IEL - Key Persons

Ana has over 30 years of experience in accounting, including experience in government, education and non-for-profit accounting, among others. Ana was born and raised in Puerto Rico, where she started her professional career with one of the Big CPA firms, Ernst & Young, then held various positions as a Controller for a multinational company, Finance Director for various schools in Puerto Rico and in the DMV, and as a manager in various Government Agencies in Puerto Rico. She moved 6 years ago to the DMV area with her husband Ronaldo and two daughters.

Job Titles:

• Director Emeriti Stories

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• Board Member of the Arkansas Community Development Society

Candace Williams is from the small Delta town of Elaine, Arkansas. Before working for Rural Community Alliance, she was employed by USDA Delta Obesity Prevention Research Unit where her work encompassed evaluating the role of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans in preventing obesity in the Lower Mississippi Delta regions of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. She holds a degree in Family and Consumer Science from the University of Central Arkansas and is a 2017 graduate of the Community Development Institute-Central. She served as Rural Community Alliance's first youth board member, starting in 2007 until the time she became a staff member in 2013. As Executive Director of Rural Community Alliance, she works to empower rural community members to improve and create change in their schools and communities. Rural Community Alliance works in state, regional, and national coalitions to promote equitable education and rural prosperity. Williams currently serves as a board member of the Arkansas Community Development Society. She also serves on the UCA CDI Advisory Committee. She's mom to an 8-year-old, Caleb.

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• Regional Deputy Director for the Coalition for Community Schools

Christa Rowland believes in the power of uniting communities to create a brighter future for all children. Before joining the IEL team, Christa was the Director of Community Impact at the United Way of Treasure Valley in Boise, Idaho. She helped grow the system of Community Schools in Idaho, founded the Idaho Community School Learning Network, and co-founded the Idaho Coalition for Community Schools. Christa began her career as a Music Educator, teaching hundreds of students the joy of creating music. She has a Masters Degree in Public Administration, a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Administration, and Bachelors Degrees in Music Education and Violin Performance.

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• Senior Vice President, Transition, Disability & Employment / DAWN Center for Independent Living

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• Southern Regional Deputy Director for the Coalition for Community Schools

Dr. Donnie Hale is a proud father, husband, son, and friend that loves to create possibilities with others. Dr. Donnie Hale serves as the Regional Deputy Director, Southern Regional TAC. He is responsible for engaging leaders and networks, coaching and supporting, and building capacity for community schools to positively impact youth and families. Dr. Hale brings 20+ years of experience in higher education, teaching, research, coaching, community building, and relationship cultivation. He previously has served as Executive Director for Community Engagement and Strategic Partnership at Florida Memorial University, Assistant Director for the University of Central Florida - Center for Community Schools, and Director of The Education Effect (University-Assisted Community School Partnership) at Florida International University, and Assistant Professor of Education at Carroll University in Waukesha, WI. His body of work is focused on race, equity, educational opportunity, college access and human development. His teaching experience has been in areas of sociology, education, African American history, and cultural diversity. Hale is originally from Stockton, CA. He attended undergraduate at Willamette University and graduate school at Boise State University. He is a father to Taylor, Chloe, and Donnie III. Husband to Heather Hale. Proud son to Donnie and Debra Hale and brother to Michael, Michelle, Glen, and Terrence.

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• Senior Data Analyst at the Institute for Educational Leadership

Dr. Emily (Li) Cheng, the senior data analyst at the Institute for Educational Leadership. She has a Ph.D. in public policy and administration and a master's certificate in applied statistics. She also has a professional certificate in Result-Based Accountability (RBA). At IEL, Dr. Cheng supports data-related work, research, and strategic planning. Meanwhile, she oversees internal and external data capacity building, program evaluation, and impact analysis. Dr. Cheng is also the leading author of the IEL Annual Youth Transition Reports and the interactive youth transition data tool and one of the co-authors of the Youth Voice in Community Schools Guide and protocols. Before joining IEL, Dr. Cheng led a project to analyze the gap between academic training and job requirements for the FAA Center of Excellence for Technical Training and Human Performance (TTHP); managed a state-funded college mentoring program that was launched for academically and economically disadvantaged high school seniors and first-year college students; and prepared an annual accreditation data report for NASPAA, a global accreditor of master's degree programs in public policy, public affairs, public administration, and public & nonprofit management. She joined IEL in 2019 and wanted to advance people's ability to use data to improve community-level equity trajectories. Areas of expertise: Youth Engagement/Leadership, Leadership Development and Capacity Building, Program Design/Implementation/Support, Event Planning and Logistics, Disability Inclusion, Racial Justice, Youth Development, Data-informed Decision Making, Data Capacity Building

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• Agent
• Education, Philanthropy, and Organizational Change Advisor

Dr. Gislaine Ngounou is a change agent on a journey to embody the practice of freedom, abundance, love, rest, and joy. She believes these elements and practices are essential in the quest to manifest organizations, environments, systems, and societies in which we all flourish. With more than twenty years of experience working across the education sector, Dr. Ngounou brings a breadth and depth of expertise that includes work with philanthropy, nonprofits, schools, and school districts. She currently advises and supports leaders and organizations who are serious about pursuing organizational development and adaptive change efforts that contribute to a more just and liberated world. Most recently, she served as the Interim President and CEO as well as Vice President of Strategy and Programs for the Nellie Mae Education Foundation (NMEF). While at NMEF, Dr. Ngounou led the development and implementation of a strategy aimed at advancing racial justice in public education through grantmaking, policy and advocacy, community- and youth-driven efforts, and movement building. Under her leadership, the Foundation was awarded the prestigious impact award for changing course and authentically incorporating feedback by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy. Previously, Gislaine was the Chief Program Officer for Arlington, Virginia-based Phi Delta Kappa International, a professional organization for educators. In this role, she designed and led programs that supported school district leaders, provided leadership coaching surrounding issues of equity and social justice, and created and facilitated an ongoing community that allowed system level leaders in districts from across the country to learn from one another. Prior to her work at Phi Delta Kappa, Gislaine worked for school districts including Hartford Public Schools, Montgomery County Public Schools, and Kansas City Missouri School District. She is passionate about social and racial justice, youth and community empowerment, adult learning and unlearning, system change, and increasing educational and leadership opportunities for young people and people with marginalized identities.Gislaine holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and an Education Specialist in Administration degree from the University of Missouri Kansas City, a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Missouri Central, and a Doctor of Education Leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education. Education, Philanthropy, and Organizational Change Advisor Dr. Gislaine Ngounou is a change agent on a journey to embody the practice of freedom, abundance, love, rest, and joy. She believes these elements and practices are essential in the quest to manifest organizations, environments, systems, and societies in which we all flourish. With more than twenty years

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• Senior Vice President, Strategy
• Senior Vice President, Strategy, Research, and Policy

Dr. Helen Janc Malone is the Senior Vice President, Strategy, Research, and Policy, and Secretary of the Board. Her work focuses on scaling promising practices through research and data, incubating innovating leadership initiatives, supporting a national network of leaders for equitable education policy, and growing research-practice network. Her areas of expertise include education policy and leadership, out-of-school time learning, and systems-level change in both national and global contexts. Helen is the series editor of the Information Age Publishing book series "Current Issues on Out-of-School Time." Her recent publications include: Bridging Educational Change Through Partnership (Journal of Educational Change, 21, 2020); The Role of Context in Scaling Up Educational Change (Educational Research for Policy and Practice, 17(3), 2018); The Growing Out-of-School Time Field: Past, Present, and Future (Information Age Publishing, 2018, co-edited book); The Future Directions in Educational Change: Social Justice, Professional Capital, and Systems Change (Routledge, 2018, co-edited book); Opening Doors, Changing Futures (IEL, 2018; co-edited technical report); Collaborative Partnerships for Systems Change (Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 2(4), 2017). She has co-founded two special interest groups (SIGs) within the American Educational Research Association (AERA), has served as the Chair of three SIGs, and is the founding editor of a long-running series, Lead the Change. She serves as a peer reviewer on several academic journals and has served on editorial boards across out-of-school time, youth development, and education leadership journals. She has given lectures domestically and abroad and has appeared in mass media, including PBS, C-SPAN, Huffington Post, and has run two Education Week blogs. Helen holds Ed.D. in education policy, leadership, and instructional practice from Harvard University. Areas of expertise: Community Schools, Youth Engagement/Leadership, Leadership Development and Capacity Building, Policy/Advocacy, Program Design/Implementation/Support, Event Planning and Logistics, Grant Development/Development and Fundraising, Youth Development

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• Deputy Director, Leadership Initiatives

Ken believes in the power of communities, families, students, and teachers working together to drive meaningful learning. He began his journey as a teacher in outdoor education and eventually became social studies classroom teacher. He has served as a teacher, curriculum/instruction leader, mentor, coach, district administrator and professional development provider for teachers and school leaders. Over the course of his career he has collaborated with other educators to lead the development of several new schools. He currently serve as the Deputy Director of Leadership Initiatives for IEL. He also holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership and is a published writer on various education topics ranging from equity, teaching and learning, to leadership coaching. He also teaches both undergraduate and graduate level courses and is currently teaching a graduate level course on collaborative leadership. Areas of expertise: Youth Engagement/Leadership, Collaborative Leadership, Leadership Development and Capacity Building, Program Design/Implementation/Support, Youth Development, Professional Development for Educators Throughout his career in education, his passion & focus has been on ensuring that all students have access to deeper & more meaningful learning experiences. Dr. Ken Simon Read More »

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• Senior Policy Manager

Joining IEL in 2022, Michelle Lessly Blackburn is the Senior Policy Manager, working to advance the policy agenda of both IEL and the Coalition for Community Schools on the federal level. She brings 15 years of experience in higher education administration and policy research. Her policy work focuses on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, the Clery Act, and accreditation innovation. Prior to joining IEL, Michelle was the Head of Student Success at an EdTech nonprofit based in San Francisco and worked at MIT in the Division of Student Life. She currently serves as the Executive Director for the Blackburn Foundation, a non-profit focused on college readiness for K-12 students in North Texas. She holds a Doctorate in Law and Public Policy from Northeastern University and a Master's of Education from Abilene Christian University. A Texas native, Michelle now lives in Oakland, CA, with her husband and son. Areas of expertise: Community Schools, Leadership Development and Capacity Building, Policy/Advocacy

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• Midwestern Regional Deputy Director for the Coalition for Community Schools
• Regional Deputy Director of the Midwest Technical Assistance Center

Dr. Ryan Hurley (he/him) serves as the Regional Deputy Director of the Midwest Technical Assistance Center. Ryan brings experience as a community organizer, Community School Coordinator and the Director of a regional Community Schools initiative. As the Director, Ryan supported the establishment and growth of a network of Community Schools, developed cross-sector partnerships, and collaboratively created a transformational strategy grounded in shared leadership, equity and cultural relevance. Under his leadership, the partnership grew exponentially and is regularly recognized as a best practice in systems building across the national Community Schools network. Ryan has supported and advocated for Community Schools policies at the local, regional and national level. Before transitioning to IEL, Ryan developed an organizational and financial structure to support continued growth and sustainability, including securing a highly competitive multi-year Department of Education grant and the passing of a Community Schools policy by the local school board. Ryan served as the co-chair of the Coalition for Community Schools United Way Network, co-founded a state Community Schools Coalition, and is member of the Coalition's Community Schools Leadership Network. Ryan has advocated for disability inclusion, developed award-winning arts education programming, and collaboratively organized spaces for educators to build culturally responsive and restorative classrooms and schools. Community organizer. Loves family, basketball and poetry. Believes in the power of people to make meaningful change. Ryan Hurley Read More »

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• Chairman of the Board
• Executive Director of Elevate 215

Inspired by her former students and relentlessly optimistic about the future of education, Dr. Stacy E. Holland, Ed.D., has nearly 30 years of experience developing and implementing educational solutions for children. As Executive Director of Elevate 215, Stacy is fostering a positive approach to aligning the education community of Philadelphia on a common vision and working to ensure every student has the modern learning experience that builds the skills needed to thrive and reach long-term economic security. Prior to Elevate 215, Stacy was founder and principal of The Holland Group, a boutique consulting firm that served as a strategic advisor to public/private educational systems and philanthropic organizations and supported the development of investment portfolios focused on high school redesign to career pathway models for young adults. Previously, as Executive Director of The Lenfest Foundation, Stacy managed the foundation's endowment and annual grant budget, and was a content expert and leader within national, regional and local civic and philanthropic communities on the areas of education, youth workforce, career pathways, career and technical education, and philanthropic strategies. Before The Lenfest Foundation, she served as Chief of Strategic Partnerships for the School District of Philadelphia, where she built a new system for promoting the District's fundraising initiatives and external relationships. Stacy also co-founded the Philadelphia Youth Network, growing the organization to a citywide entity dedicated to integrating services across more than 100 partners providing programming to nearly 20,000 youth annually. Stacy earned a doctoral degree in learning and development from the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education. She also holds a bachelor's in marketing from The College of New Jersey and a master's in student personnel administration in higher education from Columbia University.

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• Deputy Director for the Center for Workforce Development
• Deputy Director, Center for Workforce Development

Ebony Watson is a Deputy Director for the Center for Workforce Development at the Institute for Educational Leadership. Ebony is the National Program Director of the Ready to Achieve Mentoring Program (RAMP), a career-focused mentoring program for court-involved and at-risk youth with disabilities. For the last sixteen years, Ebony has provided counsel, assistance, and guidance to youth and families involved in the juvenile justice and foster care system, collaborated with schools to improve attendance and graduation rates for system-involved youth, and mentored youth in goal-setting and decision-making skills. For the last eight years, she has worked at IEL to streamline best practices for mentoring youth with disabilities to include recruiting and training mentors, mentor-mentee match support, engaging families, case management, and records review. Additionally, Ebony has developed and facilitated trainings sharing the learned strategies and best practices of the RAMP program to assist in the development of peer mentoring programs across the country. Ebony holds a Master of Social Work degree from Walden University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Augusta State University. Ebony is also a graduate of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services Leadership Development Institute. Areas of expertise: Juvenile Justice, Program Design/Implementation/Support, Event Planning and Logistics, Disability Inclusion, Mentoring

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• President

Before his arrival at IEL, Eddie Koen served as the President and Chief Executive Officer for the Urban League of Greater Southwest Ohio (ULGSO), one of the largest Urban League affiliates in the country serving Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Dayton, Ohio. He grew the League from 45 to 90 staff members during his tenure, increased the budget from 4.9 to 13 million, and launched the first Center for Social Justice to serve as the regional catalyst for collaborative police reform efforts. ULGSO secured at least one job per day in the region and served 1600 black, brown, & women-owned businesses a year with total revenues of over seven billion and 60 thousand employees. After securing the most significant programmatic personal gift of $1M, the center expanded to education advocacy and health equity work. The Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio also serves as headquarters to the Small Business Development Center of Hamilton County. Before his role, he served as the Chief Impact Officer for Mile High United Way, where he directed $18 million in investment strategies and programming shifting the work towards neighborhoods needs. A Chicago native with roots in Alabama, he has a passion for education, equity, and criminal justice reform. Eddie served as the chief-of-staff for Denver Public Schools (DPS), the largest school district in Colorado with a one-billion-dollar budget, where he was charged with overall coordination of policy, lobbying, and strategy. Under Eddie's efforts, DPS eliminated expulsions and drastically reduced suspensions for all students in the district from K-3. In Denver, Eddie served as vice-chair of the Board of Trustees for the Denver Foundation (TDF), an $820M community foundation, chaired their work around racial equity, and served as a finance committee member. Eddie is the past co-chair of the Denver African-American Philanthropists and a member of the TDF's EPIC Initiation -elevating philanthropy in communities of color. He served as the Colorado State Policy Adviser for Lumina Foundation's Strategy Labs, a platform to advance targeted initiatives on racial equity and degree attainment in underrepresented groups. Eddie served as the founding regional executive director for College Track, a comprehensive multi-state education nonprofit in a prior role. He served as the executive director of Charity's House Ministries, a housing reentry nonprofit, targeting black men suffering from substance abuse and reentering society from prison. After law school, he worked as a legal fellow at Equal Justice Initiative- an advocacy organization serving defendants denied fair treatment in the legal system. While living in Birmingham, Alabama, he co-founded the Birmingham Roundtable; a grassroots policy group focused on holding stakeholders accountable to the electorate. While serving as national chair for the National Black Law Students Association, he organized one of the largest death penalty moratorium rallies in history at the Carter Center. He co-founded Konbit Pou Edikayson - an international nonprofit focused on education and youth gang prevention in Cité Soleil (Sun City), Haiti. In law school, he collaborated with the American Bar Association's "Death Penalty Representation Project" to provide critical legal services to clients on death row. As a result, the Alabama State Bar awarded and recognized Eddie for his outstanding work. He served on the board for Cincinnati Country Day School, Mount St. Joseph University, Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati, the Human Services Chamber, and the Community Investment Network. He served on the Advisory Board for the Barton Institute for Philanthropy and Social Enterprise, the Advisory Board for National Pre-Law Diversity Initiatives, Inc., the Board of Directors for Colorado Latino Leadership and Research Organization (CLLARO), the Colorado Forum, Board of Directors for Denver Health Community Health Services, Board of Directors for NAACP Denver, and vice-chair for the commission for the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships. He also served on the Rocky Mountain Black Economic Summit board of directors. In 2020, 2021, and 2022, Eddie was honored as one of the most powerful Cincinnati 300, an annual report on Greater Cincinnati's top 300 business leaders-the most influential and impactful people shaping Cincinnati. He was named as a "Top Boss to Watch" in 2020 and 2021 by the Cincinnati Business Courier. He was a Livingston Fellow by Bonfils Stanton for 2019; and, he was honored as a "Community Champion" by the City of Denver's Office of Children Affairs. He received the "Shoes of Justice Award," by Shorter AME Church in 2017 for his commitment to equity in education and recognition by the TheEduCtr for supporting educators of color. In Atlanta, GA, he was honored by the Community Investment Network for his dedication to philanthropy and giving in 2016. He was named one of Denver Urban Spectrum's Top 15 for 2015. He is one of Denver Business Journal's Forty under 40 for 2014 and a MODEL Man (Man of Distinction, Excellence, and Leadership) by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. In 2012, ColoradoBiz Magazine recognized Eddie as one of Colorado's Top 25 Most Influential Young Professionals. In August of 2013, Eddie received the Sebastian Owens Community Service Award from Urban League of Metro Denver. He received his law degree from Samford University, his Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and his bachelor's degree from the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. He enjoys traveling with his family, playing chess, and live music. A Chicago native with roots in Alabama, Eddie has a passion for education, equity, and criminal justice reform. Eddie Koen Read More »

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• Director of Social Innovation at the Institute for Educational Leadership

Director of Social Innovation at the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL), Francine brings over a decade of experience in community-driven leadership development at the intersecting areas of education and employment. In this role, Francine leads the development and implementation of new business strategies for IEL. Francine is adept at providing intermediary-level technical assistance, grant operations, program implementation, and strategic planning. She brings extensive experience in managing grants and foundation funded initiatives. She has a proven track record of success, notably achieving remarkable outcomes in reducing recidivism rates and fostering career readiness among justice-involved youth nationwide. Francine is dedicated to supporting community and institutional leaders in building systems around racial, disability inclusion, and economic equity goals. She cultivates authentic relationships, leverage resources and drives collective action towards shared goals. Through collaboration and innovation, she continues to drive impactful change at IEL and beyond. Francine's dedication stems from her personal journey as a first-generation college graduate. She is committed to promoting equitable access and opportunities for all young people and communities to thrive. Through mentorship and collaboration, she continues to make a profound impact on lives across communities.

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• Vice President of Partnerships at Murmuration

Gregory is the Vice President of Partnerships at Murmuration. He is responsible for developing Murmuration's partnership vision and strategy and ensuring that Murmuration has a strong, well supported, and engaged national campaign and network partner portfolio. He leads a passionate team working daily to ensure our campaign partners develop robust and actionable plans, execute campaigns effectively, and achieve their mission and campaign objectives while leveraging Murmuration's data, tools, and analytics. Prior to joining Murmuration, Gregory served as the Chief External Affairs Officer at STRIVE Prep (now Rocky Mountain Prep) in Denver and spent five years with Denver Public Schools leading the Public Affairs Team, lobbying and government relations strategy, and regional community engagement. Gregory is a founding board member of the Colorado League of Charter Schools c4: CLCS Action, Board President for School Board Partners, and a founding board officer for the Black Capital Foundation in Denver, Colorado.

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• Retired

John McDonough retired from the Boston Public Schools in June 2015. His career spanned over 40 years with the district. He served in a variety of capacities in finance including 17 years as Chief Financial Officer. During his last two years, he served as Interim Superintendent. John has always believed that every one of us has the capacity to be of service and to make a positive difference in the lives of others. He is particularly proud to have led teams to introduce weighted student funding and mutual consent hiring for all of Boston's schools. John was recognized for exemplary public service by being named a recipient of the Henry L. Shattuck Award from the Boston Municipal Research Bureau and the Bill Wise Award in Urban Education from the Council of the Great City Schools. Mr. McDonough holds a BA in Political Science and MBA from Boston College.

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• Member of the Staff & Board
• in 2017 As a Program Associate
• Regional Deputy Director of the Northeast Technical Assistance Center

Joline joined IEL in 2017 as a program associate working on IEL's family and community engagement work. She provides administrative, logistical, and programmatic support for the annual FCE National Conference, District Leaders meetings, and more. Prior to joining IEL, Joline worked as a training coordinator for Spitfire Strategies; a national communication firm that works with nonprofits and foundations to provide strategic communication counsel, develop winning campaigns, and increase the capacity of staff through training and technical assistance. While there, she was responsible for creating tailored training material and coordinating logistics for trainings in Washington, D.C. and abroad. Joline graduated from Roosevelt University with a BA in international studies and a minor in political science.

Jordan joined IEL in September 2018 as a Finance and H.R. Associate. She currently serves as a Development and Grants Manager, facilitating the organization's overall business development efforts, including fundraising, partnerships, and donor relations. Prior to joining IEL, Jordan gained valuable experience through a range of internships across the Greater Boston and D.C. metro areas. She embarked on her internship journey at the Washington D.C. branch of the Securities and Exchange Commission, where she contributed to the Office of Financial Management and Filing Fees. The subsequent summer, Jordan further honed her skills as a program intern at uAspire, a distinguished Boston-based nonprofit dedicated to guiding young individuals in accessing and utilizing financial resources for pursuing higher education. Jordan earned her B.B.A. in Finance from Howard University in May 2018. During her tenure at Howard, she also showcased her dedication as a member of the women's varsity soccer team, underlining her commitment to both academic and athletic pursuits. Areas of expertise: Finance, Grant Development/Development and Fundraising

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• Senior Director, Coalition for Community Schools

Kathy shares that she "stumbled into Finance after earning a Master's in Education from the University of Maryland." Her focus was on Minority and Urban Education. Growing up with two refugee immigrant parents who spoke very little English, she knew she wanted to work with underserved populations. Her first job out of grad school was a Program Administrator at a crisis bed in Prince George's County, Maryland. After that, she transitioned to a small non-profit in Silver Spring, MD and fell in love with finance and operations. She worked there for 6 years before coming to IEL, where she has now worked for six years. Outside of IEL, Kathy coached CrossFit as a Level 2 Trainer for 5 years. After having a baby, she stepped down from coaching, but continues to do CrossFit regularly. In her free time, she loves spending time with her family: husband, two kids, two cats, and a dog. "I've always believed, whether it's health and fitness related, or any other area of life, that everyone has the ability to achieve their goals when given the right support, resources, and opportunities," she says. Areas of expertise: Finance

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• Vice Chair
• Principal at Sidecar Social Finance

Lisa Nutter is a principal at Sidecar Social Finance, a social impact agency that provides impact investing advisory and capital services to individuals, institutions, and social enterprises. Her diverse professional background includes work in the fields of education, workforce development, community organizing, human services, community development, and arts and culture. She is trained as an urban planner and her decades of experience nationally as a practitioner, researcher, impact evaluator, and strategist have significantly shaped her work and belief in multidimensional approaches to community building and economic well-being. In addition, she has worked throughout her career on efforts that strengthen nonprofit organizations focused on social change-initiatives designed to improve planning, organizational learning, and reflection, as well as research and data utilization in order to deepen impact and effect systems change. These interests and experiences are reflected in her focus on social impact and financing effective social change efforts in ways that bring them successfully to scale. From 2005 to 2017, Lisa served as president of Philadelphia Academies, Inc., a nonprofit youth development organization that partners with Philadelphia's public high schools to implement a high school transformation approach called the career academy model. It is an evidence-based model that has been proven to improve long-term economic outcomes for youth and has been replicated nationally across 2,500 communities and 7,000 high schools. During her leadership, Nutter led an enterprise focused on significantly expanding the number of young people supported by the model in Philadelphia. She has a B.S. in Psychology from the Pennsylvania State University and an M.A. in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania. In 2005, she completed a year-long fellowship in the Emerging Leaders Programme which is administered by the Centre for Leadership and Public Values at the University of Cape Town (South Africa) and Duke University. Nutter is actively engaged locally and nationally in issues related to social change and youth development and presently serves on the Governor of Pennsylvania's Advisory Commission for Education and Workforce, and the board of directors for Big Picture Philadelphia and the Institute for Educational Leadership.

Job Titles:

• Community Connections Manager

Liz Thacker joins IEL as the Community Connections Manager. She is no stranger though to IEL having contracted with IEL for nearly four years to support the operations of our Coordinators Network. She brings over 10 years of experience working as a Coordinator with three different Community Schools. In her last role, she did partner onboarding and development helping transform the high school experience through career themed academies. Liz holds a Master of Education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a Bachelor of Science from Furman University. She currently resides in East Tennessee with her husband and two young children. Areas of expertise: Community Schools, Family and Community Engagement

Job Titles:

• Senior Vice President for Finance and Talent

Maame serves as the Senior Vice President for Finance and Talent. She is responsible for performing full-service accounting and for the overall financial management of IEL. She also supports the overall administration, coordination, and evaluation of the human resources function. Maame joined the IEL staff in January of 2007 working in programmatic areas and networks management for IEl's Coalition for Community Schools. Maame holds a Masters in Strategic Human Resource Development from Drexel University. She received her B.A. in Political Science from Michigan State University. She is also a an alumni of IEL's Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP). Maame has volunteered as an after-school community service leader at an elementary school, the Ronald McDonald House Charities, various women's organizations, and mentoring domestic and international youth and serving on various national planning committees for education/health groups. Maame is also a member of the Society for Human Resource Management and the Association for Talent Development.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Staff & Board
• Sidecar Social Finance

Rooted in love and justice, Pele (he/him/his) is a second-generation Vietnamese American driven to create impact by bridging communities, building advocates & centering marginalized communities.

Michael Sims is an accomplished financial professional, whose career has spanned over 18 years in accounting and finance. Half of his career has been dedicated to ensuring that the mission and financial stewardship of Scholastic, Inc., the beloved children's publishing company, continue to be fulfilled and evolve during changing times. During his tenure at Scholastic, Michael has partnered with leadership and other contributors throughout the organization to develop the strategic vision and financial models for the Education division. While serving as Vice President of the Finance for the division, Michael was awarded the prestigious Chairman Award in 2020 for his involvement in the redesign the segment's business model during the COVID. The initiative provided books and other resources to children learning remotely during the pandemic. Leveraging his success, Michael has recently assumed a new role as the Vice President of Corporate Financial Planning & Analysis, reporting directly to the CFO. Prior to joining Scholastic, Michael was the Manager of Accounting Operations for Madison Square Garden Entertainment (MSGE). As the Manager of Accounting Operations, Michael managed the Accounts Payable and Receivables departments, as well as the budgeting and forecasting for several divisions. Michael has also served as the system administrator of production payroll, which managed compensation for all event related unionized personnel. Michael earned his Bachelor's degree in Business Administration (cum laude) from Berkeley College, with a major in Accounting.

Pele joined IEL in 2019 as an events and operations program associate to work directly with IEL's Coalition of Community Schools and Family & Community Engagement initiatives. Prior to joining IEL, he has been bridging communities and developing advocates, working at universities, state and federal-level civil rights organizations, and nonprofits. At the Southeast Asian Resource Action Center, he advocated for largest refugee population to ever resettle in the United States, leading equitable outreach research and national community engagement efforts. At the largest national Asian American and Pacific Islander workers' organization, the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, he coordinated local grassroots and national campaigns to mobilize the AAPI community for the elections. Pele Le (he/him/his) is proud second-generation Vietnamese American and a first-generation college graduate of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities with a B.A.S. in health services management and a minor in psychology, public health, leadership, and Korean.

Job Titles:

• Director Emeriti Stories

Rita joined IEL in 2016. She provides technical assistance and resources to program sites throughout the country. She loves to learn about different communities through collaborating with youth, organizations, and families to implement IEL's workforce development and mentoring programs. During her time at IEL, Rita has worked to expand career pathways for justice-involved youth and youth with disabilities with the Right Turn Career-Focused Transition Initiative and the Ready to Achieve Mentoring program. Rita holds a M.S. in City and Regional Planning from Pratt Institute and a B.S. in Public Policy from the George Washington University. Areas of expertise: Juvenile Justice, Youth Engagement/Leadership, Leadership Development and Capacity Building, Program Design/Implementation/Support, Event Planning and Logistics, Disability Inclusion, Youth Development

Job Titles:

• Member of IEL 's Senior Leadership Team
• Senior Vice President for Leadership and Engagement

A member of IEL's Senior Leadership Team, Kwesi Rollins guides IEL's portfolio of programs designed to develop and support leaders with a particular emphasis on Family and Community Engagement, Early Childhood Education and Community-based Leadership Development. Kwesi directs the District Leaders Network on Family and Community Engagement and Leaders for Today and Tomorrow, an initiative that designs and delivers professional learning and support opportunities for school and district leaders. Kwesi has years of experience working with local communities and state agencies to improve cross-sector collaboration and service delivery systems supporting children, youth and families. Mr. Rollins provided technical assistance and training to a range of state and county agencies, school districts, local schools and community-based organizations in projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Working with young people is also a personal passion for Kwesi who has special expertise in resiliency and youth development. He has been recognized as the Big Brother of the Year in the District of Columbia and is an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the National Capitol Area. He holds an MSW degree from the University of Maryland at Baltimore School of Social Work where he was a Maternal and Child Health Leadership Training Fellow. Follow Kwesi on Twitter: @kwesibaby58 Areas of expertise: Community Schools, Family and Community Engagement, Juvenile Justice, Youth Engagement/Leadership, Collaborative Leadership, Leadership Development and Capacity Building, Program Design/Implementation/Support, Event Planning and Logistics, Grant Development/Development and Fundraising/Disability Inclusion, Racial Justice, Youth Development

Job Titles:

• Immigrant and Refugee Leadership Coordinator

Sabrina joined IEL in February 2018, and currently coordinates IEL youth leadership and development portfolio, including specialized leadership development for Immigrant and Refugee Youth as well as the Next Generation Coalition (NGC), an alliance guided by IEL and led by emerging youth leaders to provide a platform for advancing the Community School strategy. NGC serves as a framework for IEL's youth leadership development work, including youth connected to Community School initiatives, youth with disabilities, immigrant, and refugee youth, and more. Prior to joining IEL, Sabrina worked as a family and youth engagement specialist for Immigrant and Refugee Community Organizing in Portland, Ore. While there, she was responsible for 40 African youth and families in middle and high school. She provided academic, social and emotional learning, and career exploration support for youth, while also providing translation support to families and helping them engage in their children's schools. Sabrina graduated from Salem College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina with a BA in Communications and Public Policy and speaks fluent Somali. Areas of expertise: Community Schools, Family and Community Engagement, Youth Engagement/Leadership, Collaborative Leadership, Leadership Development and Capacity Building, Policy/Advocacy, Program Design/Implementation/Support, Event Planning and Logistics, Youth Development True change is possible through cross sectors collaboration, achieve this and you are looking at a better tomorrow. Sabrina Sheikh Read More »

Born and raised in New York City, Sherene previously worked for The Rockefeller Foundation as a Senior Associate working with their design team to plan and design convenings. After graduating from New York University with a Master's in Event Management, she started an Event Management Agency and relocated to Alexandria, VA. She loves spending time with her two sons and traveling.

Job Titles:

• Director of EdRedesign 's Institute for Success Planning

Tauheedah Jackson serves as the inaugural Director of EdRedesign's Institute for Success Planning at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She partners with local communities, nationwide, to design personalized, relationship-based systems of support for children and youth through cross-sector collaboration. EdRedesign, advances cradle-to-career, community-based personalized systems of support and opportunity for all children and youth, particularly those living in poverty and champions a broad, holistic model of child development and education that goes beyond schools. Prior to joining EdRedesign, she was the Director of Place Based Strategy & Community School Initiatives at the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL). In this role, she was responsible for engaging networks of leaders in local communities and supervising the programs, logistics, and daily operations of the national Coalition for Community Schools. A native of Bridgeport, Connecticut, Tauheedah is a first-generation college student. She earned her bachelor's degree from Connecticut College, in government and secondary education and holds a master's degree in education policy and management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Tauheedah is a sought-after presenter and facilitator and serves on various nonprofit boards. She has received several awards recognizing her leadership in the field, including Hartford Business Journal's 40 Under Forty. As a mother of 3 sons, Isaiah, Isaac, and Ian, she is committed to working toward ensuring more equitable access and opportunity for all.

Job Titles:

• Director of the New York State Alliance for Quality Education

Zakiyah Ansari is the advocacy director of the New York State Alliance for Quality Education, the leading statewide organization that has been fighting for educational justice in New York State. Ansari is the mother of eight children and grandparent of four. She has dedicated almost 20 years of her life to the fight for educational justice and ending the oppression of black and brown communities.