abbey Loehr

  Research Director, Institute for School Partnership, Washington University in St. Louis

  Abbey Loehr is the Research Director at the Institute for School Partnership at Washington University in St. Louis. She works with collaborative teams of researchers and practitioners to improve STEM education and address inequities in K–12 schools located in the greater St. Louis region. She is currently working with interdisciplinary district teams to support mathematics teachers’ use of ambitious and equitable teaching practices using the disciplined approach of improvement science and strengths-based positive change. Loehr holds a B.A. in Psychology from Purdue University and a Ph.D. in Cognitive Developmental Psychology from Vanderbilt University.

• 

  Iris Lopez

  Senior Improvement Coach, CORE Districts

  Iris Lopez

  Senior Improvement Coach, CORE Districts

  Iris is a Senior Improvement Coach at CORE Districts for their 9th Grade Breakthrough Success Community (BTSC) in LA and Long Beach schools. In her role, Iris focuses on collaborating with school teams to improve 9th grade on-track rates. Iris worked at Summit Public Schools prior to joining CORE as a founding teacher for the network’s second East Bay area school that opened in 2016. During her time at Summit, Iris also led site staff in adopting quality improvement methodologies to address school-specific and network-level equity challenges, such as disproportionate suspension rates and opportunity gaps between emergent bilinguals and their peers. Iris first developed her passion for improvement science at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a Post-Baccalaureate Fellow. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Harvard University and obtained her Single-Subject English Credential and M.A. in Education at UC Berkeley following her time at Carnegie.

• 

  Peter Lorinser

  Senior Network Engagement Specialist, Connecticut RISE Network

  Peter Lorinser

  Senior Network Engagement Specialist, Connecticut RISE Network
• 

  Jennifer Nebelsick Lowery

  Superintendent, Tea Area School District, South Dakota

  Jennifer Nebelsick Lowery

  Superintendent, Tea Area School District, South Dakota
• 

  Maritza Lozano

  Assistant Professor, California State University, Fullerton

  Maritza Lozano

  Assistant Professor, California State University, Fullerton
• 

  Roger Macdonald

  Superintendent, Northern Humboldt Union High School District

  Roger Macdonald

  Superintendent, Northern Humboldt Union High School District
• 

  Tara Madden

  Chief Program Officer, Talent Development Secondary

  Tara Madden

  Chief Program Officer, Talent Development Secondary
• 

  Tom Malarkey

  Director, National Equity Project

  Tom Malarkey

  Director, National Equity Project
• 

  Jon Malone

  CEO, Executive Director, Northwestern Illinois Association

  Jon Malone

  CEO, Executive Director, Northwestern Illinois Association

  Jon Malone is the Director and CEO of the Northwestern Illinois Association (NIA), a regional education cooperative that assists Illinois school districts in providing special education services to their students. For six consecutive years, NIA has earned Employee Engagement and Customer Satisfaction results in the 90th–100th percentile range when benchmarked alongside other school districts and education service organizations. Malone holds a B.S. in Special Education and Teaching from Western Illinois University and an M.S. in Educational Administration from National Louis University.

• 

  Jojo Manai

  Senior Associate, Managing Director, Collaborative Technology, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Jojo Manai

  Senior Associate, Managing Director, Collaborative Technology, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Jojo Manai is a senior associate managing director for collaborative technology at the Carnegie Foundation. He leads the technical team to provide Foundation-wide support for a variety of technology, including the development and administration of an information infrastructure for the Carnegie Foundation’s Design, Development & Improvement Research work, as well as the development of technology solutions for a wide range of collaboration tools to facilitate the work of Carnegie’s programs. Before coming to the Carnegie Foundation, Jojo was a search technical lead & project manager at Yahoo! where he supported rich results direct display, query pattern mining, intent analysis and impact prediction. He holds degrees in computer science and information technology from the Faculté des Sciences Economiques et de Gestion – Sfax University. In the summer of 2005 he was awarded The UC Davis Citations for Excellence and Achievement Award, as an acknowledgment of his achievements and quality of work at the University of California Davis.

• 

  Ed Manansala

  Superintendent, El Dorado County Office of Education

  Ed Manansala

  Superintendent, El Dorado County Office of Education

  Ed Manansala serves as the County Superintendent of Schools for El Dorado County, CA. His tenure has been marked by strong collaboration with leaders to increase achievement, equity, and the successful implementation of the California Statewide System of Support for all schools. He began his career addressing systemic barriers to learning with Sacramento City Unified School District. During his tenure as the Principal of Sacramento High School, it demonstrated significant academic growth, and the four-year college acceptance rate increased from 25% to 75%. He was the 2019 President of the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association, served on Governor Newsom’s Charter School Task Force, and is currently the Vice Chair of the State Board of Education’s California Practitioners Advisory Group. Manansala holds a B.A. in Business Administration and an M.S.W. in Health, School Counseling, and Social Work from California State University-Sacramento and an Ed.D, in Educational Leadership for the University of California at Davis.

• 

  JoDee Marcellin

  Director of District to District Programs, California Education Partners

  JoDee Marcellin

  Director of District to District Programs, California Education Partners

  JoDee Marcellin, Ed.D., grew up in the Bay Area and moved to Fresno in 1986 to attend California State University, Fresno, where she completed her undergraduate and graduate studies. JoDee’s 18-year educational career in Sanger Unified School District afforded her experiences in all levels of k–12, from high school science teacher to site and district leadership. Her own struggles as a student acted as a driving force in her work to improve instruction and educational systems to better meet students’ needs, especially those unsupported by the current structures. During JoDee’s k–12 tenure, she built a multifaceted background that provided her a unique opportunity to join the California Education Partners team. Ed Partners’ innovation, drive, and passion to facilitate success for all students are a match for JoDee’s own—allowing her to expand and deepen the amazing work she was blessed to be involved in at Sanger to a larger scale throughout California. Marcellin received a B.S. in Physical Education, an M.P.H. in Public Health, and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Fresno State.

• 

  Rebecca Martin

  Executive Director, National Association of System Heads

  Rebecca Martin

  Executive Director, National Association of System Heads

  “Rebecca Martin is the Executive Director of the National Association of System Heads, an association of chief executives of the college and university systems of public higher education in the United States. NASH has worked hard to form a network of presidents, chancellors, executive directors, and commissioners. Together, this group supports leaders and their peers in the unique roles they play.

  Rebecca served as Director of Higher Education and Senior Fellow at the Education Delivery Institute from 2010 to 2015. Before joining EDI, she served as Senior VP for Academic Affairs for the University of Wisconsin System. Prior to that, Rebecca was the Provost and Vice Chancellor at the University of Wisconsin – Parkside. She earned her doctorate in Public Administration from the University of Southern California, her master’s degree in Librarianship from San Jose State University, and her bachelor’s degree in educational psychology and history from the University of California-Santa Cruz.”

• 

  Landon Mascareñaz

  Vice President, Community Partnerships, Colorado Education Initiative

  Landon Mascareñaz

  Vice President, Community Partnerships, Colorado Education Initiative

  Landon Mascareñaz is the Vice President for Community Partnerships at The Colorado Education Initiative. In this role, he is responsible for district implementation work in the Denver Metro Area, Northeastern Colorado, and Southwestern Colorado. His projects include the Homegrown Talent Initiative (focused on rural economic development), Youth Connections (Social Emotional Development), and the launching of Equity Councils to drive community change. He also leads the organization’s efforts in rethinking accountability in Colorado. and its equity initiatives. In 2019, Mascareñaz was appointed by Governor Jared Polis to the state board for Community Colleges & Occupational Education.  He holds a B.A. in International Relations and Affairs from Lewis and Clark University and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Administration from Harvard University. 

• 

  Sarah May

  Developmental Evaluator, Partners in School Innovation

  Sarah May

  Developmental Evaluator, Partners in School Innovation

  Sarah May is a Developmental Evaluator at Partners in School Innovation, a nonprofit that supports educators in becoming change agents by building their capacity to transform their schools. She joined Partners in School Innovation in 2020 eager to embrace the tools of evaluation in service of disrupting inequity in our education system. Her previous work included analyzing data about elementary school recess and supporting program staff to make timely, data-informed programmatic adjustments as they implemented play-based school climate initiatives. Sarah received a B.A. in Psychology from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio and later earned an M.S. in Social Administration from the Mandel School at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. It was her grounding in social work that catalyzed her passion for systemic solutions that ensure all students can thrive regardless of background.

• 

  Ryan McBride

  Senior Program Officer, Shift

  Ryan McBride

  Senior Program Officer, Shift

  Ryan is a Senior Program Manager for Shift, an organization that specializes in improving outcomes in education, health, and social services. Prior to his current role, Ryan worked as a Continuous Improvement & College Access Coach for New Tech Network. He also served as College Planning Manager for the New York City Department of Education’s Office of Equity and Access where he helped manage the College Access for All Middle School Initiative, one of former NYC Mayor, Bill de Blasio’s Equity and Excellence Reform Initiatives. Previously he worked as Assistant Program Officer in the College Success Foundation’s Washington, D.C. office. Ryan has also worked at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor as an Academic Adviser, Community Outreach Coordinator, and as a College Adviser with the Michigan College Advising Corps. Ryan holds a bachelors in English and a masters in Higher Education from University of Michigan–Ann Arbor.

• 

  Kara McElvaine

  Senior Program Manager, Shift

  Kara McElvaine

  Senior Program Manager, Shift

  Kara McElvaine serves as the Senior Program Manager for Shift. She supports Shift’s continuous improvement work within their Education portfolio by building out theories of change and change packages for key issues, such as equitable grading and culturally responsive pedagogy and mathematics. McElvaine holds a B.A. in Anthropology and Art History from the College of William and Mary and an M.S. in Human Development and Family Sciences from Oregon State University, where she is currently working towards her Ph.D. 

• 

  Rohini McKee

  Associate Partner, Catalyst:Ed

  Rohini McKee

  Associate Partner, Catalyst:Ed

  As an Associate Partner at Catalyst:Ed, Rohini McKee manages the K–12 portfolio on the Strategic Initiatives team, which  includes working with improvement networks to build capacity, expanding the expert network to better serve organizations, and building the Catalyst:Ed community. Prior to joining Catalyst:Ed, she was a management consultant working with a variety of education organizations to establish and maintain continuous improvement practices, develop and implement strategic plans, and initiate and sustain strong data governance processes. McKee holds a B.A. in Political Science from the George Washington University and an M.P.P. from the Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California.  

• 

  Tania McKey

  Principal, Ockley Green Middle School, Portland Public Schools

  Tania McKey

  Principal, Ockley Green Middle School, Portland Public Schools

  Dr. Tania McKey brings 25 years of education experience to Ockley Green, with 15 years as an on-campus administrator, including seven years as a principal, in Dallas, Indianapolis and Alabama. She served the last two years as Senior Director of Humanities in the Portland Public Schools’ central office. In that role, she developed and implemented standards-based core curriculum for PK-12 English/Language Arts and History/Social Studies, as well as high school Ethnic Studies programs. She also supported the Dual Language Immersion, English as a Second Language and English Language Development programs

• 

  Sherry McLaughlin

  Deputy Director, Postsecondary Success, Connecticut RISE Network

  Sherry McLaughlin

  Deputy Director, Postsecondary Success, Connecticut RISE Network

  As Deputy Director of Postsecondary Success, Sherry McLaughlin leads a team of coaches who support educators in guiding students through the development and completion of postsecondary goals. The team focuses on data, resources and strategies to enhance the work of Counseling Departments and Administrative teams to ensure successful outcomes for all students. Sherry has been with the CT RISE Network for over a year, however is not new to the postsecondary world. After starting her career in the for-profit sector, Sherry transitioned into becoming a school counselor in Meriden, Connecticut; Sherry then became Director of School Counseling and was recognized as Connecticut School Counseling Supervisor of the Year. Sherry also served as a district leader in Meriden as Supervisor of Postsecondary Planning and Data Integration. While working in Meriden, Sherry was a key partner across the RISE Network in leading the design, launch, and refinement of Grade 9 summer bridge programs, Transition Specialist role, Grade 9 teams, CCR summer academies, college application/FAFSA campaign activities, and development of the Postsecondary Tracker. Sherry is an adjunct faculty member at Southern Connecticut State University in the Counseling and School Psychology Department and is a member of their advisory board. Sherry is the proud mother of three boys, Patrick (28), Michael (22) and Matthew (22) and when not working is spending time with her husband, Erin, and their two border collies in her home state of Maine.

• 

  Kelly McMahon

  Senior Associate, Evidence & Analytics, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Kelly McMahon

  Senior Associate, Evidence & Analytics, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Kelly is a senior associate in the evidence and analytics group. She joined the Foundation in 2018 as a networked improvement science fellow. Prior to joining Carnegie, Kelly was a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University, where she worked on the COHERE Project which investigates school districts’ efforts to create alignment and continuity in math instruction for Pre K-3 grades and the influence these initiatives have on students’ math learning. Kelly is particularly interested in the design and implementation of system-level reforms that promote continuous improvement of instruction and school quality. Using qualitative research methods, Kelly explored the effects of school accountability policies and networked school support structures.

  Kelly earned a Ph.D. in education administration and policy from the University of Michigan. She also has a masters in education administration, leadership and technology from NYU and a masters in English education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She worked as a high school English teacher at Stuyvesant High School in New York City, a teacher-educator at the University of Michigan, School of Education in Ann Arbor, and a business consultant at Arthur Anderson in Detroit and Chicago.

• 

  Sergio Mendoza

  Superintendent, Burton School District, CA

  Sergio Mendoza

  Superintendent, Burton School District, CA

  Sergio Mendoza has served as Superintendent since 2018 and has experience as a district level director in Porterville Unified School District and Burton Elementary School District since 2006.  Earlier in his career, Mendoza served as an instructional bilingual aide; tennis coach; Special Education teacher; PK-2 and high school resource teacher; Vice Principal of elementary, middle, and high school; and a district level director.  Mendoza holds a master’s degree in Education Administration from California State University, Fresno, as well as professional clear credentials in teaching and administration.

• 

  Amanda Meyer

  Senior Director of Improvement, CORE Districts

  Amanda Meyer

  Senior Director of Improvement, CORE Districts

  Amanda Meyer is a designer, facilitator, coach, and improvement advisor who builds educators’ capacity to leverage continuous improvement in service of high-quality learning experiences and outcomes for all students. Amanda is a cisgender, middle-class, able-bodied, white woman who interrogates her own privilege and positionality as she integrates improvement science, human-centered design, and an equity consciousness in her practice. In her work at CORE Districts, Amanda contributes to the strategic design, management, and facilitation of the Breakthrough Success Community, a 9th grade on-track improvement network. Prior to joining CORE, Amanda spent four years at the Carnegie Foundation, where she created improvement science learning experiences, including the EdX online course, “Improvement Science in Education,” taken by thousands of learners around the world. She began her career teaching high school English in San Antonio, and currently resides in Oakland with humility and reverence for its rich traditions in arts and activism.

• 

  Vivian Mihalakis

  Deputy Director, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

  Vivian Mihalakis

  Deputy Director, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

  Vivian Mihalakis is a Deputy Director with the K–12 team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She supports the foundation’s place-based delivery strategy which seeks to test, codify, and scale school improvement models that significantly increase the number of students who are Black, Latinx, and experiencing poverty who earn a high school diploma, enroll in a postsecondary institution, and are on track in their first year to obtain a credential with labor market value. Prior to joining the foundation, she was a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Learning (IFL) at the University of Pittsburgh where she led the English Language Arts product and professional development teams. During her tenure at IFL, Vivian partnered with public school districts across the country to provide professional learning and coaching for teachers, coaches, and administrators, in addition to developing ELA curriculum and performance assessments. Mihalakis holds a B.A. in English from Allegheny College, an M.Ed. in ELA Teacher Education from Lehigh University, and a Ph.D. in Instruction and Learning from the University of Pittsburgh.

• 

  Sarah Miller

  Director of Student Services and Partnership Development, TeacherReady, Huron Studer Education

  Sarah Miller

  Director of Student Services and Partnership Development, TeacherReady, Huron Studer Education

  As TeacherReady® Director of Students Services, Sarah Miller leads a team that strives to provide excellent service and a high-quality, rigorous program for each teacher candidate. She has served with the TeacherReady Teacher Certification Program for 11 years, which applies continuous improvement processes to meet the needs of students and successfully demonstrate their capabilities once employed. Previously, Miller taught elementary and secondary students, led special education teams, and earned a National Board Certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. A dedicated leader, she also helped establish the Baldwin County Transition Team and the first School to Work Program at Fairhope High School for special needs students. Miller holds a B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Southern Indiana, an M.A. in Mild Disabilities from the University of Evansville, and an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Diversity Studies from the University of West Florida. 

• 

  Edgar Montes

  Director, CARPE College Access Network, High Tech High Graduate School of Education

  Edgar Montes

  Director, CARPE College Access Network, High Tech High Graduate School of Education
• 

  Kyle Moyer

  Lead Improvement Advisor, Shift

  Kyle Moyer

  Lead Improvement Advisor, Shift

  Kyle is the Lead Improvement Advisor for Shift, joining in March 2022. He has been applying continuous improvement in educational contexts since his days as a classroom teacher over a decade ago. He has served a variety of roles over his career: a project/program manager, a curriculum and assessment designer, an instructional coach, and a technical assistance provider. The improvement effort he led at Summit was recognized with the Carnegie Spotlight in 2017. He has worked and lived abroad in Quito, Ecuador and Padang, Indonesia. After calling the San Francisco Bay Area home for over a decade, he now resides outside of Portland, Oregon. He holds a BA in math and physics from Northwestern University, an MA from the Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP), and a National Board Certification in mathematics instruction.

• 

  Cynthia Nambo

  Leadership Coach, University of Chicago, Network for College Success

  Cynthia Nambo

  Leadership Coach, University of Chicago, Network for College Success

  Cynthia C. Nambo, a Leadership Coach with the Network for College Success (NCS) at the University of Chicago. She leads a portfolio of five Chicago Public High Schools and two multi-disciplinary coaching teams. The areas of equity-centered coaching that she addresses are Freshman Success, Instruction, Postsecondary Success, Data, and Executive & Teacher Leadership. Nambo coaches high school principals, assistant principals, and their instructional leadership teams. A marked accomplishment was as Project Director leading a community and district partnership to open four small high school campus to serve predominantly Mexican and African American young people. Before coming to NCS, she was the founding principal of a social justice high school that reached adaptive and quantitative gains using competency and liberatory practices and systems. Nambo holds a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an M.A. in Urban Bilingual Teaching from Columbia College, and an M.A. in School Leadership from Northeastern Illinois University.

• 

  Kari Nelsestuen

  Co-Founder, Community Design Partners

  Kari Nelsestuen

  Co-Founder, Community Design Partners

  Kari Nelsestuen is the Co-Founder of Community Design Partners, where she serves as an improvement coach, researcher, and facilitator. In this role, she helps teams as they learn and practice the mindsets and tools of equity-centered continuous improvement and design thinking. Previously, her work focused on researching and evaluating education initiatives aimed at improving outcomes, such as that of K–3 literacy and college access. Nelsestuen holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Drake University and a master’s degree in International Educational Development from Teacher’s College, Columbia University. 

• 

  Rebecca Neri

  Senior Improvement Specialist, WestEd

  Rebecca Neri

  Senior Improvement Specialist, WestEd
• 

  Monica Ng

  Vice President, Education Programs, Pivot Learning

  Monica Ng

  Vice President, Education Programs, Pivot Learning

  Dr. Monica Ng has 10 years of experience providing school leadership professional development to K-12 educators and administrators. She has also effectively taught adults, instructional staff, and school administrators for 10 years. Dr. Ng has served as the Vice President of Education Programs at Pivot Learning for 3 years, during which she designed and led training and meetings focused on implementing MTSS, conducting root cause analysis, co-constructing needs assessments, developing professional learning plans, and understanding evidence-based literacy practices. Before joining Pivot Learning, she supported school-based teams in implementing Universal Design for Learning in Boston Public Schools and worked with New York City Public Schools to develop their framework for MTSS. She has led district level reviews of Special Education and has contributed to state level reviews. Dr. Ng has served as an adjunct instructor in Inclusive Education for the Masters of Education program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

• 

  Shannon Nicholas

  Chief of Staff, Colorado Succeeds

  Shannon Nicholas

  Chief of Staff, Colorado Succeeds

  Shannon Nicholas is Chief of Staff at Colorado Succeeds where she works closely with the President and the Board of Directors on the strategic priorities of the organization. In her role, she oversees the communications, advocacy, and program implementation teams.  Previously, Nicholas worked at the U.S. Department of Education on federal policy and program implementation, as well as in the private sector in public affairs and public relations. She began her career as a Teach For America corps member teaching high school in Las Vegas. Nicholas holds. a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis; a master’s degree in Secondary Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and a master’s degree in Strategic Communication from the University of Southern California. 

• 

  Dwight Nolt

  Director of District Leadership, Literacy Design Collaborative

  Dwight Nolt

  Director of District Leadership, Literacy Design Collaborative

  Dwight Nolt is the Director of District Leadership at Literacy Design Collaborative. His experiences as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, principal, and school district central office administrator have led to expertise in curriculum development and evaluation, professional development of teachers and administrators, and innovative teacher practices. Nolt earned a B.A and M.Ed. in English Education from Millersville University, Principal Certification in Educational Leadership from Penn State University, and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. Additionally, he holds a Superintendent Letter of Eligibility from the University of Pennsylvania.

• 

  Jon Norman

  Managing Director and Senior Associate, Evidence & Analytics, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Jon Norman

  Managing Director and Senior Associate, Evidence & Analytics, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Jon Norman is an associate managing director for evidence and analytics at the Carnegie Foundation. In this role, he supports networked improvement communities through analytics, developmental evaluation, and improvement research.

  Jon comes to Carnegie from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago where he was a researcher on projects designed to improve the well-being of vulnerable youth. He previously worked at JBS International and Abt Associates on evaluations and research related to education, health, and human services. His prior projects include evaluating school-based health centers’ effect on student well-being in Chicago, providing expertise in research design to the Corporation for National and Community Service, and investigating barriers to providing increased mental health services to youth. Jon also previously held faculty positions in the departments of sociology at DePaul University and Loyola University Chicago.

  Jon earned his Ph.D. in sociology and M.S. in architecture from the University of California, Berkeley. He also holds a B.A. in public policy from Brown University.

• 

  Lauren Okano

  Director of Resource, Innovation, and Data, Puget Sound Educational Service District

  Lauren Okano

  Director of Resource, Innovation, and Data, Puget Sound Educational Service District
• 

  Kathleen Oropallo

  Director Leader Coach, Huron Studer Education

  Kathleen Oropallo

  Director Leader Coach, Huron Studer Education

  Kathleen Oropallo is a Director and Leader Coach for Huron Studer Education, serving organizations as a thought partner and intellectual resource for organizational excellence. Together with her improvement partners, she recently co-authored and published chapters in two books on improvement: Improvement Science as a Tool for School Enhancement: Solutions for Better Educational Outcomes by Deborah Peterson and Susan Carlisle (2022) and Teaching Improvement Science in Educational Leadership by Dean T. Spaulding, Robert Crow, and Brandi Nicole Hinnaut-Crawford (2020). Oropallo holds a B.S. in Elementary Education and an M.S. in Curriculum Development from State University of New York at Oswego and a Ph.D. in Elementary Education/Language Arts and Reading from Florida State University.

• 

  KK Owen

  Leader Coach, Huron Studer Education

  KK Owen

  Leader Coach, Huron Studer Education

  KK Owen is a Leader Coach at Huron Studer Education where she coaches organizations to be better every day using the Evidence-based Leadership Framework and the Studer Education Nine Principles of Organizational Excellence. She partners with leaders to set the right goals, align those goals with measures that matter, focus on the key elements of employee engagement and service excellence to build the right culture, and utilize tactics of organizational excellence that lead to success. Previously, she served as the Director of Professional Learning for the Escambia County School District (FL) where she. served as project leader for reforming teacher, school leader, and district leader evaluations under the Race To the Top system, and supervised principal and teacher leader training for federal, state, and district initiatives. Owen also has 15 years of classroom experience and 15 years of leadership experience as a principal in Louisiana and Florida. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Louisiana State University, as well as a master’s degree in Educational leadership and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, Curriculum, and Instruction from the University of West Florida.

• 

  Emily Pallin

  Executive Director, Connecticut RISE Network

  Emily Pallin

  Executive Director, Connecticut RISE Network

  Emily serves as the Executive Director of the RISE Network.  The RISE Network’s mission is to ensure all RISE high school students graduate with a plan and the skills and confidence to achieve college and career success; RISE partners with Connecticut high schools to lead statewide networks where school communities work together to use data to learn and improve.  Emily co-founded RISE six years ago and has grown the organization to include 33 staff and more than a dozen partner high schools across nine districts; together, RISE staff and partners are improving Grade 9 on-track, graduation, and college access and readiness rates.  Prior to leading RISE, Emily served as Engagement Director at Mass Insight Education and previously worked at New Visions for Public Schools.  Pallin holds a B.A. in Public Policy and Education Studies from Hamilton College and M.P.A. from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service. 

• 

  Simone Palmer

  Associate, Networked Improvement Science, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Simone Palmer

  Associate, Networked Improvement Science, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Dr. Simone Palmer is an associate in the networked improvement science group. She joined the Foundation in 2018 as a networked improvement science fellow. Prior to joining the Foundation, Simone served as the Science and Technology Specialist for the Rhode Island Department of Education. Simone had a career as a pediatrician before entering the field of education. She taught secondary science for 8 years before completing a principal training program through the University of Denver where she also earned a masters in educational leadership. Simone returned to her native Rhode Island to complete an urban turnaround leader program through the New York City Leadership Academy. She then served as STEM director for South Kingstown School District before working at the state level.

  Simone holds a bachelors in biology and an M.D. from Brown University.

• 

  Sandra Park

  Co-Founder and Improvement Specialist, Improvement Collective; Senior Fellow, Networked Improvement Science, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Sandra Park

  Co-Founder and Improvement Specialist, Improvement Collective; Senior Fellow, Networked Improvement Science, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Sandra Park is a co-founder of the Improvement Collective, which is dedicated to helping education and other social sector organizations build their improvement capacity to solve problems in the field. She is also a senior fellow at the Carnegie Foundation, where she previously worked as the director of external offerings and partnerships as well as the director of the foundation’s Building a Teaching Effectiveness Network (BTEN). Park previously taught elementary school in Oregon, Maryland, and Washington, DC, and was director of programs at First Graduate in San Francisco. She holds a BA in sociology from Georgetown University, a teaching credential and MAT from Louis & Clark College, an EdM in administration and policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, a PhD in education policy from UC Berkeley, and an Improvement Advisor certificate from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

• 

  Stephanie Parry

  Director of P–12 Strategy, Newark Trust for Education

  Stephanie Parry

  Director of P–12 Strategy, Newark Trust for Education

  Stephanie Parry is the Director of P–12 Strategy at the Newark Trust for Education. In this role, she oversees the organization’s P–12 portfolio of work focused on creating safe and supportive learning environments through high-quality partnerships, stakeholder engagement and promotion of effective practices in program design and implementation. She brings a diverse set of experiences to the work, including teaching middle school, driving grass roots community education programs in California, overseeing regional grant-funded education initiatives in South Africa and Uganda, and leading cross-sector place-based education strategies in Newark. Parry holds a B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Education from UC Berkeley and an M.P.A. from George Mason University. 

• 

  Jacob Pence

  Data Analyst, Fresno County Superintendent of Schools

  Jacob Pence

  Data Analyst, Fresno County Superintendent of Schools

  Jacob graduated from California State University Fresno with a degree in computer and information systems and began his professional career assisting a local non-profit group in analyzing and mapping food insecurity in the community. He shifted to education in 2015 and helped to manage student information systems and data at the district level with an emphasis on supporting English Learner students. During this time, Jacob worked to maximize the time educators spent focusing on students by helping them to better understand their data and make impactful decisions. Jacob joined Fresno County Superintendent of Schools in 2020 supporting coaches and districts through data analytics and visualization.

• 

  Andrea Perez

  Assistant Superintendent, Tulare County Office of Education

  Andrea Perez

  Assistant Superintendent, Tulare County Office of Education

  Andrea Perez is the Assistant Superintendent for District Services with the Tulare County Office of Education. She serves to support programs in the area of curriculum and instruction, college and career, leadership, new teacher and leader development, and migrant services. She currently coaches site and district leaders, supports regional collaboration, and is a Board member of the California Association of Administrators of State and Federal Education Programs. Prior to joining the county office, she served as a site, district administrator, and teacher. Perez holds  a bachelor’s degree from the California State University of Fresno and a master’s degree from National University.

• 

  Lauren Perez Pietruszka

  Freshman Success Coach, University of Chicago, Network for College Success

  Lauren Perez Pietruszka

  Freshman Success Coach, University of Chicago, Network for College Success

  Lauren Perez Pietruszka is a Freshman Success Coach and Freshman Success Improvement Community Hub Facilitator with the Network for College Success in Chicago. She coaches in partner high schools to increase leader and team capacity to transform the Freshman experience and improve schools. Previously, she worked as a Freshman AVID and literacy teacher in Chicago Public Schools and coached preservice teachers across Illinois in her role as Director of Academic and Social Emotional Supports at the Golden Apple Foundation.  

  Perez Pietruszka holds a B.A. in English from Illinois Wesleyan University and an M.A. in Teaching Secondary English with a literacy endorsement from National Louis University.  

• 

  Abby Petropulos

  Executive Leadership Coach, Fresno County Superintendent of Schools

  Abby Petropulos

  Executive Leadership Coach, Fresno County Superintendent of Schools

  Abby Petropulos is an Executive Leadership Coach at the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools where she supports districts in thinking critically to problem solve using improvement science as part of California’s System of Support. She has more than 20 years of experience in the education field as a secondary teacher, administrator, and regional director in both comprehensive schools and schools of choice.

• 

  Donald Peurach

  Professor, University of Michigan; Senior Fellow, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Donald Peurach

  Professor, University of Michigan; Senior Fellow, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Donald J. Peurach, Ph.D., is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and an associate professor of educational policy, leadership, and innovation in the University of Michigan’s School of Education. His research examines large-scale, network-based educational improvement initiatives, focusing specifically on how these networks continuously learn and improve over time. Don is the author of Seeing Complexity in Public Education: Problems, Possibilities, and Success for All (2011, Oxford University Press) and co-author of Improvement by Design: The Promise of Better Schools (2014, University of Chicago Press). His most recent essay in Educational Researcher examines the development of system-level improvement and impact infrastructure to support network leadership.

  Don is the lead developer of the Carnegie Foundation’s Network Leaders for Learning, a professional development and field-building effort aimed at advancing improvement science in practice and policy. He is also the developer of Leading Educational Innovation and Improvement, a U-M/Carnegie collaboration that uses massive open online courses on the edX platform to provide a comprehensive introduction to improvement science.

• 

  Janet K. Pilcher

  Senior Executive, Studer Education; Managing Director, Huron

  Janet K. Pilcher

  Senior Executive, Studer Education; Managing Director, Huron

  Janet Pilcher is the founder and Senior Executive of Studer Education and a Managing Director for Huron. She and her team work with education leaders to elevate their organizations into places where people do worthwhile work and make a difference. Pilcher spent nearly 20 years at the University of West Florida as a professor, Associate Dean. and Dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies where she co-created TeacherReady, an online teacher certification program that prepares second-career teachers worldwide. She transitioned from a nearly two-decade career in higher education to work with Quint Studer, founder of Studer Group, to determine how best to transfer healthcare leadership best practices to education. Pilcher holds a B.S. from Florida State University, an M.Ed. from University of West Florida, and a Ph.D. from Florida State University.

• 

  Michelle Pledger

  Director of Liberation, High Tech High Graduate School of Education

  Michelle Pledger

  Director of Liberation, High Tech High Graduate School of Education
• 

  Verenisse Ponce-Soria

  Graduate Student Researcher, Orange County Educational Advancement Network (OCEAN) UCI School of Education

  Verenisse Ponce-Soria

  Graduate Student Researcher, Orange County Educational Advancement Network (OCEAN) UCI School of Education
• 

  Meisha Ross Porter

  President and CEO, Bronx Community Foundation

  Meisha Ross Porter

  President and CEO, Bronx Community Foundation

  Meisha is a 25 year veteran of the New York City public schools and was appointed Chancellor of NYC Public Schools beginning in March 2021, making history as New York City’s first Black woman chancellor. She is a life long New Yorker and product of public education. She first joined the the Department of Education as a teacher at the Bronx School for Law, Government, and Justice- a school she helped conceive. After 18 years at the school where she became Principal, Meisha spent three years as Superintendent of District 11, serving the Pelham Parkway, Eastchester, and Woodlawn neighborhoods of the Bronx. She transitioned to Executive Superintendent in 2018, leading the Bronx to significant academic gains for students. Meisha graduated from Fordham University with her Ed.D in January of 2022 and beginning in March of 2022, she will begin her new role as President and CEO of the Bronx Community Foundation.

• 

  Anna Premo

  Doctoral Student and Researcher, Learning Sciences and Policy, School of Education, University of Pittsburgh

  Anna Premo

  Doctoral Student and Researcher, Learning Sciences and Policy, School of Education, University of Pittsburgh

  Anna Premo is a doctoral student in the Learning Sciences and Policy Program at the University of Pittsburgh. She is also a graduate student researcher on an improvement network project in which she works closely with the Carnegie Foundation, specifically attending to the use of data and measurement. Prior to her move to learning sciences, Premo received a Fulbright Fellowship to pursue research on opportunities for redevelopment in Johannesburg, South Africa, and she currently works as the Global Head of Business Transformation at DXC Technology. Premo holds a B.S. in Urban Studies and Planning and an M.C.P. in City Planning from MIT.

• 

  Eli Pristoop

  Senior Program Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

  Eli Pristoop

  Senior Program Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

  Eli Pristoop is a Senior Program Officer on the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation’s K-12 team. His work focuses on supporting school systems seeking to use their own data in ways more aligned with their aspirations for their students. When Eli first joined the foundation in 2007 he managed the collection and use of data on schools impacted by foundation grants. Prior to joining the Gates Foundation, he was a Data Analyst at The Education Trust, where he did research and analysis in support of their higher education reports and initiatives. Eli earned Masters degrees from The Columbia University School of Social Work and The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and a Bachelors in Environmental Science from Washington University in St. Louis.

• 

  Sam Purdy

  Deputy Director, Engagement, Connecticut RISE Network

  Sam Purdy

  Deputy Director, Engagement, Connecticut RISE Network

  Sam Purdy oversees cross-district collaboration and learning and consultative engagements for the Connecticut RISE Network—a partnership among nine Connecticut public school districts focusing on supporting strong 9th grade transitions and college and career readiness and success for high school graduates. Purdy leads a small team that plans meetings, convenings, and working groups to engage hundreds of Connecticut high school educators every year.  Previously, Purdy was a middle school teacher, department leader, grade team leader, and a teacher coach with Ensena por Argentina in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He holds a B.A. in History from Yale University and an M.Ed. in School Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he was a recipient of the Urban Scholars fellowship. 

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  Kiran Purohit

  Vice President of Curriculum & Instruction, New Visions for Public Schools

  Kiran Purohit

  Vice President of Curriculum & Instruction, New Visions for Public Schools

  Kiran Purohit has worked at New Visions for Public Schools since 2012. In her current role, she serves on the network hub team for the Instructional Network for School Improvement, which just completed its first year. Previously, she worked as an instructional coach and as a mathematics and science teacher in New York City. 

  Purohit holds a master’s degree from New York University, and a master’s degree and an Ed.D. in Curriculum Studies from Teachers College, Columbia University.   

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  Daniel Ramirez

  Improvement Specialist, Community Design Partners

  Daniel Ramirez

  Improvement Specialist, Community Design Partners
• 

  Liz Ramirez

  Director of Implementation, Illustrative Mathematics

  Liz Ramirez

  Director of Implementation, Illustrative Mathematics

  Liz Ramirez began her career as a middle school mathematics teacher in New York City. In the years that followed, she taught and coached in NYC Public Schools and abroad. At Illustrative Mathematics, Liz has worked with teams to develop quality resources and professional learning opportunities that empower teachers to meet the diverse needs of their students. In her current role as Director of Implementation, she is focused on the development of tools, resources, and professional learning that support districts and schools with successful implementation of the IM curriculum. Ramirez holds a bachelor’s degree in Education Secondary Mathematics from the University of Alberta and a master’s degree in Zoology from Miami University.

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  Ursulina Ramirez

  Chief Program Officer, XQ Institute

  Ursulina Ramirez

  Chief Program Officer, XQ Institute

  Ursulina Ramirez is chief program officer for XQ Institute where she leads XQ’s program implementation strategy with school systems. Prior to joining XQ, Ursulina served as chief operating officer at the New York City Department of Education. Ursulina was instrumental in creating policy and programs that help all NYC public school students achieve success, including the expansion of Pre-k for All, re-envisioning of the DOE’s discipline code, and the modernization of DOE’s pupil transportation. Before starting at the DOE, Ursulina served as Deputy Executive Director to Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio’s transition team. During that time, she played a critical role in the hiring and management of Mayor de Blasio’s senior management team, including First Deputy Mayor, Budget Director, Police Commissioner and School’s Chancellor.   

   

  Ursulina began her work in New York City government as the Deputy Public Advocate and Senior Policy Advisor to Mayor Bill de Blasio when he served as Public Advocate; and before starting her distinguished career as a public servant, Ursulina served as the Senior Policy Analyst at the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families (CHCF). Ursulina is continuously recognized as a leader in government and public service. She was given the honor of being named an emerging leader by Latino Leader Magazine and in 2012 recognized in City and State’s “Forty under Forty.” She has been a featured speaker at SWSX in Austin, TX, and has spoken at Harvard University as well as the Gates Foundation. She received her Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University School of Social Work, and her BA in Sociology, and Women, Culture and Development from University of California, Santa Barbara. 

• 

  Joyce Randall

  Freshman Success Coach, University of Chicago, Network for College Success

  Joyce Randall

  Freshman Success Coach, University of Chicago, Network for College Success

  Joyce Randall is a Freshman Success Coach at the Network of College Success. where she facilitates NCS’s network improvement community and provides coaching. to the leads of Freshman Success at select Chicago Public Schools. Previously, she was a founding teacher of one the nation’s first turnaround schools, the Academy of Urban Leadership’s  Orr Academy High School and served as the National Program Director for The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award where she designed and implemented a training and induction program for adult mentors. Randall holds a B.A. in History and Africana Studies from the University of Notre Dame and an in Teaching with a Middle School endorsement from National Louis University. 

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  Jennifer Reimer

  Administrator Special Services, Mild to Moderate Programs, Tulare County Office of Education

  Jennifer Reimer

  Administrator Special Services, Mild to Moderate Programs, Tulare County Office of Education

  Jennifer Reimer is an Administrator with the Special Services division of Tulare County Office of Education where she oversees special education services for 26 small school districts, two charter schools, and the county’s court and community schools. She has worked in the special education field for more than 25 years, first as a special education teacher for Tulare Joint Union High School District, then as an administrator overseeing programs and services at the district and county levels. Throughout her career, she has sought to improve post-secondary outcomes for students with disabilities.

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  Bradley Roberson

  Superintendent, Oxford School District

  Bradley Roberson

  Superintendent, Oxford School District

  Bradley Roberson has served the Oxford School District as a mathematics teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal, and assistant superintendent & director of curriculum. He currently serves as the superintendent. He has always believed that all children can learn at high levels provided the necessary time to do so.

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  Chris Rodriguez

  Program Manager, California Education Partners

  Chris Rodriguez

  Program Manager, California Education Partners
• 

  Edgar Rodriguez

  Superintendent of Charter Schools, New Visions for Public Schools

  Edgar Rodriguez

  Superintendent of Charter Schools, New Visions for Public Schools

  Edgar Rodriguez joined New Visions as the Superintendent of Charter Schools in 2021 where he is responsible for overseeing the New Visions Charter High Schools network. Previously, he served for two decades in New York City public schools, including as a co-founder and leader of one the city’s most successful public high schools and as policy adviser to senior NYCDOE leadership. He began his teaching career in New York City public schools at Vanguard High School. During his final year there, he became a founding member of the planning team for the launch of the new CTE school, the Academy for Careers in Television and Film, a New Visions supported school. He served as the school‘s founding Assistant Principal from its opening in 2008 up until 2013 when he became the Principal. Rodriguez holds a B.S. in Biology from the University of Utah; an M.A. in Secondary Mathematics Education from Hunter College; and is in the Educational Leadership, Administration, and Policy doctoral program at Fordham University. 

• 

  Jennifer Roederer

  Education Recovery Leader, Kentucky Department of Education

  Jennifer Roederer

  Education Recovery Leader, Kentucky Department of Education

  Jennifer Roederer is an Education Recovery Leader with the Kentucky Department of Education. Previously, she served as a mathematics teacher, an instructional coach, and school administrator. She has worked to support schools in building teacher and leader capacity as designers,  curriculum and instruction designers, system designers, and culture designers.  

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  Melody Rose

  Chancellor, Nevada System of Higher Education

  Melody Rose

  Chancellor, Nevada System of Higher Education

  Dr. Melody Rose is the Chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education. The first in her family to earn a college degree, Rose is passionate about improving equitable educational access and outcomes, identifying cutting-edge innovations, and advancing data-informed, student- focused change. She has been a campus president, and previously served as Chancellor of the Oregon University System, after holding numerous leadership roles at Portland State University including Special Assistant to the President, Vice Provost & Dean, and Department Chair. Rose’s scholarly research focuses on American government and higher education governance. She is the founder of PSU’s Center for Women’s Leadership. Her work has been acknowledged by a number of awards, including the 2018 Girl Scouts Women of Distinction Award for “courageous leadership.” Rose earned her BA in Politics (Phi Beta Kappa) from UC Santa Cruz. She earned an M.P.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in Government from Cornell University.

• 

  Nytesia Ross

  Lead Digital Content Producer, XQ Institute

  Nytesia Ross

  Lead Digital Content Producer, XQ Institute

  A distinguished TEDx speaker and an award-winning published poet, Nytesia Ross has graced many stages across the country, from Texas, to New York, to California, all the way to the Kennedy Center stage in Washington D.C. Ross is passionate about storytelling and loves videography. Her work has been recognized at conferences held by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History and has been featured on the organization’s website. In her current role, Nytesia serves as the lead digital content producer at XQ Institute – an organization that is dedicated to rethinking the high school experience so that every student has access to a high-quality and equitable education. Previously, she served as a news producer at KLTV7/KTRE9 – ABC news affiliates in Texas. Ross holds a B.A in Mass Communications from Stephen F. Austin State University.

• 

  Rachel Ruggirello

  Associate Director, Institute for School Partnership, Washington University in St. Louis

  Rachel Ruggirello

  Associate Director, Institute for School Partnership, Washington University in St. Louis

  Rachel Ruggirello is the Associate Director of the Institute for School Partnership at Washington University in St. Louis. She provides strategic direction and oversees the curriculum and professional development initiatives of the organization. She uses the disciplined approach of improvement science to support teachers, leaders, and researchers in collaborating to solve specific problems of practice, and she also teaches certification and graduate-level courses in science education for preservice and in-service teachers. Ruggirello holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Cornell University, a M.S. in Chemistry Education from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Ph.D. in Science and Mathematics Education from Curtin University in Australia. 

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  Jennifer Lin Russell

  Professor and Chair, Educational Foundations, Organizations and Policy, University of Pittsburgh; Senior Fellow, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Jennifer Lin Russell

  Professor and Chair, Educational Foundations, Organizations and Policy, University of Pittsburgh; Senior Fellow, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Jennifer Russell is an associate professor and department chair of learning sciences and policy in the School of Education, a research scientist at the Learning Research and Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh, and a senior fellow of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. She received a Ph.D. in education policy and organizations from the University of California, Berkeley. Her research examines policy and other educational improvement initiatives through an organizational perspective. Her recent work examines two primary issues: (1) how schools create social and organizational structures that support reform; and (2) how inter-organizational collaborations and networks can be structured to support educational improvement. She is a former special education teacher in urban and rural settings and is committed to more equitable outcomes for all students.

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  Kristin Saady

  Principal, Hening Elementary, Chesterfield County Public Schools

  Kristin Saady

  Principal, Hening Elementary, Chesterfield County Public Schools

  Kristin Saady is the principal of Hening Elementary School in Chesterfield County, Virginia. She has been an educator in Chesterfield County for 27 years, with 16 years of classroom experience in grades K-3 and 6-8. The last 11 years have been in administration as a dean, assistant principal, associate principal and now in her first year as principal. She is excited about improvement science and is eager to learn new things that will help her students and teachers grow. Kristin began learning about improvement science about 3 years ago and is excited and passionate about the success that is happening at Hening.

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  McKenna Salazar

  College and Career Engagement Specialist, Tulare County Office of Education

  McKenna Salazar

  College and Career Engagement Specialist, Tulare County Office of Education

  McKenna Salazar is the College and Career Engagement Specialist for a County Office of Education. Previously, she served as the Director of Academic Affairs for a private university and the Director of Early College Credit and CTE for a community college. She has been a practitioner of improvement science for many years and is leading a networked improvement science collaborative for K–12 district directors. Salazar holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Organizational Innovation and a master’s degree in Adult Education and Training from Phoenix University and an Ed.D. in Continuous Improvement from Capella University. 

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  Carlos Sandoval

  Improvement Specialist, WestEd

  Carlos Sandoval

  Improvement Specialist, WestEd
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  Laila Sarah

  Director – Postsecondary Transition Programs, Be a Leader Foundation

  Laila Sarah

  Director – Postsecondary Transition Programs, Be a Leader Foundation
• 

  Natasha Saunders

  Education Specialist, Fairfax County Public Schools

  Natasha Saunders

  Education Specialist, Fairfax County Public Schools

  Natasha Saunders has spent her career as a middle school teacher, instructional coach, and disciplinary literacy specialist. Currently, Natasha supports school based leaders, teachers, and central office staff in their use of improvement science as a methodology for continuous improvement and disciplinary literacy. She is also a doctoral candidate at George Washington University researching leadership perspectives on the return to school following suspension for Black girls.

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  Jenny Scala

  Principal Researcher, American Institutes for Research

  Jenny Scala

  Principal Researcher, American Institutes for Research
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  Hannah Scinta

  High School Teacher and Fellow for Virtual Engagement Group, Baltimore City Public Schools

  Hannah Scinta

  High School Teacher and Fellow for Virtual Engagement Group, Baltimore City Public Schools

  Hannah is a third-year teacher in Baltimore City Public Schools, and it is her second year participating in the Baltimore Secondary Literacy Fellowship. Being bilingual or working toward that skill is something she views as a strength, because it is not easy. Hannah feels passionately about breaking down the wall to access content for ELLs and creating a better classroom environment for all.

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  Farnoosh Shahrokhi

  Associate Professor, Division Director, George Mason University

  Farnoosh Shahrokhi

  Associate Professor, Division Director, George Mason University

  Farnoosh Shahrokhi is an Associate Professor and Director of the Division of Education Leadership and Policy in the College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. The Division has 10 faculty, three staff, and 6 GRA. She holds a doctorate in Education Administration and Policy Studies from George Washington University. She designs and teaches graduate level courses in the Education Leadership program, the largest program in the state. She has been awarded multiple grants including the Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program of the US State Department of State from 2007-2018 where she served as the PI and Director. She served as the Academic Advisor for the Curriculum Development for Preservice Education and School Administration Leadership for Armenia Project. Responsibilities also included leadership development and workshops on curriculum planning pedagogy; in-country K-12 through preservice and teacher and program enhancement; strategic planning; textbook and model curriculum development; pilot testing supervision; formative and summative evaluation; and co-coordination of project-sponsored national and international conferences. Coordinated and delivered the education leadership component for the Middle School Social Studies Pre-Service Curriculum Development Project for Azerbaijan. At Mason, she leads their partnership with Fairfax County Public Schools as part of the Carnegie Foundation’s iLEAD initiative and is a member of the iLEAD’s Steering Committee. She also represents GMU at UCEA’s Network Improvement Community (NIC).

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  Annie Sharp

  Director of Differentiated Assistance, Fresno County Superintendent of Schools

  Annie Sharp

  Director of Differentiated Assistance, Fresno County Superintendent of Schools

  As the Director of Differentiated Assistance for the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, Annie Sharp helps districts build capacity for solving complex problems within their system. She works alongside teams as they engage in continuous improvement to help move the needle towards more equitable student outcomes as measured by the CA Dashboard. She has coached over 13 improvement projects and previously worked as a high school mathematics and AVID teacher; high school Learning Director; elementary Principal and district Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. Sharp holds a B.A. in Liberal Studies, an M.A. in Administrative Services, and a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership.  

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  Daisy Sharrock

  Director, High Tech High Graduate School of Education

  Daisy Sharrock

  Director, High Tech High Graduate School of Education
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  David Sherer

  Senior Associate, Evidence & Analytics, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  David Sherer

  Senior Associate, Evidence & Analytics, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  David is a senior associate in evidence and analytics. He joined the Foundation as a networked improvement fellow in 2017. He comes to the Foundation from Harvard University, where he worked as a researcher and educational consultant. Most recently, he worked for the National Center for Research in Policy and Practice (NCRPP), a project investigating how school and district leaders use research in their decision-making. David is particularly interested in helping educational leaders promote effective collaboration within their organizations and across broader improvement networks. He uses varied methods, including surveys, ethnography, and social network analysis, to understand the implementation and effects of such efforts. David’s work has been presented at national conferences and local district offices, and published in peer-reviewed journals and policy reports.

  Earlier in his career, David was an analyst and evaluator at SRI International’s Center for Education Policy, where he studied leadership development, comprehensive school reform, and the teacher workforce. He holds a master’s degree and a doctorate (Ed.D.) from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

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  Jennifer Sherer

  Research Associate, Partners for Network Improvement

  Jennifer Sherer

  Research Associate, Partners for Network Improvement

  Jennifer Zoltners Sherer is a Research Associate at the Learning Research and Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh. She utilizes social science research methodologies to build capacity for improvement in education programs and organizations. As part of Partners for Network Improvement (PNI), she provides theory-grounded developmental evaluation support for networked improvement communities in education. PNI supports real-time design and implementation decisions, along with development and validation of powerful tools for NIC development, and contributes to growing the knowledge base of how NICs develop and mature. Sherer earned a B.A. in American Studies from Wesleyan University, an M.A.T. in Math Science Education from Lewis and Clark University, and a Ph.D. in Learning Sciences from Northwestern University.

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  Barbara Shreve

  Associate, Managing Director, Networked Improvement Science

  Barbara Shreve

  Associate, Managing Director, Networked Improvement Science

  Barbara is an associate managing director of the networked improvement science group at the Carnegie Foundation. She joined Carnegie as a networked improvement fellow in 2017. She comes to the Foundation from Oakland Unified School District where, as a mathematics coordinator, she supported teacher professional learning and the development and implementation of middle and high school math curriculum and assessment in the transition to Common Core State Standards. Her work in Oakland also focused on building teacher leadership and collaborative communities focused on instructional practice. She is passionate about empowering teachers and improving students’ experiences and outcomes in math so that young people see themselves as powerful learners.

  Prior to her work in Oakland, Barbara was a high school math teacher for 12 years in Bay Area schools. As part of a highly collaborative math department whose work was studied for its equity-oriented approach, she used Complex Instruction pedagogy to support students to learn and thrive in heterogeneous classrooms. She was also a contributing author and editor for a series of middle and high school math textbooks.

  Barbara earned a bachelor’s degree from Williams College in mathematics and history. She also holds a master’s degree from Mills College, where she earned her teaching credential.

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  Marisa Silvestri

  Teacher, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District

  Marisa Silvestri

  Teacher, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District

  Marisa Silvestri has been a secondary school teacher for 18 years, 16 of which have been at Santa Monica High School. She is currently teaching Government, Economics, Psychology, and Ethnic Studies. At Santa Monica High, she also serves as a CARPE fellow advisor who works collaboratively with a select group of students in developing strategies to increase college access for the larger school population.  Silvestri holds a B.A. in Secondary Education and Teaching from California State University-Chico and a B.A. and M.Ed. from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

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  Julie Smith

  Co-Founder, Community Design Partners

  Julie Smith

  Co-Founder, Community Design Partners

  Julie is a connector of educators, government leaders and community members, with the goal of shifting mindsets around improvement that are grounded in empathy and focused on systemic change. Julie works with organizations to build capacity for change from the inside out and believes that organizations can realize their goals when they build them with those they aim to serve. Julie has worked as a facilitator, advisor and coach to a diverse range of project including helping organizations implement equity frameworks, community-based school attendance solutions, educator effectiveness systems, and designing state educator networks around continuous improvement.

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  Jean Snell

  Associate Director and Senior Faculty Specialist, Center for Educational Innovation and Improvement, University of Maryland

  Jean Snell

  Associate Director and Senior Faculty Specialist, Center for Educational Innovation and Improvement, University of Maryland

  Dr. Jean Snell is the Associate Director and a Senior Faculty Specialist for the Center for Educational Innovation and Improvement at the University of Maryland. She directs the Administrator 1 Certification program for aspiring school leaders, teaches and advises in the doctoral program for school system leader candidates, and co-facilitates multiple professional learning and improvement networks for teacher and district leaders across the state. Over the last twenty-five years, Dr. Snell has engaged with educators to foster more equitable teaching and learning conditions for all students. She previously served as the Director of the UMD graduate teacher preparation program, the Executive Regional Director for Leading Educators, and as a Program Director for the Center for Educational Leadership. Jean earned her Doctorate in Education Policy at the University of Washington as well as the Danforth Leadership school administrator credential. She began her career in education as a secondary English teacher.

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  Meghan Snyder

  Director of Research Strategy & Policy, Center for Public Research and Leadership

  Meghan Snyder

  Director of Research Strategy & Policy, Center for Public Research and Leadership

  Meghan Snyder is a Director of Research Strategy and Policy at the Center for Public Research and Leadership at Columbia University. Throughout her career, she has served youth and adult learners as a teacher, curriculum designer, and program evaluator. Since joining CPRL in 2017, Snyder’s research has focused on improvement networks and highly-mobile student populations. She holds a B.A. from American University and an M.A. in sociology and education from Teachers College, Columbia University. 

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  Ami Patel Song

  Lead Coach and Math Specialist, Bank Street College of Education

  Ami Patel Song

  Lead Coach and Math Specialist, Bank Street College of Education

  Ami Patel Song serves as a mathematics specialist to the Yonkers Public Schools Network for School Improvement in partnership with the Bank Street Education Center as part of their efforts to improve student and teacher learning in middle-grades mathematics. Since 2003, she has served as a grade 6–12 mathematics teacher, coach, and policymaker, and now serves in a consultant role as a teacher coach, facilitator, and advisor to school districts on school improvement and equity-centered leadership. Patel Song has a B.B.A. from the University of Michigan in Finance and Organizational Behavior, an M.Ed. in Elementary Education from Mercy College as a NYC Teaching Fellow, and an M.S. in Educational Leadership from the Principal’s Institute at Bank Street College as a Wallace Foundation Fellow.

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  Amy Spicer

  Senior Director, Implementation and Strategy, Colorado Education Initiative

  Amy Spicer

  Senior Director, Implementation and Strategy, Colorado Education Initiative

  Amy Spicer is CEI’s Senior Director of Implementation, Partnership, and Strategy. Amy leads the implementation of diverse projects in CEI’s portfolio, including work-based learning and social-emotional development initiatives. Amy brings expertise in program design, implementation, and evaluation and has extensive experience working with local and national partners to achieve programmatic goals and objectives. Amy started her career in the classroom, teaching special education for 11 years in both elementary and middle school settings. Amy has a Master of Arts in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University, a special education endorsement from the University of Colorado Denver (UCD), and is currently enrolled in UCD’s Leadership for Educational Equity program with a Doctor of Education expected in Spring 2022.

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  LaVerne Srinivasan

  Vice President National Program, Director Education Programs, Carnegie Corporation of New York

  LaVerne Srinivasan

  Vice President National Program, Director Education Programs, Carnegie Corporation of New York

  LaVerne Evans Srinivasan is the vice president of Carnegie Corporation of New York’s National program and program director for Education. At the Corporation she oversees grantmaking and amplifying activities aimed at engaging parents and communities, improving teaching and leadership for learning, advancing innovative learning environment designs, providing K–12 pathways to college and career success, and fostering integrated approaches to innovation and learning. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Srinivasan joined Carnegie Corporation in 2014, arriving with extensive experience in senior-level leadership roles in the areas of urban district change, nonprofit education reform, and educational technology. She served as a deputy chancellor of the New York City Department of Education (2003–2006), where, among other accomplishments, she designed and implemented Project Home Run, a strategically redesigned and streamlined system for recruiting, hiring, and placing teachers and school principals that greatly increased the teacher talent available to high-needs schools and which has been replicated nationwide.

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  Becky Sullivan

  Project Lead: Expert Lead in Literacy for the Early Literacy Support Block, Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE)

  Becky Sullivan

  Project Lead: Expert Lead in Literacy for the Early Literacy Support Block, Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE)

  Becky Sullivan has been an educator for over 30 years. She has supported schools and districts at the state, district, and site levels. As Director of K-12 English Language Arts at the Sacramento County Office of Education, she is currently the Project Lead for the Expert Lead in Literacy Grant, supporting the Early Literacy Support Block Grant LEAs/sites. Her work within California’s System of Support also includes supporting local districts in Differentiated Assistance. She has a BA in Spanish from UCLA and a MA in Educational Administration. Becky has taught at the elementary and university levels and holds a Reading & Language Arts Specialist Credential. Becky served as a member of the Curriculum Commission (an advisory body to the SBE), co-chair of the ELA/ELD Framework Development Committee, and is a member of the State Literacy Team.

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  Emily Supple

  Communications & Content Strategist, Communications and Public Engagement, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Emily Supple

  Communications & Content Strategist, Communications and Public Engagement, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Emily Supple is a Communications & Content Strategist with the Communications group. In this role, her work will focus on telling improvement stories in a variety of contexts and media. She will enact communications strategies and digital outreach efforts, as well as coordinate communication efforts to ensure DEI issues are a priority consideration in the Foundation’s public engagement activities. Supple joined the Foundation in 2019 as a Post-Baccalaureate Fellow during which time she managed the Foundation’s social media channels, supported the planning and design of major events, and worked on improvement project teams with external partners.

  Prior to her time at Carnegie, Supple 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. She received a B.A. from Barnard College of Columbia University (cum laude) in political science.

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  Sola Takahashi

  Senior Research Associate, WestEd

  Sola Takahashi

  Senior Research Associate, WestEd

  Sola Takahashi is a Senior Research Associate at WestEd, where she leads the work of integrating continuous improvement methods in the coaching, technical assistance, and research conducted by the Innovation Studies and Regional Educational Laboratory West teams. Sola is experienced in the use of improvement science methods and specializes in measurement and analytics that support continuous improvement efforts. She also has expertise in traditional research methods, including quasi-experimental design. Her areas of content interest include the teaching profession and educational equity. Sola was previously at the Carnegie Foundation, where she led the development of measures and analytic systems that support improvement efforts in schools. She also served as a public school teacher for several years. She received her EdD from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

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  Sofia Tannenhaus

  Improvement Coach, High Tech High Graduate School of Education

  Sofia Tannenhaus

  Improvement Coach, High Tech High Graduate School of Education

  Sofía Tannenhaus is an Improvement Coach with the CARPE College Access Network at High Tech High’s Center for Research on Equity & Innovation. Motivated by her background as a first generation Latina, Tannenhaus’ work has focused on helping improve educational outcomes for historically underrepresented students. Tannenhaus holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from UC San Diego and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in Education from UC Berkeley. 

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  Chris Terrill

  Executive Director, Crosstown High

  Chris Terrill

  Executive Director, Crosstown High
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  Chris Thorn

  Chief of Program & Partnerships, Partners in School Innovation

  Chris Thorn

  Chief of Program & Partnerships, Partners in School Innovation
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  Brandy Thrasher O'Neill

  6-12 New Faculty Mentor Program Instructional Coach, Missoula County Public Schools

  Brandy Thrasher O'Neill

  6-12 New Faculty Mentor Program Instructional Coach, Missoula County Public Schools

  Brandy Thrasher O’Neill is a New Faculty Instructional Coach for Missoula County Public School District. Prior to working as a district level Instructional Coach, Brandy taught various subjects at the middle school level. Born and raised in Montana, Brandy began her career as a 7th grade Math and ELA teacher in Florence, MT and after two years transferred to Missoula teaching 8th grade Math and Science. She is passionate about culturally responsive teaching practices to help all students be successful lifelong learners. Brandy holds a B.A. in Elementary Education from the University of Montana, a M.S.E from Montana State University in Bozeman, and is currently pursuing her Library Media Certification. Beyond her role in education, Brandy enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband Brad and snuggling with their chihuahua Paisley.

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  Theresa Todd

  Improvement Advisor, Shift

  Theresa Todd

  Improvement Advisor, Shift

  Theresa Todd is an Improvement Advisor at Shift. She has more than 10 years of experience working in improvement, mostly in healthcare quality, but since joining Shift, she has focused on the education space. Some of her projects with Shift include helping to increase student experience outcomes in higher education through the Student Experience Project, coaching educational institutions on how to increase equitable outcomes in and out of the classroom, and co-creating a coproduction toolkit.  Her improvement interests include building capacity, using data for improvement and coproducing improvement in community. Todd holds a B.A. in. Political Science and Government and Speech Communication from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and an M.A. in Political Science and an M.P.H. from Ohio State University. 

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  Briana Trager

  K–12 Science Director, Mehlville School District

  Briana Trager

  K–12 Science Director, Mehlville School District

  Briana Trager is the K–12 Science Director, previously the STEM coordinator, in the Mehlville School District in St. Louis, MO. She has experience working as an elementary STEM teacher, as well as working with K–12 mathematics and science teachers organizing and facilitating professional development and curriculum development. Trager holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Missouri State University; a master’s of Education degree in Learning, Teaching, and Curriculum from the University of Missouri, Columbia; and an educational specialist degree in Teacher Leadership from Missouri State University. 

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  Emery Uwimana

  7th and 8th Grade English Language Arts Teacher, Baltimore City Public Schools

  Emery Uwimana

  7th and 8th Grade English Language Arts Teacher, Baltimore City Public Schools

  Emery Uwimana is in his third year as a Baltimore City teacher. He previously taught 5th- and 6th-grade Literacy Intervention, and is currently the 7th and 8th grade English Language Arts teacher.  

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  Joe Valero

  Executive Leadership Coach, Fresno County Superintendent of Schools

  Joe Valero

  Executive Leadership Coach, Fresno County Superintendent of Schools
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  Erica Van Steenis

  Postdoctoral Researcher, Orange County Educational Advancement Network (OCEAN) UCI School of Education

  Erica Van Steenis

  Postdoctoral Researcher, Orange County Educational Advancement Network (OCEAN) UCI School of Education
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  Karina Vanderbilt

  Director of Multilingual Services, Puget Sound Educational Service District

  Karina Vanderbilt

  Director of Multilingual Services, Puget Sound Educational Service District

  Karina Vanderbilt serves as the Multilingual Services Director for Puget Sound (WA) Educational Service District. In this role, she supports 35 districts and seven charter schools in improving outcomes for multilingual/English learners. She began her career teaching social studies on the Navajo Nation in New Mexico, and she has taught English and history in grades 7–12 at dual language, public charter, and traditional public schools. She also served as an Assistant Principal for three years and led the implementation of the Common Core State Standards in New Mexico for the New Mexico Public Education Department. Vanderbilt was named a 2016 Grosvenor Teacher Fellow with National Geographic in recognition of outstanding commitment to promoting geographic literacy. She holds a bachelor’s degree in History and Spanish from Occidental College and a master’s degree in School Administration from Teacher’s College, Columbia University. 

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  Dan Vazquez

  Senior Educational Consultant, Teaching Matters

  Dan Vazquez

  Senior Educational Consultant, Teaching Matters

  Dan Vazquez is a  Senior Educational Consultant for Teaching Matters, which is a national professional learning organization dedicated to increasing teacher effectiveness. He started his career as a parent support officer in East Harlem where he worked closely with the district superintendent to boost family engagement across the district’s 34 schools. He also taught at a high-performing middle school in the East Village and at TEP Charter school dubbed the Olympics of Teaching by 60 Minutes, and as the Dean of Instruction at Ascend Charter Network. Vazquez holds a B.A. in Social Studies from Harvard University, an M.S. in Special Education from Hunter College, and a M.S.Ed. in Education Leadership from Bank Street. 

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  Morgan Vien

  Deeper Learning Coach, Envision Learning Partners

  Morgan Vien

  Deeper Learning Coach, Envision Learning Partners
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  Chad Vignola

  Executive Director, Literacy Design Collaborative

  Chad Vignola

  Executive Director, Literacy Design Collaborative

  Chad Vignola is the Executive Director of the Literacy Design Collaborative, an organization he built out of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s primary common core implementation strategy into a national EdTech improvement science network for innovation and school transformation to effectively deliver and measure rigorous instructional classroom practice. Having worked in public education and public service for over 30 years, he previously served as Vice President at New Visions for Public Schools overseeing 75 New York City schools, Vice President at Princeton Review, and several senior roles in the NYC Department of Education.  He most recently facilitated a private sector licensing deal with Carnegie Learning to take LDC’s literacy IP to market. Vignola holds a B.S. in Finance and Statistics from the Wharton School and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

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  Andrew Volkert

  Principal, Strategic Learning & Continuous Improvement, Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy

  Andrew Volkert

  Principal, Strategic Learning & Continuous Improvement, Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy
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  Delali Vorgbe

  Learning Technology Specialist, African Leadership University

  Delali Vorgbe

  Learning Technology Specialist, African Leadership University
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  Kirk Walters

  Director, Mathematics, WestEd

  Kirk Walters

  Director, Mathematics, WestEd

  Kirk Walters is the Director of Mathematics at WestEd. A former high school mathematics teacher, his research broadly focuses on understanding ways to improve mathematics teaching and learning. Previously, Walters was a principal researcher at AIR whose research focused on understanding ways to improve K–12 mathematics teaching and learning. He holds a B.S.E. in Social Studies Education from John Brown University, an M.A. in Curriculum & Instruction from Chapman University, and a Ph.D. in Social Foundations of Education from the University of Maryland.

   

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  Anne Wang

  Research Scientist, Education Development Center

  Anne Wang

  Research Scientist, Education Development Center

  Anne Wang leads the continuous improvement work for the study funded by the federal Education Innovation and Research program on The Effectiveness of Work Based Learning in Computer Science Education, working closely with the Rhode Island Department of Education and the state initiate CS4RI to test a new work-based learning course to improve equity in Computer Science engagement. She also leads a team to support districtwide systems change through continuous improvement for equitable computer science pathways for the EIR-funded MassCAN PACE (Programming the Acceleration of Computing and Equity) study in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. In addition, Wang supports school districts in New England in using continuous improvement practices to identify focus areas, understand root causes, and test innovations to improve equity in student outcomes. In 2019, she co-authored Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement, a comprehensive guidebook and toolkit developed for the Nellie Mae Education Foundation. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and Chinese Studies from Wellesley College and a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Harvard University. 

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  Hannah Weissler

  Improvement Technology Analyst, Collaborative Technology, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Hannah Weissler

  Improvement Technology Analyst, Collaborative Technology, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Hannah Weissler is an Improvement Technology Analyst with the Collaborative Technology group. In her position, Weissler manages the development of technology products using agile methodology and assists with the design, implementation, and coordination of project-related improvement activities. She also provides support for the new strategic priorities as they intersect with public policy initiatives.

  Weissler joined the Foundation in 2019 as a Post-Baccalaureate Fellow during which time she managed technology development processes and worked on district-level improvement projects with other Carnegie staff. While in school prior to joining the Foundation, her research focused on the intersection of education policy, political power, and hegemony, ultimately completing her senior thesis on the rights of K-12 students to participate in political protest during school hours., Weissler interned at the American Association of University Women, the Office of U.S. Congressman Jamie Raskin, and the DC Public Schools’ Compliance and Policy Division. She also taught English to unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in Denmark at a Danish Red Cross center. Weissler received her B.A. in political science from Scripps College in Claremont, CA.

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  Tinkhani White

  Associate, Networked Improvement Science, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Tinkhani White

  Associate, Networked Improvement Science, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

  Tinkhani Ushe White is an Associate in the Networked Improvement Science group. She has worked in the education field for more than 20 years, from a 7th-grade Mathematics teacher to an administrator and principal of Highland Springs High School in Henrico County, VA. Most recently, White was the Director of School Improvement in Chesterfield County Public Schools in Virginia where she led the school improvement efforts of the 5th largest school district in Virginia. She also served as Chesterfield’s district representative in the Carnegie Foundation’s Improvement Leadership Education and Development (iLEAD) network during which she worked in partnership with the University of Virginia. She focuses on how continuous improvement can support the work of equity, educational access, and opportunity.

  White earned a B.A. in mathematics from State University of New York at Geneseo, an M.Ed. in educational leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University, and an Ed.D. in educational leadership and policy from Virginia Tech.

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  Jessica Williams

  Vice Principal of Curriculum and Instruction, George Washington Carver/Bruce Street School

  Jessica Williams

  Vice Principal of Curriculum and Instruction, George Washington Carver/Bruce Street School

  Jessica Williams is the Vice Principal at George Washington Carver Elementary School in Newark, NJ. She has served as a public educator for over 10 years, including as an Early Childhood teacher and High School Social Justice teacher. In her role as a Vice Principal in the heart of the South Ward, she has built partnerships with organizations and community programs that can. assist with providing SEL interventions for students in grades K–8. Williams holds a dual master’s degree in Public Administration and Urban Educational Leadership from Rutgers University.

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  Dianne Willson

  Program Specialist, Elk Grove Unified School District

  Dianne Willson

  Program Specialist, Elk Grove Unified School District
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  Jennifer Wilson

  Lead Designer, 6-12 Professional Learning, Illustrative Mathematics

  Jennifer Wilson

  Lead Designer, 6-12 Professional Learning, Illustrative Mathematics

  Jennifer Wilson is the 6–12 Professional Learning Lead Designer. for Illustrative Mathematics. She is a National Board Certified Teacher who has taught and learned mathematics with students and teachers in Mississippi for 25 years. She is a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (2011).  Wilson holds a B.S and an M.S. in Mathematics from Mississippi College and an Ed.D. in Secondary Mathematics from the University of Mississippi.  

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  Kalimah Wilson

  Senior Program Officer, Early Learning, Newark Trust for Education

  Kalimah Wilson

  Senior Program Officer, Early Learning, Newark Trust for Education

  Kalimah Wilson serves as the Senior Program Officer for the Parent-Child Home Program (PCHP) at the Newark Trust for Education. She was responsible for training Early Learning Specialists and recruiting families from Newark’s Central, South, and Westwards, and she currently focuses on managing the development and implementation of a ward-based Family Childcare Center network focused on FCC sustainability, program quality, and family partnerships. Wilson holds a B.A. in Sociology from Morris College in Sumter, SC. 

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  Amiee Winchester

  Continuous Improvement Program Director, Baltimore City Public Schools

  Amiee Winchester

  Continuous Improvement Program Director, Baltimore City Public Schools

  As Baltimore City Public Schools’ Continuous Improvement Program Director, Amiee Winchester leads the strategy development and implementation of the continuous improvement efforts throughout the district and co-leads the Baltimore Secondary Literacy Improvement Community Network focused on improving literacy outcomes for students in grades 6–12. In this capacity, she supports the design and scale of a sustainable districtwide improvement strategy, constructs systems and routines to successfully drive organizational change, and leads the creation of learning-by-doing professional learning opportunities to build improvement capacity of district leaders and practitioners. Winchester holds a B.A. in International Affairs from American University, an M.A. in Elementary Education and Teaching from Johns Hopkins University, and an M.A. in Education Policy from Teachers College, Columbia University. 

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  Susie Wise

  Adjunct Professor and Former Director, K12 Lab Network, Stanford d.school

  Susie Wise

  Adjunct Professor and Former Director, K12 Lab Network, Stanford d.school
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  Nathania Woldu

  Program Manager-Intensive Learning Sites, Literacy, Baltimore City Public Schools

  Nathania Woldu

  Program Manager-Intensive Learning Sites, Literacy, Baltimore City Public Schools
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  Mitchell Wong

  Professor, General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

  Mitchell Wong

  Professor, General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

  Dr. Mitchell Wong is a Professor of Medicine at UCLA in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research and is a board-certified internal medicine physician.  His research focuses on how education, school environments, and social networks influence health over the life course. He is also the director of the UCLA/CTSI Healthy Neighborhood Schools Initiative, which develops, tests, and disseminates school-based interventions to improve the health of adolescents from low-income households. He has published in The New England Journal of Medicine, American Journal of Public Health, JAMA Pediatrics, and JAMA Internal Medicine. Dr. Wong holds a B.A. from Williams College, an M.D.  from UC San Francisco, and a Ph.D. in Health Services Research from UCLA. 

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  Karen Woods

  Director of Educator Development, Somerville Public Schools

  Karen Woods

  Director of Educator Development, Somerville Public Schools

  Karen Woods is the Director of Educator Development for the Somerville (MA) Public Schools. Building on her work as a secondary science teacher and school leader, her work is focused on building sustainable systems to improve the overall functioning of the district. She also leads the Wheelock College of Education and Human Development Consortium Council of Boston University. Woods holds a B.A. in Biology and a B.S. in Science Education from Boston University, an M.Ed. in Science Education from Northeastern University, and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Educational Leadership and Administration from Simmons College. 

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  Juanita Zerda

  Director, Collective Change Lab

  Juanita Zerda

  Director, Collective Change Lab

  Juanita was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia. She received her law degree from Los Andes University and later immigrated to the United States for graduate work in philosophy at Boston College and study in the Japanese martial art Aikido. Over the past two decades Juanita has supported public and private funders and social sector organizations in refocusing strategy and implementing change efforts. Her expertise in data-informed decision-making has helped many organizations increase their impact with communities, individuals, and families. Paramount to her work is to lead with deep empathy and commitment to addressing disparity and disproportionality in communities and systems. Juanita has served as a social change consultant, focusing on supporting organizations such as, City Year and UTEC, Inc. She is currently a Director with the Collective Change Lab, a nonprofit seeking to increase the use of transformational change practices in mainstream social and environmental problem solving.”

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  Karen Zeribi

  Founder and Chief Visionary, Shift

  Karen Zeribi

  Founder and Chief Visionary, Shift

  Karen Zeribi is the Founder and CEO of Shift. Her work is focused on bringing together multiple stakeholders to learn from each other and mobilize their communities toward big, ambitious aims. Over the last 20 years, she has designed and implemented enduring improvement networks on a wide array of important topics that impact our society. She also has devoted time to teaching and coaching continuous improvement methods, designing and facilitating numerous courses ranging from basic to advanced skills, and virtual to in-person. Zeribi built Shift to scale the power of improvement methods—to catalyze and sustain impact. She earned a B.S. in Human and Organizational Development from Vanderbilt University and an M.H.S. from Johns Hopkins University.