EDUCATION FIRST - Key Persons
As a previous educator, Aline learned that equitable ideas are led by passionate people, so she joined Education First. As a consultant on the Engaged Students team, Aline leverages support related to social and emotional learning, college and career readiness, and innovative school models.
A first-generation student herself, Aline understands how a quality education leads to quality opportunities; she hopes to ensure that all students have access to this and more. Prior to joining Education First, Aline served her community as a bilingual early childhood educator with Teach for America Dallas-Fort Worth; assisted educators and English language learners as a Fulbright Grantee in Spain; and advocated for arts-education in schools as a communications consultant for The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, Turnaround Arts programming.
Aline received a B.A. in Political Science and Communications from American University and holds a Master of Education from Southern Methodist University. When she's not advocating for students, you can find her salsa dancing, traveling (come on Colombia), cooking new recipes (looking at you, Instant Pot), or going to concerts (46 and counting).
Job Titles:
- Business Development Consultant
As a Consultant on the Effective Organizations and Investments team, Allison supports clients in developing equity-focused strategies to help students and educators thrive.
Allison's experiences as a public school teacher, research analyst, foundation staff member and grant writer drive her passion for this work. She believes that every student deserves well-prepared and well-supported teachers, and that funders and policymakers serve students and teachers best by centering their voices and co-designing solutions with them.
Allison holds a BS in Elementary Education from Florida College, an MEd in Reading Education from Vanderbilt University, and an MPA in Policy Analysis from Texas A&M University. She lives in Bryan, Texas with her husband and son. Allison enjoys baking, singing in her community choir, playing piano and writing about her quirky dog, Garfield.
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant
- in 2023 As an Executive Assistant
Amanda Kim joined Education First in 2023 as an Executive Assistant for the Outstanding Educators team. With an extensive background in high level administrative support and operations in the real estate sector, Amanda is excited to return to her roots in education. Before her career in real estate, Amanda was in the classroom teaching first and second grade in a Pennsylvania public school.
Amanda has witnessed students across all races, socioeconomic status and neurodiversity thrive once given the opportunity and the tools to succeed, but there is still so much work to be done for our underrepresented learners. She feels passionately that every student deserves access to high-quality education and equal opportunities across the board.
Amanda graduated from the Honors College at West Chester University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. in Early Childhood Education as well as Mathematics and Science for grades 7-9. Amanda Kim was born and raised in the Philadelphia area and currently resides there with her husband and dog (and many houseplants). When she's not cozying up with her pup, you can usually find her cooking, gardening or in the pottery studio.
Job Titles:
- Director of IT
- in 2023 As Their First Director of IT
Amanda Watts joined Education First in 2023 as their first Director of IT, bringing with her 20 years of Information Technology experience.
Amanda's technology career began early in her teen years, helping teachers and peers navigate their school assigned laptops, while leading a team of her peers and fellow technology supporters. After attending Hawaii Pacific University and the University of Hawaii at Manoa, she has held a multitude of technical roles from IT Support Specialist, IT Systems Administration, IT Project Manager, IT Manager, to Director of IT and Operations, in many different industries including education, payment processing, manufacturing and nonprofit.
Amanda's approach to technology is people centered, recognizing that technology is primarily about enabling the people at the firm to most effectively further our mission and our client's missions. Information Technology is always at the foundation of any business and Amanda's goal is to ensure every employee or client who needs support with their technology has it.
Joining the team at Education First, with its mission to further equality in children's education, is very personal to Amanda. Her own mothering journey has taught her the importance of trauma-informed, equity focused practices. Every single person at the firm has a passion to further equality in education and that's what makes it exciting to come to work every day.
Recently relocated with her family to the Pacific NW, Amanda spends much of her free time on her advocacy work as an author and public speaker. On the weekends, you can usually find her and her husband, and her three children exploring the outdoors, hiking, biking, rock climbing or skiing.
Amy joined Education First in June 2022 as an executive assistant for the Engaged Students team. She brings with her over seven years of experience assessing the needs of executives and implementing solutions. Amy excels at calendar management and has even been referred to as a "calendar wizard."
Amy believes every child should have the same access to a high quality education regardless of where they come from. Working with companies changing the world for the better is very important to her and a huge reason she wanted to be part of the Education First team.
Amy lives in Colorado but you will not catch her doing any of the outdoor activities Colorado has to offer-the outdoors and Amy don't mix well. In her free time, you can find Amy hanging out with her daughter, playing with her fur babies, reading, or being crafty and working on her creations as a faux food artist (it's really a thing).
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Principal and Senior Director of the Analysts and Associates Team
Anand's interest in education began on the outside as an education reporter for two major daily newspapers, deepened when he went "inside" as chief of staff for the Boston Public Schools and expanded since joining Education First in 2009. His focus has remained the same: helping policymakers, educators and stakeholders think bigger and more creatively on behalf of students.
Anand currently manages Education First's team of Associates and Associate Consultants, providing them the coaching, professional learning and professional growth supports to execute project research agendas and thrive as professionals. In his career at Education First, he has led projects on strategic planning, organizational growth and development, grantee and nonprofit networks, cradle-to-career alignment, and technical assistance to state and district agencies. A former Chief of Staff for the Boston Public Schools, Anand has overseen strategic planning or program design across the country for school districts (Baltimore City Public Schools, Denver Public Schools); nonprofits seeking expansion (Edreports.org, Teaching Matters, Eskolta School Research and Design, Hope Street Group); associations seeking to grow membership (National Association of State Boards of Education); philanthropic organizations aiming to increase impact (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Greater Texas Foundation); and state and federal education agencies (District of Columbia, Delaware, National Assessment Governing Board). His work in state policy includes co-authoring the Tennessee and Maryland Race to the Top applications, supporting Delaware's Talent Cooperative, and working on Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) planning and implementation with four states. Previously, Anand was an education reporter at the Boston Globe and Times-Picayune of New Orleans.
Anand earned a bachelor's in journalism from Northwestern University and a master's from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He lives in the Washington, DC area with his family.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Principal Consultant
Anissa, based in Chicago, has 25 years of executive, nonprofit leadership experience including 15 years as the Founder and CEO of the National Center for Teacher Residencies (NCTR). During her tenure, she supported the development of three dozen residencies in 25 states through an innovative, one-of-a-kind consulting program, raised $60m to develop and maintain high-quality programs, and created a robust policy and advocacy agenda to sustain a robust movement to transform teacher preparation in the United States. Before launching NCTR, Anissa served in leadership roles with the Academy for Urban School Leadership, City Year Seattle/King County and Public Allies. In each position, Anissa exceeded fundraising goals, worked closely with boards of directors, dove into policy work, and honed her ability to successfully manage teams through strategy improvement, change and growth.
Anissa earned a Master of Science degree in Public Service from DePaul University, a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the University of Dayton, and a Diversity & Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University/E-Cornell. She has been an active volunteer in multiple organizations, including the Honeycomb Project, as a Team Leader for Habitat for Humanity/Women Build, as a Board Member of the Hypocrites Theatre Company and Public Allies Chicago, and as a member of Chief, an organization and network designed to promote women leaders.
Anissa lives in Chicago with her husband, two t/ween girls, a dog, a cat, a gecko and a snake. She loves exploring the city, visiting museums and restaurants, hitting Cubs games, traveling and puzzling.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Principal Consultant
Ann Duffy advises state and district leaders to design and implement initiatives that improve student success. She is an expert in P20 transitions and systems, educator development, social and emotional learning and state education advocacy. Ann has worked with state education leaders and advocates through the Walton Innovative Assessment Project, Family Math Roadmap Implementation and Oregon Community College Association's Guided Pathways, and with district leaders through the Wallace Foundation's Partnership for Social Emotional Learning and Principal Pipeline Initiative and NoVo's Collaborating Districts Initiative.
After earning her teaching certificate at Harvard, Ann joined the staff of Teach For America, working in the Mississippi Delta and Louisiana, where many students did not have the support and resources they needed to be successful. That experience inspired her to commit to improving public education, first as a community organizer with Parents for Public Schools in Mississippi and later as an executive in state education agencies in Massachusetts and Georgia. Prior to joining Education First, Ann also ventured abroad and served as the PreK-12 Policy Director for the Abu Dhabi Education Council.
Ann holds a doctorate in education policy from the University of Georgia and a Master's in Business Administration from Millsaps College. She enjoys the thrill of parenting adults in Roswell, GA, the adventure of geocaching worldwide and the pleasure of baking (and eating) pie.
Aryana is an associate on the Outstanding Educators team, where she conducts research and policy analysis on educator diversity, preparation and development and facilitates clients to make decisions around education investments and strategies.
A former middle school math teacher, Aryana draws on her classroom teaching experience in her everyday work. She is an advocate for educational equity and strives to improve opportunities for BIPOC and marginalized youth, always keeping students at the forefront of her work. Prior to joining Ed First, she also spent time at the Rhode Island Department of Education, where she reviewed district applications for Career & Technical Education funding.
At Education First, Aryana has worked on a variety of projects ranging from facilitating school system and higher education partnerships to implement residency models to supporting foundations to determine their education investments.
Aryana earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Public Policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master's in Education from Rhode Island College. Outside the office, Aryana enjoys writing and performing original music and enjoying Venezuelan and Persian cuisine reminiscent of her childhood.
Job Titles:
- Director of Talent Acquisition
Ashley Clark is the Director of Talent Acquisition and enjoys designing the systems and supports needed to build and mobilize high-functioning teams. Ashley believes organizations have the capacity to solve big, systemic problems and drive equitable and meaningful change with the right talent on their teams.
Most recently, Ashley led the talent function at a rapidly growing, Series A funded ed-tech startup where she built equitable, scalable recruiting, hiring and people operations processes.
Prior to joining the start-up community, Ashley led high-volume recruiting in the education nonprofit sector. In those roles, Ashley focused on recruiting racially diverse talent committed to entering the teaching profession. Ashley established strategic partnerships with local and national organizations to develop long-term recruitment pipelines and generate resources to support pre-service and in-service educators in Colorado and Illinois. Above all else, her work has helped to minimize the teacher shortage.
Ashley Clark hails from the Chicago suburbs. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Hampton University and obtained a Master of Arts from Loyola University of Chicago and a Masters of Science from Colorado State University-Global Campus. Ashley enjoys tap dancing, kickboxing, collecting vinyl records and being a dog-mom to Enzo and Riley.
Ashley Mac Owens joined the Education First team in 2019. She brings with her over 14 years of experience in a variety of disciplines including communications, environmental science, construction, and medicine.
Ashley Mac was a military brat who was born in Guam and has lived in numerous states across the country. She currently resides in the state of Florida but hopes to experience as many different locales as possible. One of the things Ashley Mac loves most about being part of the Education First team is the value placed on diversity as she strongly believes diversity, across all settings, should be a tool that is leveraged for the greater good.
When she isn't working, you can find Ashley Mac watching her Cubs win, traveling the globe with her wife, and trying to keep up with her twin boys.
Ashley Wilson joined Education First as an executive assistant in January 2024. Ashley is a former educator of 10+ years in Title 1 Schools in the DFW Metroplex and has been an Executive Assistant for over six years in various consulting firms as well as small business settings in Washington D.C. and Texas. Working for a company that directly impacts the field of education is a full circle moment for Ashley and allows for additional insight into the amazing work that Education First provides.
With firsthand experience with underserved students partnered with the ability to support leaders that strive daily to improve the lives of the very students that Ashley engaged with for so many years is truly a dream come true. Today Ashley supports three of the firm's leaders and ensures their day-to-day work is organized and simplified with her unique skillset and expertise.
Ashley graduated from the University of North Texas in Denton, TX, with a degree in Education Grades 4-8. Ashley is a Texas native, and lives in the North Dallas area with her husband, son and daughter, and new puppy. In her spare time, she loves to spend time with her family, watching movies, cooking, sporting events and some occasional dancing!
Ashton is an analyst on the Outstanding Educators team and is primarily responsible for research and policy analysis on teacher labor markets.
Ashton received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication studies with a focus in Rhetoric and Political Communication from The University of Memphis and a Master of Public Policy in K12 Education Policy from Vanderbilt University. During her graduate education, she became interested in social determinants surrounding education and is broadly interested in how those can impact students' educational trajectories. She has a background in social justice-aligned nonprofit work, and during her time in graduate school worked with a research-practice partnership to better improve policy implementation for education in the state of Tennessee. Ashton is particularly interested in providing equity-centered and data-driven solutions that will improve educational experiences for teachers, families and students-especially those of color. Most recently she worked at a large urban district as a research analyst.
In her spare time, Ashton loves reality television and like any good Gen Z/Millennial cusp-er, can be found scrolling endlessly on TikTok!
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications
Austin came to Education First in early 2022 after several years of serving in higher education. He comes from a nationally ranked career office at Wake Forest University where, through strategic communication and marketing, he helped support the mission of empowering every student to be career and life ready. As the Director of Communications, Austin works with executive leadership to advance the movement toward education equity by promoting Education First's research, learnings and services. Austin is a Certified Professional Marketer through the American Marketing Association.
Previously, Austin spent almost a decade in agencies as a creative and account executive. He has experience working with clients like Make-A-Wish Foundation, Christel House International, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Lowe's and more. He has a passion supporting his clients and organization by developing marketing and communication strategies that utilize design, language, tools and analytics to achieve larger goals.
Austin resides in Columbus, OH with his wife, Ashley, and three children: Cole, Quinn & Collins. They are an extremely active family and enjoy doing anything outdoors, especially attending Wake Forest sporting events. he is a former DI Student-Athlete and can be found working on house projects or on Sundays playing keys in the worship band at his church.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
Bill Horwath provides K12 education strategy and policy consulting support to various local, state and national clients. A leader of the Outstanding Educators practice area, Bill's expertise is teacher and leader effectiveness. Currently, Bill is helping school districts in Chicago, Indianapolis and Minneapolis improve their partnerships with local teacher preparation programs. Bill is also supporting stakeholders throughout the Rochester (NY) region to strengthen the teacher pipeline and facilitating a community of practice of the Gates Foundation Teacher Preparation Transformation Centers.
Bill believes that improving the quality of educators serving students of color and students experiencing poverty is the most effective way to improve those students' life chances. As a Broad Resident, he worked as an assistant superintendent in human resources for Boston Public Schools and the Houston Independent School District. Bill also worked as a consultant to state departments of education while at Deloitte Consulting. Through his work in school district human capital, and as a consultant, he is committed to identifying and implementing new strategies to raise the bar of educator quality and increase educator diversity.
Bill Horwath earned a BA in Public Policy from Duke University and an MBA and MPP both from the University of Chicago and has completed the Broad Residency in Urban Education. He lives in Houston with his wife and two daughters.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Partner
Over his career, Bill has served as an adviser to CEOs, governors, grantmakers and community leaders, helping them identify opportunities and clarify strategic choices for increasing their impact in the education sector. He joined Education First as a partner in 2008 to help create an organization that would consistently provide these leaders with the best advice and support and to build stronger capacities to ensure students from marginalized communities are succeeding.
In addition to helping guide Education First, he has led many of the firm's strategy and research projects to develop and design new grantmaking approaches, facilitate and advise multi-state teams of policymakers, and help education leaders better align P16 systems, strengthen student transitions and identify actionable data on student and school success.
Growing up in Colorado but a resident of the Pacific Northwest for nearly 30 years, Bill and his wife have two children (both on the cusp on their own transitions, into high school and into college). He is the former co-chair of All Hands Raised, which is working to create a more seamless system of supports-and better outcomes-for Portland (Oregon)-area students from pre-kindergarten to high school, and he co-leads the grantmaking team for Social Venture Partners, a giving circle working to ensure all children in Portland start kindergarten ready to learn. Throughout the school year, he also meets and reads weekly with kindergartners at a neighborhood Title I school. Bill holds a B.A. in English with Distinction from The Colorado College.
Brianna joined Education First as an executive assistant in June 2022. She has been assisting executives for over six years in various legal and government sectors including the New York State Attorney General's Office. She is passionate about working with companies who make a direct positive impact in the world. Her expertise in executive and administrative work, with an additional interest in helping others, is what makes her a great addition to Education First.
Today Brianna supports four of the firm's leaders and welcomes the challenge of assisting these busy, impactful individuals and ensures their day-to-day work is organized and simplified with her unique skillset and expertise.
Graduating from Pace University in New York City, with a dual degree in Criminal Justice and Information Technology, Brianna has firsthand experience in helping minorities and low-income students, specifically in her first role out of college as a criminal defense paralegal and through her volunteer work with the East Harlem Tutorial program. Most recently, she finds herself helping others through mindfulness techniques and the art of yoga as a certified yoga teacher.
Brianna is from Rochester, New York but currently lives in Miami, Florida. She loves watching sports, her favorite teams being the Buffalo Bills and Miami Heat! In her spare time, she manages her own health and wellness blog, as well as teaching yoga.
An anthropologist and educator, Brinnie has more than three decades of experience in education, including 13 years at Education First, where she brings a unique anthropological lens to a portfolio of work focused on strategic planning, college and career readiness and social and emotional learning. Previously, Brinnie worked as a project manager and consultant to nonprofits supporting initiatives such as small schools, whole-school reform models, multicultural education and museums, diversity in higher education and collaborative school leadership. Brinnie led Education First's initiative to incubate EdReports.org and to build a roadmap for a national Family Math movement. She also supported the leadership transition for the Washington State Charter School Association, moving from a single CEO to an innovative shared leadership model.
Brinnie holds an MA in International Education from American University, an MA in Anthropology from the University of Texas at Arlington and has credits toward her PhD in Applied Anthropology at Teachers College, Columbia University. A transplant to Seattle, Brinnie loves hiking and kayaking and rows with the Everett Rowing Association where she also serves as President of the Board of Directors. She grew up in Asia and the Middle East, speaks Thai and loves classic jazz, gentle yoga and ballroom dancing.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Chief Finance and Revenue Officer
Carl joined Education First in 2016, bringing extensive experience and expertise in school turnarounds, high-quality school growth and high-impact philanthropy. After serving as a Senior Consultant and then Principal on our Effective Organizations and Investments team, he now serves as Chief Finance and Revenue Officer where he leads our finance, business development, analytics and technology teams.
Before joining Education First, Carl was a Program Officer at the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, focusing on investments in initiatives to increase the growth of high-quality public schools in key cities including Los Angeles, Atlanta and Washington, D.C. Previously, he served as Senior Director of Operations and Impact at the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, one of Los Angeles Unified School District's most successful school turnaround partners.
Carl holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in Economics from UC San Diego. He also is an alumnus of the Broad Residency in Urban Education. Carl enjoys endurance sports, golf and spending time with his wife and two kids.
Carlo joined Education First in 2023 as the Sr. Manager for Race, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (RIDE). In his role, he leads the development, training and implementation of programs that center diversity and race equity across the firm. His passion for RIDE work is rooted in his own experiences with identity development, community engagement and culturally relevant leadership during his undergraduate career. Being a beneficiary of a variety of social change initiatives as a student, he realized the responsibility that educational institutions hold in creating active citizens and dismantling systems of oppression.
Prior to his time at Ed First, Carlo worked at Generation Vegan bridging the gap between the animal rights movement and other social justice movements, at UCLA centering RIDE in the university's sustainability programs, and with the PeaceJam Foundation connecting youth to Nobel Peace Prize winners to create social change within their communities.
Carlo is a two-time Florida State University graduate where he earned a M.S. degree in Higher Education. He is originally from Peru and moved to Miami at the age of 10. He now lives in beautiful LA where he competes for an LGBTQIA+ swim team, trains CrossFit and loves to visit Farmer's Markets.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Principal Consultant
Celena works with K12 education leaders to develop strategy and implement initiatives that cross areas of focus, including educator preparation, talent systems and practices, strong instruction, and supportive environments. She works on the Outstanding Educators team and is committed to the work of ensuring every child gets the education and opportunities they deserve. Celena has worked alongside foundations, nonprofits, IHEs, state and local education agencies, including the Council of Chief State School Officers, New Schools for New Orleans, New Orleans Public Schools, the Arkansas Department of Education and the Walton Foundation.
Prior to joining Education First, Celena was a Partner at TNTP leading work in Louisiana and Arkansas. Celena led two teacher training programs and TNTP's engagement in the New Orleans SEED collaborative. This unique partnership between a local HBCU, nonprofits and IHEs successfully mapped a model for shared practice within a community to improve recruitment, development and retention of diverse educators. She also managed a multi-year project with New Schools for New Orleans and six LEAs to support the development of performance-based compensation systems and career pathways for educators. Celena provides support to the Arkansas Department of Education in service of the state's instructional materials strategy and Educator Effectiveness initiatives, recently seeding the launch of a new job-embedded degree and licensure pathway for aspiring teachers in Arkansas.
As a first-generation college student, Celena has focused her career on supporting students. She entered education as a community liaison, teaching in after-school programs for the Baltimore Museum of Art in partnership with Baltimore City Schools. Following that, she worked in higher education leading recruitment and admissions. Celena holds a bachelor's degree in art and community arts education from the Maryland Institute College of Art and she completed graduate coursework in business management and marketing at the University of Baltimore. She lives in New Orleans, LA with her husband and daughter. Outside of work you can find Celena designing family costumes for a local parade, hosting a dinner party or relaxing beachside with a book.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Principal and Senior Director of Consulting Practice
Chad joined Education First in 2013, following a professional career that has spanned roles as a classroom teacher in Washington DC, an attorney in Chicago and a school district administrator in Baltimore. Over the past decade, he has worked with national and local foundations, school districts, state education agencies and education nonprofits working to achieve more equitable outcomes for Black, brown, indigenous and LGBTQIA+ students.
Chad currently serves as Education First's Senior Director of Consulting Practice, managing members of the consulting team and providing them with coaching, professional learning and other support to help them deliver premium solutions to clients. Recently, he has led projects involving administering of the social and emotional learning grant portfolio for a large national foundation; coaching school district leaders through an equitable design process to support their post-pandemic recovery efforts and address teacher morale and retention; co-creating with stakeholders a strategic plan to advance the social, emotional and academic development of students at two schools in Baltimore City; and developing a walkthrough process to assess the impact of a grant program designed to improve teaching practices.
Chad has a B.A. in Economics and J.D., both from the University of Chicago. Born and raised in Colorado, he currently resides in Boston with his spouse. In his free time, you can catch him trying new recipes in the kitchen, watching or playing tennis and vacationing on Cape Cod.
Chauncey works on the Engaged Students team helping clients solve complex problems to implement innovative and equitable solutions for students.
His experience spans the private sector working in corporate America and K12 Education. Before joining Education First, he worked as a Senior Consultant at ILO Group. Before joining ILO Group, Chauncey served two roles at KIPP Texas Public Schools: Director of Strategic Growth and Enrollment Program Management. After taking a leap of faith and leaving corporate America, Chauncey opened a business to help close the STEM education gap in his hometown of Houston, Texas. His business focused on teaching students engineering, science, robotics, programming, video game design, animation and aviation. But before opening his business, he worked for HP Inc. as a Senior Financial Analyst on the Americas and World Wide Strategy Finance teams; before joining HP, Chauncey worked in the banking sector as a Business/Systems Analyst and Assistant Director of Payment Systems.
Chauncey graduated Cum Laude from the University of Houston with a B.S. degree in Information Systems Technology and M.B.A. in Global Management. While in business school, he studied abroad in Berlin, Germany, Chile, Santiago, and Prague, Czech Republic. Chauncey also has a Master of Education in Education Leadership from The Broad Center.
When he isn't at work, he loves spending time with family and friends. Chauncey is a thrill-seeker who constantly tries new things and finds new ways to challenge himself physically and mentally. He loves scuba diving, traveling the world, martial arts, mountain climbing and triathlons.
Chawanna Chambers is a Consultant on the Engaged Students team at Education First. In this role, she supports system-level education leaders to plan strategic, innovative solutions that directly impact student development and performance.
Chelsea Johnson joined Education First in 2022 bringing with her a skillset ideal for supporting high-level executives and providing fast and efficient support. At Education First, Chelsea works closely with the Engaged Students Home Team and the Business Development team. She excels at looking ahead to anticipate needs and finding solutions to resolve complicated matters. Chelsea's unique personality and passion for Education First's mission and commitment to RIDE are just some of the reasons she is part of the Ed First family.
Chelsea believes in the importance of education and is passionate about equal opportunities for underserved communities and minorities. She feels that everyone deserves access to an education with the same opportunities to advance and grow. Chelsea also believes in continuing education individually, each day and is always seeking opportunities to learn more. Currently, Chelsea takes writing courses and is learning four languages in her spare time. One of her favorite quotes to live by is from Sophia Loren, "It's a mistake to think that once you're done with school you need never learn anything new."
Born and raised in California, Chelsea currently resides in Utah and spends most of her time seeking new adventures. You can also find her reading, writing, staying in with her pets or traveling and planning her next trip.
Job Titles:
- Operations Coordinator
- Executive Assistant With
Colette Astorgue, an executive assistant with Education First since 2008, is a true jack of all trades. A world-traveling polyglot (she has visited every continent), she has dabbled in ski patrol, commercial fishing and white water rafting and now enjoys Krav Maga and Cumbia dance. Colette's unique skillset and quest for adventure, along with her interest in education policy, are only a few reasons why she was selected as the second hire ever made by Education First.
Since beginning at Education First, Colette has successfully weathered eleven staff retreats, four partners and three laptop upgrades. Today she supports seven of the firm's leaders, who she believes inspire her to bring her ‘A' game every day.
A graduate of one of the Seven Sisters colleges, Colette believes, "A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad" (Theodore Roosevelt). She calls the Pacific Northwest home.
Cristian Ventura is an Associate on the Effective Organizations and Investments Team, where he conducts research and analysis to inform evidence-based strategies that support government agencies, nonprofits and foundations in strategic decision-making.
Cristian has worked in the field of education since his first year as an undergraduate student. He started as a volunteer tutor, translator and after school mentor at the local school district. After graduating, he returned home to work at a college access nonprofit in the Chicagoland area, where he helped plan, facilitate, and evaluate programming and curricula. He remains passionate about increasing access to a quality education for all students.
Cristian earned his B.A. in Latin American & Latinx Studies from Vassar College and his M.S. in Higher Education Administration and Policy from Northwestern University. Cristian has recently developed an interest in beginner-level crosswords, enjoys reading short stories, and is searching for the best taco in Chicago.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Principal Consultant
Damien has extensive experience and expertise in strategic planning, innovative school models, and quality charter school replication. As a member of the Effective Organizations & Investments team, Damien works with foundations, state agencies and nonprofits across the country to develop strategies and systems that improve student outcomes. Growing up as an African-American child in an under-resourced community, Damien witnessed firsthand the challenges caused by systemic inequities in education. He is committed to reforming urban education so that all children have the opportunity to reach their potential.
Before joining Education First, Damien served as Chief Operating Officer at Green Dot Public Schools, a high performing nonprofit charter management organization. With 21 schools, Green Dot supported over 10,000 students and 1,300 employees in California, Tennessee and Washington. Previously, he was Managing Director of Operations at KIPP Los Angeles and Director of Business Development at Alliance College Ready Public Schools.
Damien has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, an MBA from the University of Southern California, and a Master of Educational Leadership from The Broad Center for the Management of School Systems. He enjoys cycling, reading ancient history books, and spending quality time with his wife and two kids.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Senior Director of Business Development & Analytics
As the Senior Director of Business Development and Analytics, Dan Scarver drives Education First's business strategy and growth, overseeing market analysis, communications and business development.
Dan is dedicated to building a more inclusive, equitable society where every student has access to education opportunities that lead to purposeful lives and thriving communities. Most recently at FUSE, Dan partnered with local governments to launch strategic initiatives designed to advance racial equity. He also led education-based initiatives in a variety of roles at Teach For America, AmeriCorps, City Year and Harvard's Education Redesign Lab. Dan holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Fisk University and a master's degree in education policy and management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
In his spare time, Dan enjoys visiting museums and exploring hiking trails in New England.
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Senior Executive
- Senior Executive Assistant for the Effective Organizations & Investments
Dana joined Education First in 2021 as a senior executive assistant for the Effective Organizations & Investments team. She brings with her 15 years of higher education experience supporting legal, medical, and teacher education programs. Dana thrives at complex scheduling, creative problem-solving, helping others stay organized, and making work fun.
Dana believes that education is a fundamental human right and supports systems-level change that prepares diverse learners for college, career, and life. Her passion for improving education systems stems from working with international, indigenous, and other underrepresented students, and recognizing that different populations do not have equitable access to-and are not equitably served by-education.
Dana is a first-generation college student having earned her M.Ed. in Global Education from Arizona State University and B.S. in Communication from Drexel University. Originally from the east coast, Dana currently resides in Phoenix and spends most of her time exploring the desert with her partner and 3 rescue dogs. You can also find her fostering dogs, listening to true crime podcasts, searching for swimming holes, and planning her next adventure.
Job Titles:
- Director of Human Resources
Danielle joined Education First in 2014 with more than 15 years professional experience supporting senior and C-level executives across numerous industries. In these roles, she developed an extensive project management, executive support, human resources and event planning skill set. As the Director of Human Resources, Dee partners with executive leadership supporting the firm's HR management strategies to create programs and policies that improve teamwork, enrich culture and work-life. She also leads firmwide culture including all staff Retreats and believes that everyone, regardless of role or tenure, should have an equitable and excellent experience at Ed First. Dee is certified as a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) and HRCI Professional in Human Resources (PHR®).
Prior to joining Education First, Danielle was a Project Manager for the philanthropic division of a federal Bank in Southern Oregon. She developed numerous community events working closely with local non-profit organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club, Josephine Community Library, Four Way Foundation and the local community food bank. Through her experience with these organizations focused on the welfare of local youth, Dee witnessed firsthand the value, or lack thereof, of education in a child's development. This experience helped guide her to Education First, where she contributes on a larger scale to ensure every child, regardless of socio-economic or racial background, has access to a quality education.
Dave partners with clients on designing community-driven strategies and solutions with downstream impact on educational equity in classrooms. Serving on the Engaged Students team, he focuses on systems and enabling conditions at the nexus of policy and politics; collaborating with states, advocates and funders on research, policy analysis, strategic planning, grantmaking and facilitating learning networks. His portfolio currently centers on accountability and assessment.
Dave devoted his career to closing opportunity gaps after teaching middle school science to English Language Learners and students with disabilities in the South Bronx through Teach for America. His belief that creating societal change requires authentic community engagement which builds and exercises political power led him to serve as the Government Affairs Director and Executive Director for Stand for Children in Washington State. Over nine years, he led advocacy campaigns, built coalitions, drafted legislation, and lobbied to secure billions in state funding for vulnerable students, establish the state's first charter schools, and pass the nation's first law requiring qualified students to be automatically enrolled in advanced classes. Previously, he conducted research on teacher preparation for the National Council on Teacher Quality, designed curriculum on instructional planning and culturally-responsive teaching for TNTP and taught English in China.
Dave holds a Masters of Science in Teaching from Fordham University and a B.A. in Biology from the College of Wooster. Based in Raleigh, NC, Dave spends his free time exploring the natural world through birding, photography, hiking, camping and scuba diving. An avid traveler, Dave has lived on five continents and visited more than 40 countries.
Derek is a Senior Consultant at Education First, leading and supporting system-level and site-specific projects and initiatives. He has worked extensively to promote and realize equitable access to high-quality education for multilingual learners for over two decades. Derek has also supported establishing and implementing effective full-service community school models as well as regional, state and national career pathway systems.
Derek was a K12 educator for 11 years, serving as a high school math teacher, English Language Development department chair, and member of site and district leadership teams. He went on to work with the Delaware and Rhode Island Departments of Education while earning his doctorate. Before joining Education First, Derek was an associate director at JFF (Jobs for the Future) and worked with state agencies, nonprofit organizations, and national funders and foundations to develop, implement and support career pathways nationwide.
Derek holds a BS in Pure Mathematics from UC Riverside, an MA in Education Administration from CSU San Bernardino and an EdLD from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Born and raised in Southern California, he now resides in Boston. He hikes, bikes and composes music in his free time.
Emily Brookhart supports clients in empowering student success by conducting research and program evaluation. Her most recent work has focused on college and career readiness, teacher effectiveness and social and emotional learning.
As the daughter of an elementary school teacher, Emily has always viewed education as one of the most important elements in social change. She started her career as a Teach for America corps member, teaching high school English and debate in Las Vegas, NV. Emily left the classroom to pursue a career in social work to better support her students, but quickly realized she could never fully leave education behind. Her career has taken her to a high school counseling office, a community college and a state education agency.
Emily holds a B.A. from the University of Idaho with dual majors in English and International Studies, an M.Ed. from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas in Curriculum and Instruction, and an M.S.W. from Portland State University in Social Work. She enjoys puzzling over the New York Times crossword, reading thick fantasy and science fiction novels and cheering on FC Bayern Munich.
Emma is an Associate on the Engaged Students team, where she conducts research and policy analysis on social and emotional learning and innovative assessments to inform decisionmaking around equitable outcomes for students.
Emma's passion for education comes from growing up in an environment that nurtured her love of learning-and from fully seeing her own education privileges. This was particularly clear when she taught students with learning disabilities, a role that drove her to want to impact the education system on a larger scale. Emma is particularly passionate about the role of social and emotional learning in education and has worked to develop curriculum, assessments and policy that is grounded in these skills.
Emma earned her B.A. in English and Engineering Studies at Lafayette College. She lives in Philadelphia, where she loves to read, cook, and explore the city on foot.
Emnet is an Associate on the Engaged Students team, where she conducts research and analysis on teacher preparation programs, school improvement and intervention, and high-quality instructional aligned materials.
Emnet's work in education is motivated by her deep belief that every student deserves an excellent education and is inspired by her parents, who immigrated to the United States in hopes that their own children would have access to a quality education. Emnet began her work in education as a high school science and social studies teacher in Denver, where she spent three years teaching, learning from, and collaborating with students and families. After her time in the classroom, Emnet worked as a research associate at SRI Education, where she supported clients across the country on projects related to STEM, college and career pathways, early literacy, and social and emotional learning.
Emnet holds a degree in Political Science from St. Olaf College and an Ed.M in Education Policy and Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Outside of work, Emnet enjoys writing, traveling and watching reality TV.
Job Titles:
- Director of Professional Learning
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- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Partner
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- Events & Convenings Senior Manager
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- Founding Partner
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- in 2006 in Order to Fill a Need in Public Education Reform
Jenn Vranek founded Education First in 2006 in order to fill a need in public education reform: excellent consulting and advising delivered by practitioners and policy advisors, not general strategists. Our initial team of six has grown to more than 80 team members who live in more than 25 different states and work across the nation. We are educators, policy advisors, advocates and funders. We have served local, state and national clients in more than 41 states plus the District of Columbia. We understand the complexity of public education - from the classroom to national policy - and know how to navigate it. Our clients have access to their immediate project team as well as the wealth of knowledge and expertise that lives throughout the firm, from coast to coast.
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- Director of Consulting Practice
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- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Partner
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- Director of Strategic Initiatives
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- Director, People Analytics & Talent Strategy
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- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Partner
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- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Principal Consultant
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- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Principal Consultant
Ashley Mac Owens joined the Education First team in 2019. She brings with her over 14 years of experience in a variety of disciplines including communications, environmental science, construction, and medicine.
Ashley Mac was a military brat who was born in Guam and has lived in numerous states across the country. She currently resides in the state of Florida but hopes to experience as many different locales as possible. One of the things Ashley Mac loves most about being part of the Education First team is the value placed on diversity as she strongly believes diversity, across all settings, should be a tool that is leveraged for the greater good.
When she isn't working, you can find Ashley Mac watching her Cubs win, traveling the globe with her wife, and trying to keep up with her twin boys.
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- Talent Acquisition Associate
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- Senior Manager of Operations
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- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Partner
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- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Principal Consultant
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- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Senior Director of Business Operations
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- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Principal Consultant
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- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Chief People & Equity Officer
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- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Partner
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- Director of the Analyst and Associate Team
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- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Principal Consultant