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Staff Biographies
Staff Biographies
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A
James M. Adams
Financial Manager
James Adams is responsible for the Insititute's financial management. He ensures that the department is in compliance with Brown University and funder financial policies and procedures and identifies and meets short-term and long-range financial planning needs. Jim has worked at Brown since 1992, has served on the President's Staff Advisory Committee, and is actively involved with the RI/Brown community. Prior to joining the Institute, he was business manager for the ATLAS Project at the Coalition of Essential Schools. He holds a BS/BA in management from Bryant College.
James_Adams@brown.edu
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Mary C. Arkins Decasse
Publications Coordinator, Communications
Mary Arkins Decasse is responsible for all aspects of publication production, including fulfillment of orders, invoicing, and proofreading. She works with all Institute staff as well as with outside vendors and Brown Graphic Services. She has worked at Brown University since 1994. Before coming to the Institute, she worked at the Coalition of Essential Schools as event coordinator of its Annual Fall Forum and as financial coordinator. Mary holds an associate in science degree in nursing from the Community College of Rhode Island and is a registered nurse.
Mary_Arkins@brown.edu
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Carol Ascher
Principal Associate
Carol Ascher directs a cluster of multiyear projects aimed at understanding the charter school movement, including studies that follow the charter school start-up and conversion process; compare the effects of charter status in New York City on autonomy, finance, accountability, and school supports; examine the effects of charter reform on the authorizers and other state and local agencies; and analyze the relationships charter schools are forming with educational management organizations and other private organizations that support them. She also leads a national study investigating the opportunity to learn in urban charter schools. Previously, Carol's two-year analysis for the New York State Department of Education's process for identifying and improving its lowest-performing schools resulted in Schools on Notice and Schools in Context. Carol holds a PhD in anthropology from Columbia University. Her research has focused on educational equity, including desegregation, school finance, and improving schools serving low-income children of color. She is co-author of Public Schools and Privatization and author of the novel The Flood, which depicts the beginning of Brown v. Board of Education. Carol's book Afterimages: A Family Memoir, a memoir of growing up in Kansas as the child of Holocaust refugees is available from Holmes & Meier.
Carol_Ascher@brown.edu
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B
Tara Bahl
Research Analyst
Tara Bahl helps community-based and research organizations obtain and analyze public education data. She also collaborates with others at the Institute on research projects that study discipline and policing in New York City Schools, graduation and dropout, and the effects of community organizing on urban school reform. Previously, she was a member of Literacy*Americorps in Pittsburgh, where she taught ESL and Adult Basic Education to recent immigrants, incarcerated adults, and discharged or dropout youth. She also taught gifted and talented youth at the Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University. She holds B.A. degrees in English literature, political science, and anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh and an M.A. in urban studies from New York University. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in urban education policy at CUNY Graduate Center. Her primary research interest is the places and ways youth civic identity is built in urban communities, both within schools and in institutions outside schools.
Tara_Bahl@brown.edu
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Margaret Balch-Gonzalez
Staff Editor/Research Analyst
Margaret Balch-Gonzalez manages a range of editorial projects for publication by the Institute and provides research, documentation, and liaison support for several major Institute projects. Prior to joining the Institute in 2004, she worked as a freelance editor and writer, held corporate marketing and product development positions, and taught K-8 science and ESL in Rhode Island, Argentina, and Ecuador. She has a BA in biology from Harvard University and an MBA from the University of Rhode Island.
Margaret_Balch-Gonzalez@brown.edu
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Mili Bonilla
Director, Collaborative Training
Mili Bonilla provides strategic assistance and training to community organizations engaged in school organizing efforts. In 1992, she co-founded and directed Mothers on the Move, a grassroots organization that organized parents and community residents in the fight to reform failing schools in Hunts Point/Longwood in the South Bronx.
Mili_Bonilla@brown.edu
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C
Lily Carter
Coordinator, Personnel and Facilities
Lily Carter is responsible for the Institute's payroll records and personnel transactions in coordination with Brown's human resources department. She facilitates upkeep and maintenance of the office space and equipment and is the liaison between the Institute and the University's physical plant and telecommunications departments. She has been working at Brown University since 1989. Previously, Lily worked at the Coalition of Essential Schools for Ted Sizer, Director, as well as for the director of finance and administration.
Lily_Carter@brown.edu
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D
James Dorian, Jr.
Technology Support Coordinator
James Dorian assists the Institute’s staff with desktop and software issues and day-to-day computer concerns; he is also responsible for staff training on a variety of computing platforms. He has worked in academic technical support in several departments at Brown for more than a decade, as well as at the University’s computer help desk. He has been a teaching assistant in the field of Religious Studies at Bryant University, Providence College, Wheaton College, and the Brown Learning Community. He graduated with a B.A. in History/Business from Bryant and more recently earned an A.S. in Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales.
James_Dorian@brown.edu
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E
Caitlin Ervin
Senior Collaborative Coordinator for Youth Organizing
Caitlin Ervin supports the work of the Urban Youth Collaborative (UYC), a coalition of youth organizations working for high school reform in New York City. She provides support and training to UYC leaders in developing and implementing high school reform campaigns and helps the group create strategic alliances to build its effectiveness in citywide reform efforts. Before coming to the Institute, she spent five years as director of community organizing at Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation, a multi-service settlement house in East New York, Brooklyn, where, she worked with a parent education reform organizing group and launched the creation of the agency’s youth organizing program. Previously, she held social work positions in family-based counseling, traumatic brain injury, and foster care prevention. She earned a B.A. in English from the University of New Hampshire and a master’s in social work (with a concentration in community organizing) from Hunter College School of Social Work.
Caitlin_Ervin@brown.edu
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F
Stacey Ferreira
Financial Coordinator
Stacey Ferreira serves as the central liaison and advisor for Institute staff and Brown University to ensure that all financial documents and transactions comply with Institute, University, and funder policies and guidelines. She also collaboratively oversees reconciliation of ledger accounts and produces financial reports for Institute leadership. Prior to joining the Institute, she was employed in Brown's Auxiliary Housing/Rental Properties office; she has been working at Brown since 1994. She holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Rhode Island.
Stacey_Ferreira@brown.edu
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Susan Fisher
Associate Director, Communications
Susan Fisher is responsible for the editing and production of all print publications, for promotion and sales of print and video materials, and for coordination of print and Web materials. She has worked at Brown since 1988, first at the Coalition of Essential Schools as editor/writer and, since 1994, at the Institute. Previously, she served as manager of publications at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in New York City and taught in the Los Angeles City Schools for four years. Susan received a BA in English from Wells College and has done graduate work in linguistics at Brown University. She completed coursework for the elementary teaching credential at the University of Southern California and was a member of the first cohort to complete the New York University Program in Publishing.
Susan_Fisher@brown.edu
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Ellen Foley
Associate Director, District Redesign and Leadership;
Assistant Clinical Professor, Master's in Urban Education Policy Program, Brown University
Ellen Foley is responsible for leading the design of District Redesign and Leadership research studies and convenings from concept to product and for managing cross-functional internal teams and external consultants. She also leads the development and production of a variety of tools for district leaders, oversees research and evaluation related to national District Redesign and Leadership field work. She is an assistant clinical professor at Brown, teaching in the Master's in Urban Education Policy Program. Prior to joining the Institute, she was a research specialist at the Consortium for Policy Research in Education, where she worked on the evaluation of Children Achieving, Philadelphia's districtwide education reform effort. Ellen holds a BA in political science from Boston College and an MSEd and doctorate in education policy from the University of Pennsylvania. Her primary research interest is urban education, with a focus on the central office's role in leading reform efforts. She co-chairs the American Educational Research Association’s Special Interest Group on Districts in Research and Reform.
Ellen_Foley@brown.edu
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Norm Fruchter
Principal Associate, Community Organizing and Engagement
Norm Fruchter directs the work of the Community Involvement Program, formerly part of New York University's (NYU) Institute for Education and Social Policy (IESP), and is a clinical professor of education policy at New York University. Previously, he was director of IESP, which he formed in 1995, in collaboration with the deans of NYU's Steinhardt School of Education and Wagner School of Public Service, with the mission of improving public education so that all students, particularly in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, obtain a just and equitable education and can participate effectively in a democratic society. Previously, Norm served as a senior consultant with the Academy for Educational Development and Advocates for Children of New York; director of the Institute for Citizen Involvement in Education in New Jersey; co-founder and co-director of Independence High School in Newark, an alternative high school for dropouts; and, for ten years, an elected school board member in Brooklyn's District 15. He holds a BA from Rutgers University and an MEd from Teachers College, Columbia University. He has published extensively in the field of education policy and equity. He has also written two novels and made four films.
Norm_Fruchter@brown.edu
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G
Ivonne Garcia
Research Analyst
Ivonne Garcia assists in the maintenance and expansion of the library of New York City and national educational data. She also provides research support to community organizing and engagement efforts and to a project on arts education in New York City Schools. Previously, she held an analyst position at Marakon Associates, a management consultancy. Before joining Marakon, she served as a math teacher at a New York City public high school. Ivonne graduated from Columbia University in 2001 with a BA in mathematics. She is currently pursuing a master's in public administration and public policy at New York University. Her research interests include urban education, multiple pathways to educational attainment, strategic partnerships in education systems, and measurements of student achievement.
Ivonne_Garcia@brown.edu
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Michael Grady
Deputy Director
Michael Grady acts as the Institute's deputy director. He also serves as principal investigator of a major collaboration between the Institute and the National League of Cities that will work with mayors, municipal leaders, and their education policy advisers on strategies to increase the public's awareness, participation and stake in local school-improvement initiatives in the context of No Child Left Behind. Prior to joining the Institute, Mike was a senior research associate at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, where he managed the research and evaluation portfolio. He has also served as director of research and evaluation for a major urban school district, research associate for a court-appointed committee charged with developing and evaluating magnet schools, and high school teacher in the U.S. and abroad. He has conducted research on the Comer School Development Program, educational equity initiatives, and school-based management at the district level. Mike's research and policy interests include urban education reform, educational equity, community and parent engagement, and research and evaluation design. Mike holds an EdM and an EdD from Harvard University.
Michael_Grady@brown.edu
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Richard Gray
Director, Community Organizing and Engagement – National
Richard Gray has been a co-leader of the Community Involvement Program (CIP) since 1998 and is instrumental in helping to shape CIP's direction, with an emphasis on the eight-city national program. His work includes giving presentations, facilitating strategic plans, and conducting site visits in support of community school reform groups in Boston, Baltimore, Detroit, and Kansas City. He was involved with New York University's Institute for Education and Social Policy (IESP), from its inception in 1995, including consulting to the director on community organizing for education reform. As a visiting fellow with the Citizens Planning and Housing Association in Baltimore in 1997, Richard provided strategic planning and organizational support, training, and leadership curriculum development for a broad community development agenda that included housing and education. In the mid-1990s, his consulting clients included community-based education reform groups in Boston and San Francisco, as well as IESP. From 1988 to 1996, he was co-executive director of the National Coalition of Advocates For Students in Boston, where he restructured the governance system and provided technical assistance. Richard holds a J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law, Berkeley, CA, where he received the Graduate Minority Fellowship, and a BA from Brown University. He serves on the boards of California Tomorrow, the Cross City Campaign For Urban School Reform, and the Organizing Support Center. He has published extensively on education reform, including The Good Common School: Making the Vision Work for All Children. His Analysis of Federal School Discipline and Special Education Data Rate generated significant public interest — over 200 news articles that resulted in school reforms.
Richard_Gray@brown.edu
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Barbara Gross
Senior Collaborative Coordinator, Brooklyn Education Collaborative
Barbara Gross coordinates the work of the Brooklyn Education Collaborative, which brings together community groups, parent groups, the teachers union, and other unions working toward greater equity in middle-grade schools in East Brooklyn. She has worked as a community organizer, trainer, and educator for the last twenty-five years. She began as an organizer for ACORN in 1980 and moved to Bronx Educational Services (BES) in 1987, where she taught adult literacy and trained literacy providers around the country in learner-centered approaches to adult education. In 1992, in response to concerns of BES learners, and together with them, she conceived of The Parent Organizing and Education Project, the predecessor for Mothers on the Move, which Barbara co-founded and where she worked as co-director until 1998. Barbara worked as a consultant and, later, as a senior project director at New York University's Institute for Education and Social Policy, where she provided training and technical assistance to community groups organizing for better schools, participated in research studies of the impact of community organizing on school change, and facilitated the New York City Organizers Network. She holds a BS in political science and education from from Cornell University.
Barbara_Gross@brown.edu
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H
Kathryn Hardie
Coordinator, Director's Office
Kathryn Hardie coordinates administration of the directors' office. She is the principal liaison with the Institute's Board of Overseers and is also responsible for coordinating, planning, and executing all Institute development activities. Prior to working at the Institute, Kathy was the development manager/administrative manager for the Coalition of Essential Schools (CES). She worked for Ted Sizer from his founding of CES in 1984 until his retirement from Brown and has been working at Brown for over thirty years. She was also executive assistant to the vice-president of the Rhode Island School of Design for over four years. She has attended the University of Rhode Island, Providence College, and the Rhode Island School of Design, where she studied ceramics and illustration.
Kathy_Hardie@brown.edu
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Megan Hester
Collaborative Coordinator, Brooklyn-Queens 4 Education
Megan Hester coordinates the work of Brooklyn-Queens 4 Education (BQ4E), a collaborative that organizes parents in the immigrant communities of Region 4 around school improvement. Previously, she was a parent and youth organizer with Central Brooklyn Churches and ACORN and led anti-oppression programs for youth and adults with the National Conference for Community and Justice. She has a BA in Latino Studies and Economics from Columbia University and an MA in American Studies from the City University of New York.
Megan_Hester@brown.edu
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J
Irena Jaroszewski
Administrative Assistant/Office Manager, New York Office
Irena Jaroszewski is responsible for administrative support to the Community Involvement Program and is the office manager for the Annenberg Institute's New York City office. Prior to joining the Institute, she was assistant to the human resources director at New Visions for Public Schools. Previously, she was a senior associate in production and circulation for Dance Magazine at the Macfadden Communications Group and project coordinator at American Illustration and American Photography. She has taken coursework in administration and music at Brooklyn College.
Irena Jaroszewski
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K
Haewon Kim
Graphic Designer, Communications
Haewon Kim provides in-house design and layout services for publications and for the Institute as a whole. Haewon has attended both the Rhode Island School of Design and Rhode Island College.
Haewon_Kim@brown.edu
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Deborah King
Associate Director, Organizational and Leadership Development
Deborah (Debi) King directs the Institute's organizational development efforts, including facilitating communication and collaboration between the New York and Providence offices, coordinating with Brown's Office of Human Resources on performance development planning, and serving on the Institute's Leadership Team and Strategic Management Group. She works with education leaders across the country to develop the instructional and organizational capacity of schools and school systems to make data-informed decisions that focus on student achievement. Prior to joining the Institute, she served in a variety of capacities including classroom teacher, curriculum specialist, program coordinator, university instructor, principal, educational consultant, and director of professional development services. She holds a BA in liberal studies from Loyola Marymount University, a master's degree in educational administration from Azusa Pacific University, and a doctoral degree in educational leadership and policy from the University of Utah. Her recent publications include her doctoral study, "Principals' Perceptions of Changes in Practice Resulting from Professional Development Programs" and two articles in Educational Leadership.
Debi_King@brown.edu
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L
Danielle Lilly
Administrative Assistant, Operations
Danielle Lilly provides administrative support to Providence and New York staff for ongoing projects. Prior to joining the Institute, she provided administrative support for a private mental health practice. She is interested in visual media such as film and photography and their impact on culture and people. She is an amateur photographer, volunteers as an assistant to a local professional photographer, writes film reviews for the local magazine Motif, and is writing a children’s book. She holds an associate of art degree and is currently working toward a bachelorŐs degree in visual media and cultural studies at Granite State College, which she plans to complete in spring 2009.
Danielle_Lilly@brown.edu
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Scott Martin
Technology Manager
Scott Martin is responsible for all desktop needs and for all server, system, and network support. Previously, Scott worked in the Brown University Computer Store and at Apple doing software and hardware sales to K–12 schools. He received an associate's degree from Dean College. Scott is currently enrolled at the University of Phoenix online, pursuing a bachelor's of science degree in information technology.
Scott_Martin@brown.edu
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Jason Masten
Technology Coordinator, New York Office
Jason Masten works with the technology team to support Annenberg Institute staff. He is responsible for the computer equipment, VoIP phone system, video conferencing, and Web sites at the Institute's New York City office. Before coming to the Institute, Jason worked as a technology consultant for the Power Consulting Group in New York City, providing technology support and maintenance to companies throughout the city. Jason has been working in the technology field since 2003. Jason's technology career began in the Army National Guard. He has served as a Military Policeman in the Army National Guard since 1999. In 2003, he was deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. "Everyone had a computer over there but when they crashed, no one knew how to fix them." His unit commander appointed him the additional duties of Systems Security Manager and Unit Webmaster. Jason holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in graphic design from Salisbury University.
Jason_Masten@brown.edu
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Sara McAlister
Research Associate
Sara McAlister manages qualitative data for a Charles Stewart Mott Foundation study of community organizing efforts around school reform. She works with the Mott research team to synthesize qualitative and quantitative data and draft working papers and presentations. She joined the Mott research team as a research assistant while completing her master's degree in public administration. Previously, she was a classroom teacher at a dual-language elementary school in the Bronx. Sara holds an MPA in public policy from New York University's Wagner School, an MS in elementary education from Pace University, and a BA in architecture from Yale University. Sara is a co-author of Community Organizing for Stronger Schools: Strategies and Successes, published by Harvard Education Press.
Sara_McAlister@brown.edu
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Deborah McKenna
Contract/Financial Coordinator
Deborah McKenna is responsible for generating and monitoring all contracts and related invoicing for outsourced work by consultants. She assists in preparing financial reports for the Institute as well as reconciling and tracking expenditures for grant monies. Previously, she worked at MedSafe in Waltham, MA, where she was the contracts administrator. Deb earned a BA from Rhode Island College.
Deborah_A_McKenna@brown.edu
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Jacob Mishook
Senior Research Associate, District Redesign
Jacob Mishook's work includes managing AISR’s work related to Arts Education, managing internal evaluation and documentation of the Transatlantic School Innovation Alliance as well as enhancing the rigor of the research and data analysis of the District Redesign and Leadership work in sites. Previously, Jacob worked as an educational researcher in the Center for Technology in Learning at SRI International. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and sociology with honors in education from Stanford University and a doctorate in educational theory and policy from Pennsylvania State University. His interests include school reform, assessment, and arts education. His dissertation examined the impact of high-stakes testing on arts education at both arts-focused and non-arts-focused elementary schools.
Jacob_Mishook@brown.edu
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Christina Mokhtar
Research Associate
Christina provides publicly available data and research analyses for the Community Involvement Program's efforts in supporting community organizing. She works with public agencies and community-based organizations to ensure access to meaningful data and research to inform policy decisions, promote greater public accountability, and help community groups improve public education in New York City and other urban areas. Previously, she was a research officer at the Social Disadvantage Research Centre in Oxford, UK, while completing her PhD at Oxford. Her work at the center included analyzing and measuring poverty and social deprivation; she made major contributions to projects such as the English Indices of Deprivation, which form the basis for the distribution of substantial financial resources to local government authorities across England, and the National Evaluation of the New Deal for Communities (NDC) Programme, which assesses the effectiveness of the English government's flagship neighborhood regeneration initiative. Christina holds a PhD in social policy from the University of Oxford and a bachelor's of sociology, bachelor's of social work, and master's in social welfare policy from McMaster University, Ontario, Canada. Her fields of interest include urban disadvantage, poverty, ethnicity, social policy, and education.
Christina_Mokhtar@brown.edu
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Kate Monteiro
Systems Coordinator
Kate Monteiro works in the technology group on internal systems development and support. She returns to the Institute after several years at the Education Alliance at Brown University. A historian by training and a civil rights advocate by passion, Kate holds a BA from Dartmouth and an MA from Brown in American civilization. She will complete a master's of public administration from the University of Rhode Island in December 2007.
Katherine_Monteiro@brown.edu
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Judith Pelchat
Principal Associate, District Redesign
Jude Pelchat's work focuses on the central office review process for the Institute's District Redesign initiative and on communities of practice and leadership development for other Institute initiatives. Her career has combined teaching and research. She has taught biological sciences and environmental sciences in secondary schools, soil science at the University of Rhode Island and at Purdue University, and theater arts at a suburban high school. She has done renal research at Rhode Island Hospital and agronomic research at Purdue, as well as horticultural fieldwork in Israel and research on crop protection and pest control in the Republic of Niger. While teaching mathematics and sciences at School One, an independent alternative high school in Providence, Jude served as a consultant for the Coalition of Essential Schools, focusing her efforts on the Math/Science Fellows Project. She holds a BS in Zoology from the University of Rhode Island and a PhD in agronomy from Purdue University.
Judith_Pelchat@brown.edu
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Deinya Phenix
Senior Research Associate
Deinya Phenix helps community-based collaborative and research organizations obtain and analyze public education data. She manages a growing library of public school and district data and provides technical assistance to the Community Involvement Program and to other staff in statistical applications and research design. She conducts and collaborates on research projects that study the social geography of educational opportunity, teacher compensation and learning communities, New York State district administrators appointed to serve as liaisons for homeless students, discipline and policing in New York City schools, and schools that beat the demographic odds. Prior to joining CIP, Deinya worked as a research programmer at the New York City Criminal Justice Agency and as a research associate at the Institute for Social Research. Deinya's multifaceted perspective on urban education stems from her social science background. She holds a master's degree in sociology from the University of New Mexico and is a doctoral candidate in sociology at New York University.
Deinya_Phenix@brown.edu
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Tracie Potochnik
Research Analyst, District Redesign
Tracie Potochnik provides research and other support for the District Redesign initiative. She researches and writes for various reports and publications; assists with meeting planning; and documents and helps facilitate communications between the Institute and the work sites. Before coming to the Institute, Tracie worked as a program assistant at the Public Education Fund in Providence. Tracie received a BA in English with a correlate in women's studies from Vassar College and also completed coursework at the University of Sydney in Australia.
Tracie_Potochnik@brown.edu
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Alethea Frazier Raynor
Principal Associate
Alethea Raynor recently rejoined the Institute staff to lead the New Orleans research team for the 2009 Emerging Knowledge Forum. She has worked on education issues in post-Katrina New Orleans since 2006, when she joined the National Coalition for Quality Education in New Orleans. Previously, she headed the Institute’s team in providing technical assistance to Carnegie Corporation’s Schools for a New Society initiative and, in collaboration with the technical support partners, in developing a final case study of the progress and challenges of systemic high school reform in three of the sites. Prior to coming to the Institute, she taught at Clark University and, most recently, founded the Risers Academy for Young Men, an all-male pilot program in the Savannah-Chatham County (SC) Public Schools designed to help young Black males achieve academic success. She has worked as a classroom teacher, guidance counselor, equity specialist, and central office administrator in Boston, Baltimore, and the District of Columbia public schools, and at the state education level providing professional development for principals and district leaders in Maryland. She holds a B.A. in sociology from Boston University, a M.Ed. in counseling from the University of Massachusetts–Boston, and a Ph.D. in education from Clark University.
Alethea_Raynor@brown.edu
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Michelle Renée
Senior Research Associate; Assistant Clinical Professor, Master’s in Urban Education Policy Program, Brown University
Michelle Renée uses her expertise in education policy, research translation, and community organizing to work across multiple projects and teams. She is currently working with the Mott Research Team on disseminating research findings and will be part of the Institute’s teaching team for the summer session of the Urban Education Policy master’s program. Her research focuses on the role of researchers and low-income communities of color on improving the equity of education policy. She has experience in public policy from both government and community organizing perspectives, as a legislative assistant in the U.S. Congress and as one of the co-founders of the Sierra Student Coalition, the student arm of the Sierra Club. Prior to joining the Institute, she was a post-doctoral fellow at UCLA’s Institute for Democracy Education and Access, where she conducted research, briefed elected officials, and built partnerships between politicians, researchers, and community organizers. She is program chair for the American Education Research Association Grassroots Youth and Community Organizing Special Interest Group. She holds a B.A. from the University of California–Santa Cruz and a Ph.D. in education from the University of California–Los Angeles.
Michelle_Renee@brown.edu
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Amy Rittenhouse
Information Analyst/Web Designer, Communications
Amy Rittenhouse manages the Institute's multiple Web sites and is responsible for whole-site planning, design, content and conceptual development, and day-to-day maintenance. Prior to joining the Institute, she worked for seven years at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in admissions and alumni relations. Amy holds a BFA in printmaking from RISD and a BA in geology from Smith College.
Amy_Rittenhouse@brown.edu
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Hiram Rivera
Co-Coordinator, Urban Youth Collaborative
Hiram Rivera co-coordinates a coalition of youth organizations aimed at influencing high school reform in New York City. He supports youth organizations focused on community organizing throughout the city by providing technical assistance through trainings, resource sharing, and strategizing. Prior to coming to the Institute, he served as the youth organizing coordinator for Youth Rights Media, which aims to empower youth to know, protect, and advance their rights by engaging in media production and community organizing. He came to Youth Rights Media as a member of Public Allies in 2004.
Hiram_Rivera@brown.edu
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Jonathan D. Seamans
Director of Finance and Administration
Jonathan Seamans has overall responsibility for the InstituteŐs financial and administrative activities. He oversees three primary areas of operations: budget and finance, human resources, and facilities. Before coming to the Institute, Jonathan served as the assistant director for administration and finance at the Rhode Island School for the Deaf, where he served on the finance, building, and policy committees and was a member of the Rhode Island Association of School Business Officials. Previously, he worked at the Rhode Island Department of Health as a financial administrator and in the Rhode Island State Budget Office as a budget analyst. Jonathan holds a B.S. in economics from Clarkson University and an M.P.A. from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. He is a member of the Delta II Class of Leadership Rhode Island.
Jonathan_Seamans@brown.edu
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David Sigler
Principal Associate, District Redesign
David Sigler's work focuses on using the Institute's district redesign tools in site-based partnerships and on designing and testing new tools. He also examines issues of collective bargaining in education reform. Prior to joining the Institute, he spent five years with the New Teacher Project working on the organization's strategic partnerships with school districts and human resources departments nationally; two years placing and supporting teachers with Teach for America; and two years as a second-grade teacher with the District of Columbia Public Schools. David holds a BA in philosophy from Creighton University and an MA in moral and political philosophy from the University of Illinois. His primary focus is urban education reform, with concentrations on the role of teachers unions in school reform and the role of a school district's central office in leading reform efforts.
David_Sigler@brown.edu
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Warren Simmons
Executive Director
Warren Simmons directs the work of the Institute. Before joining the Institute in 1998, he was executive director of the Philadelphia Education Fund, where he supported districtwide efforts to enact standards-based reform. He received a B.A. in psychology from Macalester College and a PhD in psychology from Cornell University. He serves on the boards of several national and local education organizations including the Public Education Network, the National Center on Education and the Economy, and the Rhode Island Children's Crusade.
Warren_Simmons@brown.edu
> Complete biography
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Joanne Thompson
Research Associate, District Redesign
Joanne Thompson researches general resources, compiles and analyzes data, compiles annotated bibliographies, writes reports and publications, and helps plan and prepare various meetings and site work. Before coming to the Institute, she was a teaching assistant in the classics department at Brown University. Joanne received a BA in classics and Spanish from the University of Missouri and has completed the coursework for a master's degree in classics at Brown.
Joanne_Thompson@brown.edu
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Marla Ucelli Kashyap
Director, District Redesign
Marla Ucelli directs the Institute's work in district redesign, which responds to district requests to build their capacity in key areas such as central office infrastructure and school district organization. From 2000 to 2002, her primary responsibility was School Communities that Work: A National Task Force on the Future of Urban Districts, culminating in the publication of the Portfolio for District Redesign, a set of interrelated frameworks, tools, and other resources to help school districts make the transition toward a new kind of support system, a "smart district." Prior to joining the Institute, she was associate director in the Equal Opportunity Division at the Rockefeller Foundation, where she was responsible for the Foundation's efforts to improve the education and development of children going to school in poor urban communities in the U.S. From 1990 to 1998, Marla was special assistant for education to New Jersey Governor Thomas H. Kean. In that post, she was the governor's senior advisor on state policy issues in K–12 and higher education, as well as on national education activities. Prior to that, she was special assistant to then-president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Ernest L. Boyer. Marla holds a BA from New York University and an MPA from Rutgers. She frequently speaks and writes on issues related to urban district redesign, philanthropy in education, and urban community colleges.
Marla_Ucelli@brown.edu
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Carol Walker
Program Coordinator, District Redesign
Carol Walker is responsible for coordinating the administration, financial activities, and consulting agreements for the district redesign work. She coordinates, plans, and executes the logistics of district redesign meetings and is the key communications person between district redesign staff, consultants, and constituents. She also assists the Institute's deputy director. Carol has been a Brown employee since 1978 and, previously, worked as assistant to the director of a multidiscipline center and in the department of sociology. She received a bachelor's degree in human studies from the University of Rhode Island.
Carol_Walker@brown.edu
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Darlene Westberg
Receptionist/Staff Assistant
Darlene Westberg provides customer service and assistance to guests,students, and the staff. She has worked at Brown University for more than twenty years in departments such as Admissions, Human Resources, and Advancement. She attended Bryant University and received a certificate in human resources management.
Darlene_Westberg@brown.edu
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Kenneth Wong
The Walter and Leonore Annenberg Professor in Education Policy;
Professor of Education and Public Policy;
Director of the Urban Education Policy Program
Kenneth Wong has joined the education department faculty as the first Walter and Leonore Annenberg Professor for Education Policy and Professor of Education. While holding joint appointments with the education department and the Institute, he heads Brown's master's program in urban education policy. The twelve-month program, designed to prepare students for professional careers involving policy development and analysis in urban public education, is a collaborative effort of the Education Department, the Institute, the Taubman Center for Public Policy, and The Education Alliance.
Kenneth_Wong@brown.edu
> Complete biography, publications and research
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Marisol Zacarias
Youth Organizing Trainer
Marisol Zacarias is the youth organizing trainer for the Urban Youth Collaborative, a coalition of youth organizations aimed at influencing high school reform in New York City. She supports youth organizations focused on community organizing throughout the city by providing technical assistance through trainings, resource sharing, and strategizing. Prior to coming to the Institute, Marisol served as an organizer and advocate in Los Angeles for three years. She was a youth organizer for South Central Youth Empowered thru Action, the youth component within Community Coalition, in South Central Los Angeles; worked in East Los Angeles as a parent organizer at a high school; and worked on various campaigns focusing on educational equity. She grew up in Brooklyn and attended school from kindergarten through high school in the New York City public education system. She has a B.A. in political science from Syracuse University.
Marisol_Zacarias@brown.edu
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Eric Zachary
Director, Community Organizing and Engagement – New York City
Eric Zachary is a senior project director in the Community Involvement Program. He designs and provides training and technical assistance programs to community-based groups that are organizing parents in low-income and working-class neighborhoods to improve their public schools. He has been the coordinator of the Community Collaborative to Improve Bronx Schools since its inception more than four years ago. He is also an associate clinical professor in New York University's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, where he teaches community organizing and public service. Previously, Eric worked as a union organizer for Local 1199 of the Hospital and Health Care Workers Union. He also has extensive experience as a trainer in community-based settings. He was the coordinator of the City University of New York (CUNY) Parent Leadership Project, which provided comprehensive leadership training to leaders of parent associations in the New York City public schools, and spent several years developing training programs for block and tenant association leaders at the Citizens Committee for New York City. Eric holds a doctor of social welfare degree from CUNY's Graduate Center/Hunter College School of Social Work and a master's in social work degree in community organizing from the Hunter College School of Social Work. He has written about rebuilding a poor community by organizing parents to improve local public schools and about the role of leadership training in the rebuilding of poor and working-class urban communities. A life-long resident of Brooklyn, Eric is a product of public education from kindergarten through his doctorate.
Eric_Zachary@brown.edu
Staff Biographies
[ A ] [ B ] [ C ] [ D ] [ E ] [ F ] [ G ] [ H ] [ J ] [ K ] [ L ] [ M ] [ P ] [ R ] [ S ] [ T ] [ U ] [ W ] [ Z ]
A
James M. Adams
Financial Manager
James Adams is responsible for the Insititute's financial management. He ensures that the department is in compliance with Brown University and funder financial policies and procedures and identifies and meets short-term and long-range financial planning needs. Jim has worked at Brown since 1992, has served on the President's Staff Advisory Committee, and is actively involved with the RI/Brown community. Prior to joining the Institute, he was business manager for the ATLAS Project at the Coalition of Essential Schools. He holds a BS/BA in management from Bryant College.
James_Adams@brown.eduMary C. Arkins Decasse
Publications Coordinator, Communications
Mary Arkins Decasse is responsible for all aspects of publication production, including fulfillment of orders, invoicing, and proofreading. She works with all Institute staff as well as with outside vendors and Brown Graphic Services. She has worked at Brown University since 1994. Before coming to the Institute, she worked at the Coalition of Essential Schools as event coordinator of its Annual Fall Forum and as financial coordinator. Mary holds an associate in science degree in nursing from the Community College of Rhode Island and is a registered nurse.
Mary_Arkins@brown.eduCarol Ascher
Principal Associate
Carol Ascher directs a cluster of multiyear projects aimed at understanding the charter school movement, including studies that follow the charter school start-up and conversion process; compare the effects of charter status in New York City on autonomy, finance, accountability, and school supports; examine the effects of charter reform on the authorizers and other state and local agencies; and analyze the relationships charter schools are forming with educational management organizations and other private organizations that support them. She also leads a national study investigating the opportunity to learn in urban charter schools. Previously, Carol's two-year analysis for the New York State Department of Education's process for identifying and improving its lowest-performing schools resulted in Schools on Notice and Schools in Context. Carol holds a PhD in anthropology from Columbia University. Her research has focused on educational equity, including desegregation, school finance, and improving schools serving low-income children of color. She is co-author of Public Schools and Privatization and author of the novel The Flood, which depicts the beginning of Brown v. Board of Education. Carol's book Afterimages: A Family Memoir, a memoir of growing up in Kansas as the child of Holocaust refugees is available from Holmes & Meier.
Carol_Ascher@brown.eduB
Tara Bahl
Research Analyst
Tara Bahl helps community-based and research organizations obtain and analyze public education data. She also collaborates with others at the Institute on research projects that study discipline and policing in New York City Schools, graduation and dropout, and the effects of community organizing on urban school reform. Previously, she was a member of Literacy*Americorps in Pittsburgh, where she taught ESL and Adult Basic Education to recent immigrants, incarcerated adults, and discharged or dropout youth. She also taught gifted and talented youth at the Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University. She holds B.A. degrees in English literature, political science, and anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh and an M.A. in urban studies from New York University. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in urban education policy at CUNY Graduate Center. Her primary research interest is the places and ways youth civic identity is built in urban communities, both within schools and in institutions outside schools.
Tara_Bahl@brown.edu
Staff Editor/Research Analyst
Margaret Balch-Gonzalez manages a range of editorial projects for publication by the Institute and provides research, documentation, and liaison support for several major Institute projects. Prior to joining the Institute in 2004, she worked as a freelance editor and writer, held corporate marketing and product development positions, and taught K-8 science and ESL in Rhode Island, Argentina, and Ecuador. She has a BA in biology from Harvard University and an MBA from the University of Rhode Island.
Margaret_Balch-Gonzalez@brown.eduMili Bonilla
Director, Collaborative Training
Mili Bonilla provides strategic assistance and training to community organizations engaged in school organizing efforts. In 1992, she co-founded and directed Mothers on the Move, a grassroots organization that organized parents and community residents in the fight to reform failing schools in Hunts Point/Longwood in the South Bronx.
Mili_Bonilla@brown.eduC
Lily Carter
Coordinator, Personnel and Facilities
Lily Carter is responsible for the Institute's payroll records and personnel transactions in coordination with Brown's human resources department. She facilitates upkeep and maintenance of the office space and equipment and is the liaison between the Institute and the University's physical plant and telecommunications departments. She has been working at Brown University since 1989. Previously, Lily worked at the Coalition of Essential Schools for Ted Sizer, Director, as well as for the director of finance and administration.
Lily_Carter@brown.eduD
James Dorian, Jr.
Technology Support Coordinator
James Dorian assists the Institute’s staff with desktop and software issues and day-to-day computer concerns; he is also responsible for staff training on a variety of computing platforms. He has worked in academic technical support in several departments at Brown for more than a decade, as well as at the University’s computer help desk. He has been a teaching assistant in the field of Religious Studies at Bryant University, Providence College, Wheaton College, and the Brown Learning Community. He graduated with a B.A. in History/Business from Bryant and more recently earned an A.S. in Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales.
James_Dorian@brown.eduCaitlin Ervin
Senior Collaborative Coordinator for Youth Organizing
Caitlin Ervin supports the work of the Urban Youth Collaborative (UYC), a coalition of youth organizations working for high school reform in New York City. She provides support and training to UYC leaders in developing and implementing high school reform campaigns and helps the group create strategic alliances to build its effectiveness in citywide reform efforts. Before coming to the Institute, she spent five years as director of community organizing at Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation, a multi-service settlement house in East New York, Brooklyn, where, she worked with a parent education reform organizing group and launched the creation of the agency’s youth organizing program. Previously, she held social work positions in family-based counseling, traumatic brain injury, and foster care prevention. She earned a B.A. in English from the University of New Hampshire and a master’s in social work (with a concentration in community organizing) from Hunter College School of Social Work.
Caitlin_Ervin@brown.eduStacey Ferreira
Financial Coordinator
Stacey Ferreira serves as the central liaison and advisor for Institute staff and Brown University to ensure that all financial documents and transactions comply with Institute, University, and funder policies and guidelines. She also collaboratively oversees reconciliation of ledger accounts and produces financial reports for Institute leadership. Prior to joining the Institute, she was employed in Brown's Auxiliary Housing/Rental Properties office; she has been working at Brown since 1994. She holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Rhode Island.
Stacey_Ferreira@brown.eduSusan Fisher
Associate Director, Communications
Susan Fisher is responsible for the editing and production of all print publications, for promotion and sales of print and video materials, and for coordination of print and Web materials. She has worked at Brown since 1988, first at the Coalition of Essential Schools as editor/writer and, since 1994, at the Institute. Previously, she served as manager of publications at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in New York City and taught in the Los Angeles City Schools for four years. Susan received a BA in English from Wells College and has done graduate work in linguistics at Brown University. She completed coursework for the elementary teaching credential at the University of Southern California and was a member of the first cohort to complete the New York University Program in Publishing.
Susan_Fisher@brown.eduEllen Foley
Associate Director, District Redesign and Leadership;
Assistant Clinical Professor, Master's in Urban Education Policy Program, Brown University
Ellen Foley is responsible for leading the design of District Redesign and Leadership research studies and convenings from concept to product and for managing cross-functional internal teams and external consultants. She also leads the development and production of a variety of tools for district leaders, oversees research and evaluation related to national District Redesign and Leadership field work. She is an assistant clinical professor at Brown, teaching in the Master's in Urban Education Policy Program. Prior to joining the Institute, she was a research specialist at the Consortium for Policy Research in Education, where she worked on the evaluation of Children Achieving, Philadelphia's districtwide education reform effort. Ellen holds a BA in political science from Boston College and an MSEd and doctorate in education policy from the University of Pennsylvania. Her primary research interest is urban education, with a focus on the central office's role in leading reform efforts. She co-chairs the American Educational Research Association’s Special Interest Group on Districts in Research and Reform.
Ellen_Foley@brown.eduNorm Fruchter
Principal Associate, Community Organizing and Engagement
Norm Fruchter directs the work of the Community Involvement Program, formerly part of New York University's (NYU) Institute for Education and Social Policy (IESP), and is a clinical professor of education policy at New York University. Previously, he was director of IESP, which he formed in 1995, in collaboration with the deans of NYU's Steinhardt School of Education and Wagner School of Public Service, with the mission of improving public education so that all students, particularly in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, obtain a just and equitable education and can participate effectively in a democratic society. Previously, Norm served as a senior consultant with the Academy for Educational Development and Advocates for Children of New York; director of the Institute for Citizen Involvement in Education in New Jersey; co-founder and co-director of Independence High School in Newark, an alternative high school for dropouts; and, for ten years, an elected school board member in Brooklyn's District 15. He holds a BA from Rutgers University and an MEd from Teachers College, Columbia University. He has published extensively in the field of education policy and equity. He has also written two novels and made four films.
Norm_Fruchter@brown.eduG
Ivonne Garcia
Research Analyst
Ivonne Garcia assists in the maintenance and expansion of the library of New York City and national educational data. She also provides research support to community organizing and engagement efforts and to a project on arts education in New York City Schools. Previously, she held an analyst position at Marakon Associates, a management consultancy. Before joining Marakon, she served as a math teacher at a New York City public high school. Ivonne graduated from Columbia University in 2001 with a BA in mathematics. She is currently pursuing a master's in public administration and public policy at New York University. Her research interests include urban education, multiple pathways to educational attainment, strategic partnerships in education systems, and measurements of student achievement.
Ivonne_Garcia@brown.eduDeputy Director
Michael Grady acts as the Institute's deputy director. He also serves as principal investigator of a major collaboration between the Institute and the National League of Cities that will work with mayors, municipal leaders, and their education policy advisers on strategies to increase the public's awareness, participation and stake in local school-improvement initiatives in the context of No Child Left Behind. Prior to joining the Institute, Mike was a senior research associate at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, where he managed the research and evaluation portfolio. He has also served as director of research and evaluation for a major urban school district, research associate for a court-appointed committee charged with developing and evaluating magnet schools, and high school teacher in the U.S. and abroad. He has conducted research on the Comer School Development Program, educational equity initiatives, and school-based management at the district level. Mike's research and policy interests include urban education reform, educational equity, community and parent engagement, and research and evaluation design. Mike holds an EdM and an EdD from Harvard University.
Michael_Grady@brown.edu
Richard Gray
Director, Community Organizing and Engagement – National
Richard Gray has been a co-leader of the Community Involvement Program (CIP) since 1998 and is instrumental in helping to shape CIP's direction, with an emphasis on the eight-city national program. His work includes giving presentations, facilitating strategic plans, and conducting site visits in support of community school reform groups in Boston, Baltimore, Detroit, and Kansas City. He was involved with New York University's Institute for Education and Social Policy (IESP), from its inception in 1995, including consulting to the director on community organizing for education reform. As a visiting fellow with the Citizens Planning and Housing Association in Baltimore in 1997, Richard provided strategic planning and organizational support, training, and leadership curriculum development for a broad community development agenda that included housing and education. In the mid-1990s, his consulting clients included community-based education reform groups in Boston and San Francisco, as well as IESP. From 1988 to 1996, he was co-executive director of the National Coalition of Advocates For Students in Boston, where he restructured the governance system and provided technical assistance. Richard holds a J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law, Berkeley, CA, where he received the Graduate Minority Fellowship, and a BA from Brown University. He serves on the boards of California Tomorrow, the Cross City Campaign For Urban School Reform, and the Organizing Support Center. He has published extensively on education reform, including The Good Common School: Making the Vision Work for All Children. His Analysis of Federal School Discipline and Special Education Data Rate generated significant public interest — over 200 news articles that resulted in school reforms.
Richard_Gray@brown.eduBarbara Gross
Senior Collaborative Coordinator, Brooklyn Education Collaborative
Barbara Gross coordinates the work of the Brooklyn Education Collaborative, which brings together community groups, parent groups, the teachers union, and other unions working toward greater equity in middle-grade schools in East Brooklyn. She has worked as a community organizer, trainer, and educator for the last twenty-five years. She began as an organizer for ACORN in 1980 and moved to Bronx Educational Services (BES) in 1987, where she taught adult literacy and trained literacy providers around the country in learner-centered approaches to adult education. In 1992, in response to concerns of BES learners, and together with them, she conceived of The Parent Organizing and Education Project, the predecessor for Mothers on the Move, which Barbara co-founded and where she worked as co-director until 1998. Barbara worked as a consultant and, later, as a senior project director at New York University's Institute for Education and Social Policy, where she provided training and technical assistance to community groups organizing for better schools, participated in research studies of the impact of community organizing on school change, and facilitated the New York City Organizers Network. She holds a BS in political science and education from from Cornell University.
Barbara_Gross@brown.eduH
Kathryn Hardie
Coordinator, Director's Office
Kathryn Hardie coordinates administration of the directors' office. She is the principal liaison with the Institute's Board of Overseers and is also responsible for coordinating, planning, and executing all Institute development activities. Prior to working at the Institute, Kathy was the development manager/administrative manager for the Coalition of Essential Schools (CES). She worked for Ted Sizer from his founding of CES in 1984 until his retirement from Brown and has been working at Brown for over thirty years. She was also executive assistant to the vice-president of the Rhode Island School of Design for over four years. She has attended the University of Rhode Island, Providence College, and the Rhode Island School of Design, where she studied ceramics and illustration.
Kathy_Hardie@brown.eduMegan Hester
Collaborative Coordinator, Brooklyn-Queens 4 Education
Megan Hester coordinates the work of Brooklyn-Queens 4 Education (BQ4E), a collaborative that organizes parents in the immigrant communities of Region 4 around school improvement. Previously, she was a parent and youth organizer with Central Brooklyn Churches and ACORN and led anti-oppression programs for youth and adults with the National Conference for Community and Justice. She has a BA in Latino Studies and Economics from Columbia University and an MA in American Studies from the City University of New York.
Megan_Hester@brown.eduJ
Irena Jaroszewski
Administrative Assistant/Office Manager, New York Office
Irena Jaroszewski is responsible for administrative support to the Community Involvement Program and is the office manager for the Annenberg Institute's New York City office. Prior to joining the Institute, she was assistant to the human resources director at New Visions for Public Schools. Previously, she was a senior associate in production and circulation for Dance Magazine at the Macfadden Communications Group and project coordinator at American Illustration and American Photography. She has taken coursework in administration and music at Brooklyn College.
Irena Jaroszewski
K
Haewon Kim
Graphic Designer, Communications
Haewon Kim provides in-house design and layout services for publications and for the Institute as a whole. Haewon has attended both the Rhode Island School of Design and Rhode Island College.
Haewon_Kim@brown.edu
Deborah King
Associate Director, Organizational and Leadership Development
Deborah (Debi) King directs the Institute's organizational development efforts, including facilitating communication and collaboration between the New York and Providence offices, coordinating with Brown's Office of Human Resources on performance development planning, and serving on the Institute's Leadership Team and Strategic Management Group. She works with education leaders across the country to develop the instructional and organizational capacity of schools and school systems to make data-informed decisions that focus on student achievement. Prior to joining the Institute, she served in a variety of capacities including classroom teacher, curriculum specialist, program coordinator, university instructor, principal, educational consultant, and director of professional development services. She holds a BA in liberal studies from Loyola Marymount University, a master's degree in educational administration from Azusa Pacific University, and a doctoral degree in educational leadership and policy from the University of Utah. Her recent publications include her doctoral study, "Principals' Perceptions of Changes in Practice Resulting from Professional Development Programs" and two articles in Educational Leadership.
Debi_King@brown.edu
Danielle Lilly
Administrative Assistant, Operations
Danielle Lilly provides administrative support to Providence and New York staff for ongoing projects. Prior to joining the Institute, she provided administrative support for a private mental health practice. She is interested in visual media such as film and photography and their impact on culture and people. She is an amateur photographer, volunteers as an assistant to a local professional photographer, writes film reviews for the local magazine Motif, and is writing a children’s book. She holds an associate of art degree and is currently working toward a bachelorŐs degree in visual media and cultural studies at Granite State College, which she plans to complete in spring 2009.
Danielle_Lilly@brown.eduScott Martin
Technology Manager
Scott Martin is responsible for all desktop needs and for all server, system, and network support. Previously, Scott worked in the Brown University Computer Store and at Apple doing software and hardware sales to K–12 schools. He received an associate's degree from Dean College. Scott is currently enrolled at the University of Phoenix online, pursuing a bachelor's of science degree in information technology.
Scott_Martin@brown.eduJason Masten
Technology Coordinator, New York Office
Jason Masten works with the technology team to support Annenberg Institute staff. He is responsible for the computer equipment, VoIP phone system, video conferencing, and Web sites at the Institute's New York City office. Before coming to the Institute, Jason worked as a technology consultant for the Power Consulting Group in New York City, providing technology support and maintenance to companies throughout the city. Jason has been working in the technology field since 2003. Jason's technology career began in the Army National Guard. He has served as a Military Policeman in the Army National Guard since 1999. In 2003, he was deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. "Everyone had a computer over there but when they crashed, no one knew how to fix them." His unit commander appointed him the additional duties of Systems Security Manager and Unit Webmaster. Jason holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in graphic design from Salisbury University.
Jason_Masten@brown.eduSara McAlister
Research Associate
Sara McAlister manages qualitative data for a Charles Stewart Mott Foundation study of community organizing efforts around school reform. She works with the Mott research team to synthesize qualitative and quantitative data and draft working papers and presentations. She joined the Mott research team as a research assistant while completing her master's degree in public administration. Previously, she was a classroom teacher at a dual-language elementary school in the Bronx. Sara holds an MPA in public policy from New York University's Wagner School, an MS in elementary education from Pace University, and a BA in architecture from Yale University. Sara is a co-author of Community Organizing for Stronger Schools: Strategies and Successes, published by Harvard Education Press.
Sara_McAlister@brown.eduDeborah McKenna
Contract/Financial Coordinator
Deborah McKenna is responsible for generating and monitoring all contracts and related invoicing for outsourced work by consultants. She assists in preparing financial reports for the Institute as well as reconciling and tracking expenditures for grant monies. Previously, she worked at MedSafe in Waltham, MA, where she was the contracts administrator. Deb earned a BA from Rhode Island College.
Deborah_A_McKenna@brown.edu
Jacob Mishook
Senior Research Associate, District Redesign
Jacob Mishook's work includes managing AISR’s work related to Arts Education, managing internal evaluation and documentation of the Transatlantic School Innovation Alliance as well as enhancing the rigor of the research and data analysis of the District Redesign and Leadership work in sites. Previously, Jacob worked as an educational researcher in the Center for Technology in Learning at SRI International. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and sociology with honors in education from Stanford University and a doctorate in educational theory and policy from Pennsylvania State University. His interests include school reform, assessment, and arts education. His dissertation examined the impact of high-stakes testing on arts education at both arts-focused and non-arts-focused elementary schools.
Jacob_Mishook@brown.eduChristina Mokhtar
Research Associate
Christina provides publicly available data and research analyses for the Community Involvement Program's efforts in supporting community organizing. She works with public agencies and community-based organizations to ensure access to meaningful data and research to inform policy decisions, promote greater public accountability, and help community groups improve public education in New York City and other urban areas. Previously, she was a research officer at the Social Disadvantage Research Centre in Oxford, UK, while completing her PhD at Oxford. Her work at the center included analyzing and measuring poverty and social deprivation; she made major contributions to projects such as the English Indices of Deprivation, which form the basis for the distribution of substantial financial resources to local government authorities across England, and the National Evaluation of the New Deal for Communities (NDC) Programme, which assesses the effectiveness of the English government's flagship neighborhood regeneration initiative. Christina holds a PhD in social policy from the University of Oxford and a bachelor's of sociology, bachelor's of social work, and master's in social welfare policy from McMaster University, Ontario, Canada. Her fields of interest include urban disadvantage, poverty, ethnicity, social policy, and education.
Christina_Mokhtar@brown.eduKate Monteiro
Systems Coordinator
Kate Monteiro works in the technology group on internal systems development and support. She returns to the Institute after several years at the Education Alliance at Brown University. A historian by training and a civil rights advocate by passion, Kate holds a BA from Dartmouth and an MA from Brown in American civilization. She will complete a master's of public administration from the University of Rhode Island in December 2007.
Katherine_Monteiro@brown.eduP
Judith Pelchat
Principal Associate, District Redesign
Jude Pelchat's work focuses on the central office review process for the Institute's District Redesign initiative and on communities of practice and leadership development for other Institute initiatives. Her career has combined teaching and research. She has taught biological sciences and environmental sciences in secondary schools, soil science at the University of Rhode Island and at Purdue University, and theater arts at a suburban high school. She has done renal research at Rhode Island Hospital and agronomic research at Purdue, as well as horticultural fieldwork in Israel and research on crop protection and pest control in the Republic of Niger. While teaching mathematics and sciences at School One, an independent alternative high school in Providence, Jude served as a consultant for the Coalition of Essential Schools, focusing her efforts on the Math/Science Fellows Project. She holds a BS in Zoology from the University of Rhode Island and a PhD in agronomy from Purdue University.
Judith_Pelchat@brown.eduDeinya Phenix
Senior Research Associate
Deinya Phenix helps community-based collaborative and research organizations obtain and analyze public education data. She manages a growing library of public school and district data and provides technical assistance to the Community Involvement Program and to other staff in statistical applications and research design. She conducts and collaborates on research projects that study the social geography of educational opportunity, teacher compensation and learning communities, New York State district administrators appointed to serve as liaisons for homeless students, discipline and policing in New York City schools, and schools that beat the demographic odds. Prior to joining CIP, Deinya worked as a research programmer at the New York City Criminal Justice Agency and as a research associate at the Institute for Social Research. Deinya's multifaceted perspective on urban education stems from her social science background. She holds a master's degree in sociology from the University of New Mexico and is a doctoral candidate in sociology at New York University.
Deinya_Phenix@brown.eduTracie Potochnik
Research Analyst, District Redesign
Tracie Potochnik provides research and other support for the District Redesign initiative. She researches and writes for various reports and publications; assists with meeting planning; and documents and helps facilitate communications between the Institute and the work sites. Before coming to the Institute, Tracie worked as a program assistant at the Public Education Fund in Providence. Tracie received a BA in English with a correlate in women's studies from Vassar College and also completed coursework at the University of Sydney in Australia.
Tracie_Potochnik@brown.eduR
Alethea Frazier Raynor
Principal Associate
Alethea Raynor recently rejoined the Institute staff to lead the New Orleans research team for the 2009 Emerging Knowledge Forum. She has worked on education issues in post-Katrina New Orleans since 2006, when she joined the National Coalition for Quality Education in New Orleans. Previously, she headed the Institute’s team in providing technical assistance to Carnegie Corporation’s Schools for a New Society initiative and, in collaboration with the technical support partners, in developing a final case study of the progress and challenges of systemic high school reform in three of the sites. Prior to coming to the Institute, she taught at Clark University and, most recently, founded the Risers Academy for Young Men, an all-male pilot program in the Savannah-Chatham County (SC) Public Schools designed to help young Black males achieve academic success. She has worked as a classroom teacher, guidance counselor, equity specialist, and central office administrator in Boston, Baltimore, and the District of Columbia public schools, and at the state education level providing professional development for principals and district leaders in Maryland. She holds a B.A. in sociology from Boston University, a M.Ed. in counseling from the University of Massachusetts–Boston, and a Ph.D. in education from Clark University.
Alethea_Raynor@brown.eduMichelle Renée
Senior Research Associate; Assistant Clinical Professor, Master’s in Urban Education Policy Program, Brown University
Michelle Renée uses her expertise in education policy, research translation, and community organizing to work across multiple projects and teams. She is currently working with the Mott Research Team on disseminating research findings and will be part of the Institute’s teaching team for the summer session of the Urban Education Policy master’s program. Her research focuses on the role of researchers and low-income communities of color on improving the equity of education policy. She has experience in public policy from both government and community organizing perspectives, as a legislative assistant in the U.S. Congress and as one of the co-founders of the Sierra Student Coalition, the student arm of the Sierra Club. Prior to joining the Institute, she was a post-doctoral fellow at UCLA’s Institute for Democracy Education and Access, where she conducted research, briefed elected officials, and built partnerships between politicians, researchers, and community organizers. She is program chair for the American Education Research Association Grassroots Youth and Community Organizing Special Interest Group. She holds a B.A. from the University of California–Santa Cruz and a Ph.D. in education from the University of California–Los Angeles.
Michelle_Renee@brown.eduAmy Rittenhouse
Information Analyst/Web Designer, Communications
Amy Rittenhouse manages the Institute's multiple Web sites and is responsible for whole-site planning, design, content and conceptual development, and day-to-day maintenance. Prior to joining the Institute, she worked for seven years at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in admissions and alumni relations. Amy holds a BFA in printmaking from RISD and a BA in geology from Smith College.
Amy_Rittenhouse@brown.eduHiram Rivera
Co-Coordinator, Urban Youth Collaborative
Hiram Rivera co-coordinates a coalition of youth organizations aimed at influencing high school reform in New York City. He supports youth organizations focused on community organizing throughout the city by providing technical assistance through trainings, resource sharing, and strategizing. Prior to coming to the Institute, he served as the youth organizing coordinator for Youth Rights Media, which aims to empower youth to know, protect, and advance their rights by engaging in media production and community organizing. He came to Youth Rights Media as a member of Public Allies in 2004.
Hiram_Rivera@brown.eduS
Jonathan D. Seamans
Director of Finance and Administration
Jonathan Seamans has overall responsibility for the InstituteŐs financial and administrative activities. He oversees three primary areas of operations: budget and finance, human resources, and facilities. Before coming to the Institute, Jonathan served as the assistant director for administration and finance at the Rhode Island School for the Deaf, where he served on the finance, building, and policy committees and was a member of the Rhode Island Association of School Business Officials. Previously, he worked at the Rhode Island Department of Health as a financial administrator and in the Rhode Island State Budget Office as a budget analyst. Jonathan holds a B.S. in economics from Clarkson University and an M.P.A. from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. He is a member of the Delta II Class of Leadership Rhode Island.
Jonathan_Seamans@brown.eduDavid Sigler
Principal Associate, District Redesign
David Sigler's work focuses on using the Institute's district redesign tools in site-based partnerships and on designing and testing new tools. He also examines issues of collective bargaining in education reform. Prior to joining the Institute, he spent five years with the New Teacher Project working on the organization's strategic partnerships with school districts and human resources departments nationally; two years placing and supporting teachers with Teach for America; and two years as a second-grade teacher with the District of Columbia Public Schools. David holds a BA in philosophy from Creighton University and an MA in moral and political philosophy from the University of Illinois. His primary focus is urban education reform, with concentrations on the role of teachers unions in school reform and the role of a school district's central office in leading reform efforts.
David_Sigler@brown.eduWarren Simmons
Executive Director
Warren Simmons directs the work of the Institute. Before joining the Institute in 1998, he was executive director of the Philadelphia Education Fund, where he supported districtwide efforts to enact standards-based reform. He received a B.A. in psychology from Macalester College and a PhD in psychology from Cornell University. He serves on the boards of several national and local education organizations including the Public Education Network, the National Center on Education and the Economy, and the Rhode Island Children's Crusade.
Warren_Simmons@brown.edu
> Complete biography
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Joanne Thompson
Research Associate, District Redesign
Joanne Thompson researches general resources, compiles and analyzes data, compiles annotated bibliographies, writes reports and publications, and helps plan and prepare various meetings and site work. Before coming to the Institute, she was a teaching assistant in the classics department at Brown University. Joanne received a BA in classics and Spanish from the University of Missouri and has completed the coursework for a master's degree in classics at Brown.
Joanne_Thompson@brown.eduU
Marla Ucelli Kashyap
Director, District Redesign
Marla Ucelli directs the Institute's work in district redesign, which responds to district requests to build their capacity in key areas such as central office infrastructure and school district organization. From 2000 to 2002, her primary responsibility was School Communities that Work: A National Task Force on the Future of Urban Districts, culminating in the publication of the Portfolio for District Redesign, a set of interrelated frameworks, tools, and other resources to help school districts make the transition toward a new kind of support system, a "smart district." Prior to joining the Institute, she was associate director in the Equal Opportunity Division at the Rockefeller Foundation, where she was responsible for the Foundation's efforts to improve the education and development of children going to school in poor urban communities in the U.S. From 1990 to 1998, Marla was special assistant for education to New Jersey Governor Thomas H. Kean. In that post, she was the governor's senior advisor on state policy issues in K–12 and higher education, as well as on national education activities. Prior to that, she was special assistant to then-president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Ernest L. Boyer. Marla holds a BA from New York University and an MPA from Rutgers. She frequently speaks and writes on issues related to urban district redesign, philanthropy in education, and urban community colleges.
Marla_Ucelli@brown.eduW
Carol Walker
Program Coordinator, District Redesign
Carol Walker is responsible for coordinating the administration, financial activities, and consulting agreements for the district redesign work. She coordinates, plans, and executes the logistics of district redesign meetings and is the key communications person between district redesign staff, consultants, and constituents. She also assists the Institute's deputy director. Carol has been a Brown employee since 1978 and, previously, worked as assistant to the director of a multidiscipline center and in the department of sociology. She received a bachelor's degree in human studies from the University of Rhode Island.
Carol_Walker@brown.eduDarlene Westberg
Receptionist/Staff Assistant
Darlene Westberg provides customer service and assistance to guests,students, and the staff. She has worked at Brown University for more than twenty years in departments such as Admissions, Human Resources, and Advancement. She attended Bryant University and received a certificate in human resources management.
Darlene_Westberg@brown.edu Kenneth Wong
The Walter and Leonore Annenberg Professor in Education Policy;
Professor of Education and Public Policy;
Director of the Urban Education Policy Program
Kenneth Wong has joined the education department faculty as the first Walter and Leonore Annenberg Professor for Education Policy and Professor of Education. While holding joint appointments with the education department and the Institute, he heads Brown's master's program in urban education policy. The twelve-month program, designed to prepare students for professional careers involving policy development and analysis in urban public education, is a collaborative effort of the Education Department, the Institute, the Taubman Center for Public Policy, and The Education Alliance.
Kenneth_Wong@brown.edu> Complete biography, publications and research
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Marisol Zacarias
Youth Organizing Trainer
Marisol Zacarias is the youth organizing trainer for the Urban Youth Collaborative, a coalition of youth organizations aimed at influencing high school reform in New York City. She supports youth organizations focused on community organizing throughout the city by providing technical assistance through trainings, resource sharing, and strategizing. Prior to coming to the Institute, Marisol served as an organizer and advocate in Los Angeles for three years. She was a youth organizer for South Central Youth Empowered thru Action, the youth component within Community Coalition, in South Central Los Angeles; worked in East Los Angeles as a parent organizer at a high school; and worked on various campaigns focusing on educational equity. She grew up in Brooklyn and attended school from kindergarten through high school in the New York City public education system. She has a B.A. in political science from Syracuse University.
Marisol_Zacarias@brown.eduEric Zachary
Director, Community Organizing and Engagement – New York City
Eric Zachary is a senior project director in the Community Involvement Program. He designs and provides training and technical assistance programs to community-based groups that are organizing parents in low-income and working-class neighborhoods to improve their public schools. He has been the coordinator of the Community Collaborative to Improve Bronx Schools since its inception more than four years ago. He is also an associate clinical professor in New York University's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, where he teaches community organizing and public service. Previously, Eric worked as a union organizer for Local 1199 of the Hospital and Health Care Workers Union. He also has extensive experience as a trainer in community-based settings. He was the coordinator of the City University of New York (CUNY) Parent Leadership Project, which provided comprehensive leadership training to leaders of parent associations in the New York City public schools, and spent several years developing training programs for block and tenant association leaders at the Citizens Committee for New York City. Eric holds a doctor of social welfare degree from CUNY's Graduate Center/Hunter College School of Social Work and a master's in social work degree in community organizing from the Hunter College School of Social Work. He has written about rebuilding a poor community by organizing parents to improve local public schools and about the role of leadership training in the rebuilding of poor and working-class urban communities. A life-long resident of Brooklyn, Eric is a product of public education from kindergarten through his doctorate.
Eric_Zachary@brown.edu
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