CITYBRIDGE - Key Persons
As Director of Learning, Agasthya leads CityBridge's efforts to become an organization of continuous improvement by documenting the impact of our work, refining theories of change, and developing data-driven learning agendas.
Prior to joining CityBridge, Agasthya was a Research Scientist at the Harvard Advances in Learning Research Group, where he investigated innovative pedagogical frameworks for online learning and led the curriculum development for a suite of case-based data science courses for Harvard Business School Online.
Agasthya began his career in education as a Teach For America corps member in New Orleans. He eventually moved on to serve as a Program Manager with New Schools for New Orleans, where he coached teachers and leaders in pedagogy and change management, analyzed city-wide achievement data, and developed programs to increase college readiness for high school students in New Orleans.
Agasthya holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and an Ed.M in Technology, Innovation, and Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Job Titles:
- CityTutor DC Design Sprint Facilitator
Alexandra Pardo is a CityTutor DC Design Sprint Facilitator.
Alexandra drives the performance outcomes of TenSquare's school improvement practice. She was the Executive Director of Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School from 2011-2015 and the Academic Director of the school for the five years prior. Under her leadership, the school became the highest performing open-enrollment high school in Washington, DC, and attained unparalleled outcomes on state (DC CAS, PARCC) and national (SAT, AP) standardize tests. The school earned a 2014 National Excellence in Education Award from the National Center for Urban School Transformation and a School Award from the Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color (2013). The school was ranked as the highest performing high school by US World and News Report in Washington, DC, earning a Bronze Award (2012, 2013, 2014).
Her use of data has been recognized nationally by the Department of Education in its Doing What Works series and she is featured in Driven by Data by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo and the upcoming From Good to Great: School Leadership by Jim Collins. Alexandra received a Distinguished Educational Leadership award in 2013 from The Washington Post. She was a mayoral appointee to the DC Community Schools Advisory Committee and a contributing writer of the DC Social Studies Standards. She is an expert on school turn-arounds and her expertise ranges from academics to school operations. An experienced classroom teacher, she has taught at the high school and collegiate level courses in social studies, technology and ESL. A Teach For America alumna, she earned a B.A. in International Affairs from the George Washington University, a M.A. in Teaching from American University, a M.S. in Administration from Trinity University, and a Ph.D. in Education from the George Washington University.
As Director of Program, Andrew Plemmons Pratt (he/him/his) builds experiences for education leaders to learn equity-centered design tools and apply them to create transformative schools and social ventures. Since joining CityBridge in 2015, he has supported leaders and teacher teams across the District and charter sectors on school redesign, coached school designers on new start charter applications, and led multiple fellowships focused on innovation, design thinking, and race equity. His work is grounded in the belief that schools can disrupt and dismantle systems of oppression.
Formerly, Andrew worked in school partnerships at New Classrooms; taught 7th-grade English as a Teach For America corps member in Prince George's County, Maryland; and edited a magazine about science policy at the Center for American Progress. He holds a B.A. in English and American Studies and an M.A. in English, both from the University of Virginia. He and his wife are public school parents to two kids and live on Capitol Hill.
Anna Kaplan is a CityBridge Design Studio Facilitator.
Anna Kaplan is currently the Assistant Principal at Center City PCS Brightwood with over 13 years of teaching experience. Prior to serving in administration, Anna worked as an interventionist, taught grades 2nd, 4th, 5th, and wrote curriculum for her district. Anna is passionate about literacy and loves to share the joy of reading with her students.
Anna holds a B.A. in Elementary Education from Wake Forest University and an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from The George Washington University.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director of Research & Learning
- Senior Director, Researching & Learning
Arthur McKee (he/him/his) is the Senior Director of Research & Learning, identifying large-scale challenges in DC's education system and driving the analysis necessary to craft effective responses. He and his team glean insights from the progress of the entrepreneurs CityBridge supports and the broader initiatives CityBridge leads.
Arthur rejoined CityBridge in May of 2015. From 2011 to 2015, he led the first-ever comprehensive evaluation of over 2,000 teacher preparation programs across the country at the National Council on Teacher Quality. From 2000 to 2010, Arthur helped develop and lead CityBridge's Early Years Education Initiative, a five-year effort to ensure high-quality early childhood education for all children in the nation's capital.
Arthur earned a B.A. from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in Russian history from U.C. Berkeley in 1997.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Principal of Wroxton Civic Ventures LLC
- Principal, Wroxton Civic Ventures
Barry H. Caldwell serves as principal of Wroxton Civic Ventures LLC, an advisory services company, and is providing strategic advice, direction, and support to nonprofit organizations in energy and education.
Prior to Wroxton, Barry enjoyed a 16-year career at Waste Management, completing his tenure there as senior vice president of corporate affairs and chief people officer. Barry previously served as the company's senior vice president of corporate affairs and chief legal officer, as well as senior vice president of public affairs and communications. Before WM, Barry was vice president of government relations for CIGNA Corporation and before that, vice president of federal affairs for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. Barry's public service began as counsel and later chief of staff to US Senator Arlen Specter. He began his professional career practicing law in Washington, DC, first with Kutak Rock & Campbell and later Cole Corette & Abrutyn.
Barry's board experience has included regular engagement with the Waste Management board of directors and serving on several nonprofit organizations and trade group boards, providing guidance on strategic direction, organizational growth, public engagement and policy, and reputation management. He currently serves as chair of The Discovery Green Conservancy in Houston, TX, and as a member of the board of Washington Latin PCS, KIPP DC, and the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia. Barry holds an AB from Dartmouth College and a JD from Georgetown University Law Center. He and his wife, Phyllis, are proud parents of three children.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Co - Founder of Public Prep
- Partner at Eagle Capital
Boykin Curry is a partner at Eagle Capital, an investment firm based in New York. Previously, he invested in Asia and Russia for hedge fund Kingdon Capital and for Morgan Stanley Asset Management. Founded in 1988, Eagle Capital manages $20 billion for institutions, families, and sovereign wealth funds.
Boykin is a co-founder of Public Prep, a group of charter schools in New York City. He is also a board member of Alliance for School Choice and a co-founder of Democrats for Education Reform, both of which fight for better schools through competition and choice.
Boykin graduated from Yale University in 1988 with a degree in Economics and earned his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1994. Boykin has a daughter named Zinnia and two sons, Rascal and Wick.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of My School DC
- Executive Director, CityTutor DC
Cat Peretti (she/her/hers) has tutored students for more than 20 years, and her experiences personalizing learning to improve outcomes have fueled her career in education policy.
After earning her law degree, Cat was an analyst at the US Department of Education focused on grants management during the Obama administration. She then served as the Director of Policy and Accountability at E.L. Haynes Public Charter School.
In 2015, Cat became the Executive Director of My School DC, the common application and lottery for the District's public school options. Under Cat's leadership, the lottery program operated with technical precision as the number of participating families and schools steadily increased. Now, nearly all schools serving grades PreK-12 have opted in to use My School DC and 75% of families with students in DCPS or DC public charter schools have used the lottery system for school access. In 2019, she and her team won the Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation award for innovation in the DC government.
Cat brings keen strategic judgment, strong operational skills, a commitment to educational equity and access, and a deep set of relationships with DC's educational leaders to the role leading CityTutor DC. She oversees strategy development and overall execution for CityTutor DC with the full support of CityBridge's team.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Founder and Co - CEO of Jasper Advisors
David Sutphen is the Founder and Co-CEO of Jasper Advisors, a boutique consultancy advising CEOs, Fortune 500 companies, emerging businesses, non-profit leaders, and prominent individuals. Previously, David was 2U's Chief Communications and Engagement Officer and led the global communications, public affairs, events, and corporate brand teams. David has served as Judiciary Committee general counsel to the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy and chief of staff to former Congressman Harold Ford Jr. After leaving Capitol Hill, David worked as a senior vice president at the Recording Industry Association of America and at VIACOM. He currently serves as board chair of GetSchooled, a Viacom and Gates Foundation backed non-profit he helped launch and as secretary of the board for the U.S. Soccer Foundation, the official charity of U.S. Soccer.
David is an honors graduate of Amherst College, with a B.A. in Political Science, and currently serves as a trustee of the college. He also earned a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School, where he served on the editorial board of the Michigan Law Review, before clerking on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Job Titles:
- Director, Implementation, CityTutor DC
As the Director, Implementation for CityTutor DC, Deidra Bailey (she/her/hers) works with the CityTutor DC team to support school leaders as they work to integrate and implement high-impact tutoring in their schools.
Immediately before joining the CityTutor DC team, she was High School Principal at DC International School (DCI), a dual-language and IB for all charter school in Ward 4. At DCI, she served first as a founding special education and math teacher in the DCI Middle School, and then went on to be the founding Assistant Principal for DCI High School upon its opening in fall of 2016. During her time at DCI, she supported the building of the high school programming, and most importantly, supported the matriculation of DCI's founding class of students.
Deidra began her career in education in 2009 as a Teacher For America corps member in Washington, DC, as a special education teacher at Anacostia Senior High School. Committed to equitable learning environments for students and ensuring schools have strong teachers, she has served as both a Curriculum Specialist and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness Facilitator for Teach For America Summer Institute, supporting the development of first year teachers. She also served as a founding member of DC Education Coalition for Change, a community made up of families, students, educators, and friends of education that organizes around the needs of students in the District.
Deidra holds a B.A. in Government and International Politics with a minor in African and African American Studies and an M.Ed. in Special Education, both from George Mason University.
As Associate of Program, Elham Mohaba (she/her/hers) works across all CityBridge programs, as well as serving as the main internal logistical support for the team as a whole.
Prior to joining CityBridge, Elham worked as an Administrative and Programs Assistant at the Parking and Transportation Department of George Mason University, working to make transportation more accessible and sustainable for members of the Mason community.
Elham holds a B.A. in Government and International Politics from George Mason University, and is currently pursuing a M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Social Justice and Human Rights, also from George Mason University. She is currently working on her graduate thesis on the experiences of Black women in academia, focusing on how trauma is often at the center of these experiences.
Elham is a DMV native and currently resides in Northern Virginia with her husband and two cats.
Job Titles:
- Director, Partnerships, CityTutor DC
As Director of Partnerships for CityTutor DC, Gina builds relationships with local universities and tutoring organizations to strengthen the tutoring ecosystem for public school students in Washington, DC.
Prior to joining CityTutor, Gina led the academic team at Horton's Kids, a community-based organization that supports children and families in the Wellington Park and Stanton Oaks neighborhoods. In addition to overseeing OST academic programs, Gina focused on school advocacy work. She provided workshops on students' educational rights for parents and facilitated conversations between parents and school leaders.
Gina taught high school English and directed the school's Restorative Justice Program in Milford, Massachusetts for 12 years before moving to DC. Gina earned a B.A. in Writing and Literature from Wheaton College and a M.A. in English Literature and Women's Studies from Brandeis University.
As Manager, Donor Relations, Gina Lee (she/her/hers) supports the Development team with cultivating relationships with financial supporters of the organization.
Prior to joining CityBridge, Gina spent a year in Melbourne, Australia interning with Cru where she largely focused on managing social media and executing campaigns to initiate discussions surrounding spirituality with University of Melbourne students. Previously, she interned with a branding agency, JST.B, where she managed communications and relationships with clients while also introducing public relations strategies as a new practice area for the firm. During this internship, Gina assisted in launching a network that aimed to connect and empower Asian American creatives in the DMV area.
Gina holds a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations from the University of Maryland, College Park. During college, Gina took several classes that brought light to systemic racial injustices, fueling her desire to directly engage in work that aims to dismantle inequitable systems.
Job Titles:
- Project Director, Transforming Teaching Portfolio
As Project Director, Transforming Teaching Portfolio, Heidi works with DC schools to drive forward the planning, piloting, and implementation of new models for teaching aimed at making the teaching profession more successful and sustainable.
Heidi is a leader and designer with over 15 years experience in the education sector supporting a wide range of learners, from adolescents to adults. She is passionate about creating the conditions in which both adults and young people can thrive. Most recently, she was the Director of Professional Learning at Turnaround for Children where she used her school leadership and teaching background to lead partnerships, design and facilitate internal and external professional learning, and develop a rich variety of tools and resources to support schools in whole-child aligned change initiatives.
Heidi got her start in the education field as a first generation college student at the University of Chicago where she worked for the Neighborhood Schools Program. She was a research assistant at the Chapin Hall Center for Children and participated in a fellowship at the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning. She moved to Washington, DC, in 2007 as a Teach for America Corps member. After that, she worked at DC Prep's Edgewood Middle School Campus, where she supported many culture and academic initiatives as a teacher, grade-level leader, department chair, coach, home office curriculum writer, and assistant principal.
Outside of work, Heidi enjoys volunteering and spending time with her husband and son. She also remains close to her family in Minnesota, visiting them as often as she can.
Job Titles:
- Project Coordinator for CityTutor DC
As a Project Coordinator for CityTutor DC, Jasmyn Gilmore supports the expansion of access to high-impact tutoring for DC public school students. She coordinates efforts to strengthen DC's tutoring force and build school capacity for implementation within school schedules, as well as providing opportunities for tutoring outside of the school day.
Before joining CityBridge, Jasmyn spent a year working alongside New America for her graduate capstone project to contribute to an understanding of how culturally responsive education practices and resources are being implemented in the classroom. This research also served to highlight barriers and inequities within access to quality education, with consideration of how the impact of the pandemic continues to exacerbate these challenges. Her capstone experience, in addition to her academic exposure of courses that emphasized systemic racial injustices-particularly in education-sparked a deep passion, desire, and commitment to dismantling historically inequitable systems in society through this work.
Jasmyn holds a B.A. in Psychology with a Minor Certificate in African American Studies, as well as a M.P.P. from the University of Maryland, College Park.
As Chief of Staff, Jen Davis (she/her/hers) facilitates and coordinates internal management of CityBridge. For nearly a decade, Jen previously directed CityBridge's Stewardship and Network Engagement practice, overseeing a strategy to leverage content and convenings to build an "army of stewards" who understand DC public education and support the practices that are best helping children succeed. In this role, Jen designed a portfolio of content-rich events for philanthropic, business, and civic leaders to learn about the issues and ideas most relevant to our city's education landscape. She also supported our entrepreneurs by building political maps of DC to navigate and develop critical local relationships.
Before Jen joined CityBridge in 2008, she spent five years with the national literacy nonprofit Everybody Wins!, first managing its corporate volunteer program and development efforts in Chicago and later serving as national development and communications director. She was also previously a spokesperson for the Got Milk? campaign. Jen earned a B.A. from Washington and Lee University. Her two children inspire her commitment to creating an excellent, equitable education system.
Job Titles:
- Associate, Communications and Events
As Associate, Communications and Events, Jordan Sugick supports the execution of CityBridge's communications and events strategy, helping to grow awareness of the organization and elevate the projects we support.
Jordan brings extensive knowledge in graphic design to CityBridge, having previously interned in marketing and social media for two local small businesses, Can I Live, Inc. and The Innovative Academy of Liberal Arts and Sciences (IALAS). There, she created engaging content and assisted in developing their branding. Before that, Jordan served as a Marketing and Communications intern at Destination DC, DC's premiere tourism organization, where she supported their advertising efforts and organized digital content for their website.
Jordan holds a B.A. in Communications with a concentration in Advertising and a minor in Digital Marketing from Fairleigh Dickinson University, Metropolitan Campus. She is a native Washingtonian and attended DC Public and Public Charter Schools. Jordan's passion for giving back and academic excellence drove her to pursue work that would create an impact on her community.
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications
As Director of Communications, Kate Wiley (she/her/hers) is focused on growing awareness of CityBridge and elevating the projects we support through strategic and compelling storytelling.
Kate has deep experience in building and growing communications programs in the nonprofit space, most recently at SOME (So Others Might Eat), a nonprofit dedicated to providing crucial services to DC residents experiencing homelessness, hunger, and poverty, where she oversaw all external communications and online fundraising. Prior to her work at SOME, Kate spent nine years in public affairs at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History and Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, bringing awareness to and engagement with diverse topics such as the Star-Spangled Banner, the history of skateboarding, and the discovery of the only playable recording of Alexander Graham Bell's voice.
Kate holds a B.A. in Foreign Language and Communication Media from American University and a M.A. in Cultural Heritage Studies from the University College London. Her passion for education was fostered by her mother, a high school math teacher for over 30 years, and continues to be inspired by her son.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Founder
- Founder and Chair of City
Katherine Bradley is the founder and chair of CityBridge in Washington, DC. The CityBridge enterprises include a family foundation, a policy action fund, and CityBridge Education, a public charity investing in the people and bold ideas that can transform local public education. Bradley chairs the board of the KIPP Foundation, the largest operator of public charter schools in the nation. She also serves on the boards of the DC College Access Program, CityWorks DC, and the National Geographic Society, and she served for 12 years as a trustee of Princeton University, from which she graduated in 1986. She and her husband David have three adult sons and live in Washington, DC.
Job Titles:
- Director, Finance & Operations
A proud immigrant from El Salvador, Kathya Saavedra is acutely aware of the difficulty that immigrant parents often experience in providing their children with a quality public education. She has always been passionate about social justice and believes deeply that innovation in education is among the most effective ways to even the playing field for children.
Kathya comes to CityBridge from LivingSocial, where she worked as a sales associate. Previously, she worked at C3 Presents, where she helped to plan the 2015 White House Easter Egg Roll and the State Department's 2015 Caribbean Energy Security Summit. As an intern with the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress, Kathya also helped coordinate a congressional visit to Japan. She brings this logistics experience to CityBridge as the Director, Finance and Operations.
Kathya holds a B.A. in Business Administration from The George Washington University.
As Director, Coaching at CityBridge, Kim Beck (she/her/hers) is a manager, coach, and workshop facilitator for educators and innovators serving the young people of DC.
With over 10 years of teaching experience, Kim is committed to helping students and teachers develop the knowledge and sense of belonging necessary to succeed in school and life. Prior to joining CityBridge, Kim was a Vice Principal at KIPP DC: Promise Academy, a Blue Ribbon school where she oversaw Kindergarten and 1st grade. Kim began her teaching career at KIPP DC as a founding elementary school teacher, ultimately becoming a dean and then Vice Principal. Prior to teaching, Kim played professional basketball for the WNBA.
Kim holds a B.A. in History from George Washington University.
LaRita Williams is a CityTutor DC Design Sprint Facilitator.
LaRita leads academic services and instructional vision for TenSquare. She served as the Academic Director at Thurgood Marshall Academy where she helped maintain the school's position as the highest-performing charter high school in the District of Columbia.
An expert in outcome-driven professional development, she has facilitated learning seminars for The New Teacher Project, served as School Improvement Leader for TenSquare partner schools, led mathematics and student support teams for multiple school districts in California and the District, and developed math teachers as an instructor at Trinity University. She has over 20 years experience building equity and justice programs, including facilitation of innovative and immersive diversity and inclusion experiences for school districts in California through the National Conference for Community and Justice and Camp LEAD. She continued this work through the creation of comprehensive Cultural Humility professional development for the San Mateo County Office of Education (a system of 23 school districts) to address opportunity gaps.
She began her educational career as a secondary math teacher where her students gained tremendous outcomes demonstrating the highest growth in mathematics on state tests citywide and attaining the highest math proficiency at the high school level. She holds a B.A. in Mathematics from San Diego State University and a M.A. in Education from the American University.
Job Titles:
- Senior Project Director of CityBridge 's Transforming Teaching Portfolio
- Senior Project Director, Transforming Teaching Portfolio
As Senior Project Director of CityBridge's Transforming Teaching Portfolio, Leslie works with DC schools to drive forward the planning, piloting, and implementation of new models for teaching aimed at making the teaching profession more successful and sustainable.
Leslie has served as an educator championing equity-centered learning for both students and teachers for over two decades. She is committed to leading in urban school districts to ensure high-quality, antiracist school experiences are the standard for all school communities, especially those that are often marginalized. Leslie's passion for education started during her tenure as a National Board Certified English Teacher and evolved into increasing her impact in subsequent roles as a Master Educator, Assistant Principal, and Principal-in-Residence.
Most recently, Leslie has led district-level initiatives as the Director of Leadership Development, pioneering transformative programming through professional learning communities for teacher leaders, assistant principals, Latino/a leaders, and aspiring principals.
Leslie believes that living and leading liberation begins with interrogating biases, disrupting systemic barriers, and stepping into the power of being a change agent. As a proud mother of two children, Leslie staunchly advocates for whole child and whole adult success as the North Star for every school district.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director of Development
- Senior Director, Development
As Senior Director of Development, Liesl Groberg (she/her/hers) focuses on pursuing and maintaining financial support for the organization's mission.
Before joining the CityBridge team, Liesl was a Partner with the nonprofit TNTP (formerly The New Teacher Project), where she helped grow the organization's impact both through the development of new partnerships and by leading client engagements with public district and charter schools in Washington, DC, and Illinois. While at TNTP, Liesl and her colleagues won and managed several large, multi-year grants from the U.S. Department of Education, which put tens of millions of dollars toward developing sustainable human capital approaches in partner school systems from coast to coast.
Liesl earned her B.A. in communication at American University, then entered the field of education in 1993 as a Teach For America corps member, teaching middle school language arts in Washington, DC. Later, she relocated to Austin, Texas where she was a coach to undergraduate student-teachers while pursuing her M.Ed. at the University of Texas. Liesl returned to teaching with the Austin Independent School District before coming home to DC and stepping into the nonprofit sector with the Breakthrough Collaborative, then joining TNTP in 2007.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Founder, Mary 's Center
Maria S. Gomez founded Mary's Center with a group of health advocates and the DC Mayor's Office on Latino Affairs in 1988 to help immigrant women fleeing war and poverty in Central America.
Under her leadership, Mary's Center has grown from serving 200 participants in a small basement with an initial budget of $250,000 to serving more than 60,000 participants across seven locations in DC and Maryland with an annual budget of $76 million.
Originally from Colombia, Maria immigrated to the United States with her mother at age 13 to escape violence and find new opportunity. They built a life in Washington, DC through hard work, courage, and the willpower to succeed. After years of determination, Maria obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Georgetown University and a Master of Public Health from the University of California at Berkeley. Upon graduation, she returned to the District and began dedicating her life's work to the empowerment of her local community.
Prior to establishing Mary's Center, Maria was a public health nurse at DC Health. She also worked at the Red Cross, where she directed community education programming and disaster services, and at the Visiting Nurses Association.
Job Titles:
- Grants Manager
- Grants Manager, CityTutor DC
As Grants Manager, Matthew Gasper (he/him/his) works to ensure the sustainability, growth, and compliance of CityTutor DC.
Prior to joining CityBridge, Matthew served as Manager of Compliance & Systems at PAVE (Parents Amplifying Voices in Education), developing processes, procedures, and data competency across the organization while supporting the organization's fundraising work and grant management. Previously, he worked at the National War College Alumni Association in support of fundraising efforts, alumni events and outreach, and student and faculty engagement.
A graduate of American University with a B.A. in International Studies, Matt's first experience engaging in the DC education system was as a mentor and summer teacher at Higher Achievement Program in Ward 1, where he saw the experiences of DC students moving from middle school to high school and the positive impact of strong tutoring programs.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director, Program Strategy
As Associate Director of Program Strategy, Meghan Grady Serrano (she/her/hers) manages CityBridge's early-stage program, Design Studio. She also supports entrepreneurs working to design new school models in DC.
Before joining CityBridge, Meghan worked as a science teacher and grade team leader with KIPP STAR Middle School in New York. Meghan began her career in education as a Teach For America corps member in Indianapolis. In total, she spent five years as a STEM educator and is passionate about sparking students' love of science from an early age. In addition to her time in the classroom, Meghan has experience working in development and communications for youth-based nonprofits.
Meghan holds a B.A. in Communications and Political Science from Purdue University, as well as an M.A.T. from Marian University and an M.Ed. in Education Policy and Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Job Titles:
- Design Studio Facilitator
Melodie Miranda West is a CityBridge Design Studio Facilitator.
Melodie was born in Boston, MA, and identifies as a proud Cape Verdean American. Melodie started her career in Boston Public Schools as a Humanities and Special Education teacher after graduating from Boston College with her B.A. and M.A. in Education. With an undeterred work ethic and a commitment to social justice, Melodie thrived as a classroom teacher and teacher leader in Boston. Melodie transitioned into school leadership after attending the University of San Diego and earning a second M.A. in a leadership preparation program. Melodie has served two high schools as an Assistant Principal with Green Dot Public Schools in Los Angeles. She has also served at a comprehensive and application high school with DC Public Schools and is currently the Assistant Director of Partnerships for Urban Teachers. Melodie is committed to recreating equitable K-12 public schools to ensure post secondary opportunities for all students, especially first generation students of color. Melodie loves spending time with her two daughters, Sarai and Noah, and husband, Theron, in Washington, DC.
Job Titles:
- Design Studio Facilitator
Micah Westerman is a CityBridge Design Studio Facilitator.
Micah has been in education for over 20 years in a variety of roles, and currently serves as the Principal at Center City Public Charter School's Petworth Campus in Washington, DC. His previous roles include Director of Curriculum and Special Education for the Fort Frye School District and Assistant Principal and Co-founding Teacher at KIPP Summit Academy in the Bay Area. Micah earned his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and his M.A. in Educational Leadership from the Principal Leadership Institute at UC Berkeley. He has participated in a variety of CityBridge programming since 2016 and is excited to be working with them again in this new role to give back after so many wonderful experiences!
Job Titles:
- Associate Director, Recruitment & Cultivation
As the Associate Director of Recruitment and Cultivation, Millissa Hare (she/her/hers) serves as the primary recruiter for CityBridge's incubator, cultivating education innovators interested in scaling their ideas to serve the young people of DC to participate in our programming.
Committed to social justice, Millissa has spent the past decade working at the intersections of social work and education. She began her career as a case manager and clinician supporting families and youth in foster care and other out-of-home placements. Prior to joining CityBridge, she honed her skills in developing recruitment systems to foster equitable outcomes and increase access for historically marginalized groups. Most recently, she was a partnership coach at the Flamboyan Foundation where she coached and supported schools in setting conditions to implement and sustain equitable family engagement.
Outside of CityBridge, Millissa can be found on an outdoor adventure (fishing, hiking, skiing, etc.) with her family.
Millissa holds a B.A. degree in Psychology, Criminal Justice & Africana Studies and a M.S.S. from Bryn Mawr College School of Social Work.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Board
As Chief Executive Officer, Rachel Evans works alongside the CityBridge team, community stakeholders, and external partners to support leaders and incubate ideas that will radically transform the equity and opportunity landscape for DC students.
Prior to joining CityBridge, Rachel was a White House Fellow at the Department of Defense. She began her career in education as a high school English teacher in Baltimore and later joined Teach For America staff as a recruitment director. After serving as a school administrator in the Cristo Rey Network, she started at TNTP (formerly The New Teacher Project) as the Site Manager for the Oakland Teaching Fellows program. Later, she launched TNTP's statewide expansion from Phoenix into Yuma and the Navajo Nation as the Site Director for the Arizona Teaching Fellows program. In her final three years at TNTP, she built out the organization's business development function as the Partner overseeing strategic growth.
Rachel currently serves on the board of directors for the White House Fellows Foundation and Association. She has a B.A. in English Literature from Texas A&M University, an M.A. in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University, and an Executive M.B.A. from the Quantic School of Business & Technology. She lives in Brookland with her wife, Stephanie, and their dog, Toby.
As Chief Program Officer, Rena Johnson (she/her/hers) leads CityBridge programming and coordinates across our program lines to increase internal coherence in our approach to advancing equity and opportunity for all children. Before joining the CityBridge team, Rena was a DC Public Schools principal. She led the longest-standing DCPS and charter partnership school, DC Scholars Stanton Elementary, to national recognition for meaningfully engaging families through authentic relationship building.
Rena taught 2nd and 3rd grade in Atlanta, Georgia. Following her classroom teaching, she worked for Teach For America, DC Region as the Manager of District Strategy and served as a Resident Principal with New Leaders For New Schools. She holds a B.A. in History from the University of Virginia and an Ed.M. in Education Policy from Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Job Titles:
- Project Coordinator
- Project Coordinator, CityTutor DC
As Project Coordinator, Renee Metellus (she/her/hers) is responsible for strategic project management in support of CityTutor, with a specific focus on expanding and deepening the impact of CTDC Hubs.
She started her career in education as a tutor with City Year in her hometown of Chicago, and then went on to explore public education from different angles, including as graduate assistant for DC Reads at American University, an English teaching assistant with the Teaching Assistant Program in France, and most recently as a parent engagement coordinator with Montgomery County Public Schools.
Renee holds a B.A. in French Studies and Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as an M.Ed. in Education Policy and Leadership from American University. She enjoys exploring hiking spots around the DMV and spending time with her cat.
As Director of Ventures, Riley is tasked with identifying and supporting promising social entrepreneurs that want to change the world of education.
Most recently, Riley was an attorney at Duane Morris LLP in the Education Practice. He has a long track record as an entrepreneur. He co-founded Sector Software in 2015 which earned him recognition as a Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur in 2019. Riley received a B.A. in Political Science and American Studies from Columbia University, an M.S. in Education Entrepreneurship from the University of Pennsylvania, and a J.D. from NYU Law School.
He is a proud Chicagoan at heart, having grown up on the city's South Side. His passion for education started there with his grandparents who were both teachers for over 30 years.
Rohini Ramnath is CityBridge's Alumni Chair.
Rohini is the 3rd to 5th grade Principal at DC Bilingual PCS. In this role, Rohini works closely with all members of school leadership to ensure that every upper grade student receives a high quality, bilingual education. With 15 years of experience working in charter schools, Rohini has held a variety of roles of increasing responsibility in both operations and instruction.
Rohini began her education career in 2008 as an elementary school teacher in Southeast DC with Teach for America. In 2012, Rohini joined DC Bilingual as data manager and in 2016, transitioned to the role of director of data and accountability through which she managed assessments, compliance, and data systems. In 2019, she took on the role of Principal where she led the school during the Covid 19 pandemic. During her time at DC Bilingual she has built a strong formative and summative data system for all students. Further, Rohini's support in data and analytics has contributed to DC Bilingual's continued Tier 1 status, as ranked by the DC Public
Job Titles:
- Coach for Design Fellowship
- Founder and CEO of Words Liive, Inc
Sage Salvo is a coach for Design Fellowship participants in the Ventures pathway.
Sage is the Founder and CEO of Words Liive, Inc., and the Founder & President of Opus World, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit that delivers innovative K-12 learning solutions across the country. He also teaches social innovation and entrepreneurship in higher education at Montgomery College and Prince George's Community College.
Job Titles:
- Project Coordinator, CityTutor DC
As Project Coordinator for CityTutor DC at CityBridge Education, Savannah is responsible for strategic project management and operations for expanding access to high-impact tutoring for DC public school students.
With six years of experience in the nonprofit world, Savannah is passionate about creating sustainable systems to empower programs promoting equity and dignity. Prior to joining the CityBridge team, Savannah was a Program Associate at The Samaritan Women - Institute for Shelter Care where she managed the operations for the Shelter Mentorship Program, an educational program for restorative care providers serving survivors of sexual exploitation.
Savannah also served with Cru City for four years, both in DC and Milwaukee, collaborating with nonprofits and faith-based organizations to engage their communities in justice issues. While working with Cru, she founded and facilitated a pilot program to recruit and launch first-year teachers in Southeast DC. Formerly, Savannah was a contractor with International Justice Mission, a global organization that protects the poor from violence by strengthening justice systems. In her role as Operations Assistant, she supported execution of IJM's first staff conference, The Gathering.
Savannah graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.A. in Sociology.
Job Titles:
- Director, Interventions, CityTutor DC
As Director of Interventions for CityTutor DC, Susannah Tsien (she/her/hers) works to support and coach school teams and Hubs as they work to integrate and implement high-impact tutoring across the city.
With over 12 years of experience in DC schools-and as a DC native-Susannah is deeply committed to closing the opportunity gap in the nation's capital. Prior to joining CityTutor DC, Susannah worked as Regional Math Coach at KIPP DC. In this role, she developed curricula and supported elementary leadership and school teams with implementation. As an inaugural fellow in KIPP DC's DEI Coalition, Susannah partnered with leaders across the network to lead equity conversations and set equity agendas to push KIPP DC's anti-racism work forward. Susannah began her career as a teacher at KIPP DC: Promise Academy where she taught for several years before moving into instructional leadership.
Susannah graduated from Bucknell University with a B.A. in anthropology and political science.
Tameca Wood is a CityBridge Design Studio Facilitator.
Tameca is an educational innovator excited about unearthing genius in visionaries and supporting the development of equitable solutions in education. A teacher with more than 15 years of experience in varied educational contexts, she teaches to create habits of healthy discipline and patterns of thinking that support student discovery. Tameca is committed to authoring identity-affirming content that is experientially anchored and integrated across subject areas. A visionary and strategic thinker, Tameca is an educational innovator who aims to empower entrepreneurs through equityXdesign. Ever learning, Tameca is one credit away from her doctoral degree in Educational Leadership.