LINKED LEARNING ALLIANCE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Director, Communications
- Leader
Alice Chiang is a seasoned leader in the field of communications, with a strong commitment to promoting children's health and well-being. Her expertise includes extensive collaboration with school districts and driving systemic change. She possesses a remarkable talent for translating complex policies, enabling mission-driven organizations to effectively address multifaceted challenges. Alice previously served as Senior Communications and External Relations Manager at the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health. During her tenure at the Foundation, she oversaw the communications strategy and storytelling for children's health programs, effectively promoting research, data, and policies that benefit children with special health care needs and California kids. Alice also held communications roles at School Food Focus where she implemented promotional campaigns to improve healthy food procurement practices in schools and PolicyLink, where she supported food policy and advocacy efforts in California. Alice earned her master's degree in food studies at New York University and her bachelor's degree in molecular and cell biology with a minor in English from UC Berkeley.
Job Titles:
- President
- Principal
- Ex Officio Member
Anne Stanton, president of the Linked Learning Alliance, has over 20 years of experience developing and implementing groundbreaking programs and initiatives that promote equitable outcomes for low-income youth and communities. With a unique capacity to turn vision into impact, Anne has demonstrated success as a strategic philanthropist, policy influencer, and nationally recognized non-profit leader.
Anne is the principal architect behind the Linked Learning movement, a coordinated effort at the intersection of education, industry, and community to connect all youth to college, career, and purpose. Before joining the Alliance, and for over a decade, Anne was The James Irvine Foundation's Program Director for Youth, where she was the principal architect behind the Linked Learning approach in collaboration with educators, community-based leaders, and industry partners from across the country.
Before joining the Foundation, Anne served as the executive director of Larkin Street Youth Services in San Francisco. Before her time at Larkin Street, Anne served as associate executive director of Covenant House in New York City. Anne has also worked with numerous other national and community-based organizations to create, strengthen and sustain college and career readiness efforts.
Anne was a key member of the California P-16 Council, a statewide assembly of education, business, and community leaders charged with developing strategies to better coordinate, integrate, and improve education for students in preschool through college. Anne also served as the Board Chair of Grantmakers for Education, the nation's largest affinity membership organization for private and public philanthropies that support improved education outcomes for students from early childhood through higher education.
Anne holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a master's degree in social work from New York University. She is also a graduate of Harvard Business School's Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management and the Center for Social Innovation at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business.
Job Titles:
- Principal of Roosevelt High School
- Principal, Roosevelt High School, Los Angeles USD
Since 2015, Ben Gertner has served as the Principal of Roosevelt High School in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. He is in his third year pursuing a doctorate in the Educational Leadership Program at UCLA.
Job Titles:
- Director of Student Pathways, Porterville USD
Across Cindy's 35-year career in education, she has consistently advocated for student success in college and career preparation with her work extending into the public and private sectors, spanning from K-12 into postsecondary levels. She has been at the forefront of leading Porterville USD in their district-wide implementation of the Linked Learning Pathways Program. Securing over $62 million in public and private funding, she has reinvigorated education using the Linked Learning approach. She has led and developed a notable district-wide system of implementing college preparatory and career themed pathway academies that have received statewide, national, and international recognition. Cindy has also been instrumental in building multiple partnerships with workforce and professional industry experts to connect educational lessons with the real world. She is a member of numerous committees and has provided various consultancies to district educators across the nation. Her mentoring focus is on developing equitable school district systems and implementing innovative strategies to create meaningful work-based learning experiences that empower our future leaders.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Pathways Implementation
Dan Storz is Vice President of Pathways Implementation at the Linked Learning Alliance. Dan is a career educator who began teaching middle school math and social studies, and designing interdisciplinary middle school projects. He built the school's first networked computer lab, implemented a technology-integrated curriculum, and provided training for SFUSD teachers. He deepened his experience in interdisciplinary curriculum planning and project-based learning as lead teacher at an Envision school in San Francisco. As a K-8 school principal, Dan lead the effort to build one of the first blended learning programs in the bay area. He has served on multiple school and program evaluation teams and is a strong believer in public education, having graduated from local public schools in California's Central Valley, U.C. Berkeley (B.A. Political Science), and San Francisco State University (M.Ed.). Prior to working in education, Dan served on the legislative staff of Senator Barbara Mikulski in Washington D.C.
Job Titles:
- Teacher, STEM Academy of Hollywood, Los Angeles USD
David teaches biology at the STEM Academy of Hollywood where he also serves as chair of the Community Outreach Committee and Science Department. He has been instrumental in developing and sustaining strong industry partnerships to provide opportunities for meaningful work-based learning. He also led the charge to ensure student internships continued on a virtual basis as the pandemic persists. He passionately believes that syncing education with the skills required for success in college and career is vital in enabling our students to address the world's problems and live meaningful, fulfilling lives. David is happily married and the proud father of a bright-eyed toddler whose favorite animal sound to make is an elephant.
In her role as Chief of Staff, Dr. Ana Tilton leads the Alliance's organizational effectiveness strategies to support a growing team, while operationalizing equity and belonging within policies, practices, and culture.
Ana's career demonstrates a commitment to equity with experience across the education spectrum, including service as an educator, operations officer, superintendent, adjunct professor, and board member. In each role, she remained dedicated to developing quality school options for systemically underserved learners. As the Chief Program Officer for Educate Texas (Texas High School Project), she led a statewide team in implementing education reform legislation that drove cross-sector collaboration between high schools, institutions of higher learning, and employers to provide meaningful college and career pathways.
After decades of executive-level experiences and academic preparation in the U.S. and abroad, Ana continues her quest to make a difference in the lives of students who are furthest from opportunity. As a Latina and first-generation college student, she brings personal and professional awareness to the Alliance's coherent approach to education transformation. Before joining the Alliance, Ana served six years as the Executive Director for Grantmakers for Education. During her tenure with the organization, she collaborated with hundreds of philanthropic organizations focused on investing in equitable education solutions for all learners.
Dr. Tilton received a doctoral degree in education administration and policy from the University of Southern California, and a master's degree in multicultural/bilingual education from the University of Colorado, Denver.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Senior Advisor
- Board Member of the National Skills Coalition
Dr. Brenda Dann-Messier is a Senior Advisor for Education Strategy Group (ESG). She worked at ESG from 2015-2017 as a Senior Advisor and Coach for the NSFY Initiative and returned to ESG in 2019 as Senior Advisor.
In 2017 Brenda was appointed Rhode Island's Postsecondary Commissioner and worked as Commissioner until May 2019.
Brenda worked for the Obama administration from 2009-2014 as the Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical and Adult Education and from 2013-2014 was also the Acting Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
Prior her time at the U.S. Department of Education, Brenda was the President of Dorcas Place Adult and Family Learning Center for a decade and directed two TRIO programs at the Community College of RI.
Brenda is a Board member of the National Skills Coalition, RI's Commerce Corporation and the Re-Entry Campus Program. She holds an Ed. D from Johnson and Wales University and a M.Ed. and BA from Rhode Island College.
As Pathways Quality Lead at the Alliance, Dr. Celia Castellanos is dedicated to developing and providing support for schools and districts implementing high-quality Linked Learning pathways. With a focus on historically marginalized students, she taught math and technology in South Los Angeles, leveraging her corporate web marketing experience to create a STEAM-focused small learning community for middle schoolers. Seeking to expand her impact, she became a Linked Learning Instructional Coach with Los Angeles Unified School District collaborating to help pathways achieve Gold certification, including Hollenbeck Middle School STEMM, the first Gold-certified Linked Learning Middle School. Prior to her teaching career, Dr. Castellanos earned her bachelor's degree from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, where she was pursuing a career in marketing while mentoring and tutoring K-12 students. The feedback she received from her students and her passion for educational equity drove her to pursue a master's in teaching, and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Pathways Implementation
An award-winning educator and administrator, Esther Soliman brings extensive direct knowledge in establishing high-impact learning pathways to her role as Vice President of Pathways Implementation at the Linked Learning Alliance. Her career in education spans 43 years, including her 30 years serving students in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Esther was founder and principal of the district's Los Angeles High School of the Arts, the first school in LAUSD's Pilot Schools program and also the first pathway to earn Linked Learning Gold Certification. In 2012, Esther lead LAUSD's efforts to expand career technical education and Linked Learning programs. During her tenure, she and her team won over $100M in grants, supported over 400 CTE pathways and grew LAUSD's number of Linked Learning pathways from four to 82. Esther holds a master's degree in educational administration from New York University and a master of fine arts degree in theatre directing from California Institute of the Arts.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair
- Senior Director of Public Policy
Fred A. Jones, Jr. is Senior Director of Public Policy and Advocacy, Southern Education Foundation. He formerly served as the Policy Director at the Aurora Institute, where he led the Center for Policy team, conducting federal and state policy analysis, providing technical assistance to elected officials, and offering strategic guidance to advance the Aurora Institute's mission.
Fred began his career at the U.S. House of Representatives, working for the Education and Workforce Committee. He also worked as a Legislative Associate for the Alliance for Excellent Education and the Director of Government Affairs for the United Negro College Fund. Most recently, he served as the Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy for the Southern Education Foundation leading a regional K-16 education equity strategy.
Fred completed the Riley Institute Diversity Leaders Initiative at Furman University. He is also Pahara-NextGen Fellow, an Institute for Responsible Citizenship Scholar, a National Collegiate Scholar, a Coro Fellow, and a 10x All-American Track and Field athlete. Fred holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Tufts University, and he earned an MBA from the University of Maryland, College Park Robert H. Smith School of Business. He has a beautiful wife, a toddler son, and an infant daughter.
Gary Yee has served in multiple capacities in the Oakland Unified School District as a teacher and administrator, as well as Acting Superintendent; he was elected to the School Board in 2002 and currently serves as President. He also served in higher education as Vice Chancellor for the Peralta Community College District and Faculty Chair of the Education Department at Holy Names University. He has also served as Director of the Oakland Education Cabinet, the Safe Passages Community Health Initiative, and as a consultant for the Career Ladders Project. In 2014, he joined fellow school board member David Kakishiba and several community-based organizations in passing an Oakland Parcel Tax focused on a fundamental change in Oakland's high schools, with an aim toward excellence and equity.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Principal at Education Solutions
John Fischer is currently the Principal at Education Solutions, LLC providing consulting and technical assistance in education and workforce issues to states, municipalities and organizations. John provides strategic direction and counsel in various pathways to employment initiatives for youth and adults with the goal to increase postsecondary credential attainment in upwardly mobile careers for underserved learners. Prior to establishing Education Solutions in 2020, John was a senior program officer in Global Policy and Advocacy for U.S. Programs with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In this role, he was responsible for national policy and advocacy strategies in federal education and workforce policy, education to employment pathways, school improvement and accountability systems. In addition to his work in education philanthropy, John worked in the Vermont Agency of Education where he served as the Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Transformation, Prior to that, John served as Provost/Vice President in the NH Community College System. He is a graduate of Plymouth State University where he received his bachelor's degree in social studies education and master's degree in guidance and counseling.
Job Titles:
- Director, College and Career, Tulare County Office of Education and Director, Tulare Kings College and Career Collaborative
- Member of the Tulare County Office of Education
Joy has been a member of the Tulare County Office of Education team since 2012. In her role as the Director of College and Career, she provides mentorship and support to leaders and districts in Tulare County and across the state with several collaborative networks. As the Director of the Tulare Kings College and Career Collaborative, she serves the two-county regional network to advance college and career readiness for all students working within the intricate and intentional workgroup and network system that vertically and horizontally aligns the K-12, postsecondary, and industry segments. Her approach to education is unique, stemming from 15 years in industry and a desire to ready students for college and their career beyond. Her 12-year teaching career was in high-poverty schools with high English Learner populations. She was in school site administration before joining the county office as the Project-Based Learning Staff Developer.
Job Titles:
- Teacher and Academy Coordinator, Biomedical Sciences Academy, Eastside High School, Antelope Valley UHSD
Kerin Coffey is a veteran educator with over 20 years of classroom teaching experience. Kerin spent the early years of her career teaching seventh grade life science. When Project Lead the Way launched Principles of Biomedical Science, Kerin found herself reinvigorated with the opportunity to share her love of science through the lens of health-related careers with high school aged students. In fall of 2015, Kerin joined the Biomedical Sciences team at Eastside High School in Lancaster, California. In partnership with her dedicated colleagues, this learning pathway quickly grew into a flourishing Academy grounded in the Linked Learning approach. In 2019, Eastside High School's Biomedical Sciences Academy was recognized as one of the first twelve Gold Certified Linked Learning pathways in the nation.
Job Titles:
- Principal / Coordinator of College and Career, Hemet USD
Before joining Hemet USD as a district leader for college and career readiness, Laura had 16 years of classroom experience including teaching CTE in the field of Agriculture and Energy Utilities, as well as biology in San Bernardino City USD. As a classroom teacher who successfully combined rigorous academics with CTE learning, Laura helped Linked Learning pathways across the district earn Linked Learning Gold Certification. As a part time professor at California State University, San Bernardino Laura works to help future CTE teachers earn their credential and start their journey into education from industry. Laura is a strong believer in the power of integrated learning and advocates for equitable access to high quality educational experiences for all students.
Letitia Dowling is the Director of Operations at the Linked Learning Alliance.
Letitia is a driven and creative operations leader and program manager with a passion for community-based action and social justice. She has more than 15 years of experience in organizational strategic growth and development, teaching, school leadership, educator recruitment, and development. Before joining the Alliance, Letitia served as the Special Assistant to the President of Voorhees University where she established a Transformation Office to execute the University's strategic vision and goals. Letitia has also led human resources, and organizational effectiveness initiatives for Grantmakers for Education, Bottom Line, District of Columbia Public Schools, The New Teachers Project, and Georgia Teaching Fellows.
A long-time educator, Letitia has managed alternative teacher certification programs, facilitated professional development trainings, provided coaching and evaluation support, and designed school board policies, teacher certification regulations, and school district accountability systems.
As a community advocate, Letitia organized efforts to address water quality concerns, and equitable access to resources within K-12 education, recreational, and social services. She has spoken before Legislative Oversight Committees, Senate Subcommittees, state regulatory agencies, and other local, state, and federal elected officials.
Letitia is a native of Denmark, South Carolina, where she is active in her church organization at the local, state, and national levels as well as other local efforts to improve her community.
Letitia earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Coastal Carolina University.
Job Titles:
- Certified Public Accountant
- Finance Manager
As Finance Manager, Marites (Tess) Beredo manages the financial and business systems of the Linked Learning Alliance. She provides strategic analyses to the Alliance's executive leadership and board of directors to inform financially sound decisions and direction. With extensive experience in financial management across a wide range of industries, Tess brings a wealth of knowledge in financial and accounting management, internal control, budgeting, forecasting, and administrative management. She previously oversaw finances for the Bay Area Community Health Center and CAL-PEP, a community-based, African American-centered health organization in the Bay Area. Tess has also worked abroad, serving as Finance Director/Financial Controller for businesses in the Philippines and United Arab Emirates.
Tess is a certified public accountant and holds a master's degree in business administration.
Job Titles:
- High School Network Superintendent, Oakland USD
Matin has been an equity centered educational leader in Oakland USD for over 20 years. As the OUSD High School Network Superintendent, Matin is responsible for supervising the schools supported by the high school network and the Linked Learning office. Matin started his career in education as a teacher at Claremont Middle School. It was there that he realized the need to bring Oakland's legacy of social activism to the classroom. He advocated for all scholars, not just the scholars from the neighborhood, to have access to Algebra in the 8 th grade. Matin is the founding principal of East Oakland School of the Arts (EOSA). On the Castlemont campus, Matin created a small autonomous school founded on the belief that all students will perform at high levels when given the love and support needed. After leading EOSA for seven years, Matin took his experience of advocating for African American male students and became the director of African American Male Achievement's Manhood Development Program (MDP). In that role he designed and started several MDP programs at schools around the district. In 2013, Matin became the principal of Oakland High School where he created systems and programs that are rooted in equity, diversity, and access for all students.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of Workforce Readiness for Long Beach Unified School District
Mikle McBride, Assistant Director of Workforce Readiness for Long Beach Unified School District, provides support to the district's high school pathways in the areas of work-based learning, grant management, and Project Lead The Way curriculum implementation. During his education career Mikle has served as a classroom teacher, pathway coordinator, and district administrator. Outside of his district duties, Mikle has served as an operational board member for the Los Angeles Regional Coalition for Linked Learning and the aLL-in regional collaborative as well as an adjunct professor in the Loyola Marymount University School of Education. A graduate of UCLA's Teacher Education Program and Principal Leadership Institute, Mikle is committed to improving outcomes for urban youth in the public education system.
Job Titles:
- Coach and Program Manager With Aspire Public Schools
- Pathways Coordinator
- Pathways Team Coordinator
As the Pathways team coordinator, Natalie Castelo assists LEAs and education systems navigating the Linked Learning certification process. She works collaboratively with internal and external partners, coordinating activities for greater efficiency and alignment.
Natalie is a career educator dedicated to ensuring high quality, relevant education for all students. She began her career teaching middle school English in the Berkeley Unified School District, and has also taught in alternative, independent, and charter school settings. At Envision Schools, Natalie dove into Project Based Learning, working with an interdisciplinary team to produce large scale projects that explored the intersection of contemporary issues and ideas and core academic subjects.
After more than a decade in the classroom, Natalie became an instructional coach and program manager with Aspire Public Schools, working with new teachers in the Bay Area, as well as with faculty leads and administrators throughout California. Before joining the Alliance, Natalie served as a K-8 vice principal where she supported one of the first blended learning programs in the Bay Area. She continues to serve on school evaluation teams that visit and learn from schools throughout northern California.
Natalie holds a graduate degree from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education.
Job Titles:
- Secretary
- All4Ed 's Vice President of Policy Development and Government Relations
Phillip Lovell serves as All4Ed's vice president of policy development and government relations. He is a passionate advocate for the nation's underserved children and youth, having spent the past two decades advocating on Capitol Hill in areas such as juvenile justice, homelessness, and education.
Mr. Lovell joined All4Ed in early 2010 and is responsible for leading the organization's efforts on Capitol Hill, with the White House, and U.S. Department of Education to advocate for federal policy that will prepare the nation's students to graduate from high school prepared for college and the workforce. He also leads All4Ed's effort at the state level to ensure that high schools with low graduation rates receive comprehensive support and intervention under the recently passed Every Student Succeeds Act. He also led All4Ed's effort to increase federal funding for internet access among the nation's schools and libraries by $1.5 billion annually. Mr. Lovell serves as a frequent spokesperson for the organization and leads Federal Flash, All4Ed's video series that provides education stakeholders nationwide with regular updates on federal and state education policy.
Mr. Lovell began his career as policy coordinator for the National Crime Prevention Council, best known for its public advertising campaign featuring "McGruff the Crime Dog." While working for McGruff, he worked with colleague organizations to develop and advocate for the Younger Americans Act, legislation designed to create the nation's first comprehensive federal youth policy. He also cofounded the National Youth Network, a partnership of more than twenty national youth organizations with the U.S. Department of Justice that strengthened the voice of young people regarding juvenile justice during the youth violence epidemic of the late 1990s. Subsequently, as director of public policy for Camp Fire USA, Mr. Lovell represented nearly 750,000 children and youth, advancing issues such as childcare and afterschool programs and leading Camp Fire USA's efforts to secure federal funds to expand positive youth development programs.
Most recently, Mr. Lovell served as vice president for education, housing, and youth policy at First Focus and America's Promise Alliance, founded by Ret. General Colin Powell. He represented the organization on Capitol Hill and in the media, raising the visibility of the impact of the "Great Recession" on children, and leading legislation to address the academic and nonacademic needs facing underserved students and high school dropouts. While at America's Promise Alliance, he led the advocacy effort to pass the Federal Youth Coordination Act, legislation designed to improve coordination and communication among federal agencies serving young people. He also led the advocacy effort to double federal funding for homeless students in the economic stimulus package passed in 2009.
Over the course of his career, Mr. Lovell has written several publications on many issues, including children in the federal budget, homeless children and families, and disconnected youth. His work has been referenced in media outlets including CNN, USA Today, C-span, and Time magazine. Mr. Lovell is frequently called upon by congressional aides to help in the development of legislation to strengthen education policy for underserved students.
Mr. Lovell has an undergraduate degree from Georgetown University in international politics. He and his wife, Beth, have two daughters and a son.
Job Titles:
- Director of Workforce Partnerships
- Managing Director, Workforce Partnerships
As Director of Workforce Partnerships, Sheila Jackson cultivates Alliance relationships with employers and workforce organizations to ensure that Linked Learning provides students with the skills necessary for careers in high-wage, high-skill, high-growth sectors-and that employers have the future workforce they need to drive California's economy.
A devoted education and workforce development expert, Sheila has more than a decade of experience building and implementing high-growth partnerships between education and business. She has a passion for unlocking sustainable career pathways for youth, inspiring the private sector to create equitable access to their industries, and putting young people in touch with the skills they need to thrive in the future of work.
Sheila was previously a director at Jobs for the Future (JFF) where she focused on employer-led talent development and education initiatives. Through these initiatives, she worked to improve systems alignment and close equity gaps in the transitions from high school and postsecondary education to careers. Sheila also led the development of state and regional college and career pathways across the country through JFF's Pathways to Prosperity initiative, where she supported cross-sector collaboration among policy leaders, educators, and employers.
Throughout her career, Sheila has made important contributions to dialogue and action on private sector investments in career pathways design, dual enrollment, work-based learning, and equitable economic advancement. Prior to joining JFF, she worked in college access programming in the Bay Area and as a special education paraprofessional in the San Francisco Unified School District.
Sheila earned her master's degree in education at Harvard University and her bachelor's degrees in English literature and French studies from Wesleyan University.
Job Titles:
- Program Specialist, Elk Grove USD
Sue Hubbard's experience includes business marketing, entrepreneurship as well as secondary education. As a teacher in secondary education, Ms. Hubbard was an academy coordinator and Business teacher. She believes in developing the whole child, from rigorous academics to career exploration through community connected learning. Ms. Hubbard is currently working as a Program Specialist in the College and Career Connections department for Elk Grove Unified School District and has been working over the last seven years on supporting and developing high quality pathways through the implementation of Linked Learning.
Job Titles:
- Work - Based Learning Liaison, Oakland Technical High School Oakland USD
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Pathway Coach, Oakland High School, Oakland USD