TENSQUARE - Key Persons
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 the books, Driven by Data (Paul Bambrick-Santoyo) and the upcoming From Good to Great: School Leadership (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 Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from the George Washington University, a Master of Arts in Teaching from American University, a Master of Science in Administration from Trinity University and a Doctorate of Education from the George Washington University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Data Practice
- Performance Data Manager
Catherine is a member of the data practice and provides data analysis support for TenSquare school improvement projects. Prior to joining TenSquare, Catherine supported school student information systems and standardized regular statistical reports to school administrators. She has 14 years of experience working for ExxonMobil on optimizable refinery models as well as logistics management, and she is a frequently-published writer for The Washington Post and other publications. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University.
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Instructional Coach, ELA
Job Titles:
- Senior Executive, Strategy & Leadership
Janalee leads accreditation, strategic planning, and other strategic projects for TenSquare partner schools. She has served as a strategic advisor and consultant to national, state, and local education agencies. In this capacity, she has helped lead and conduct several large-scale school improvement efforts in both the charter and traditional public school sectors, working with groups such as America Achieves; Communities in Schools; the Kansas State Department of Education; the National Association of Charter School Authorizers; DC Public Schools; and a number of public charter schools. Earlier in her career, Janalee served as Senior Program Officer for K-12 and Community Programs at the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Educational Foundation. There, she developed a leadership institute for women principals and superintendents, led a national fellowship program and professional development institute for teachers, provided grants and technical assistance to community-based organizations across the country, and coordinated a multi-year community-school improvement effort with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Master of Arts in Politics/Political Theory from Arizona State University.
Job Titles:
- Senior ELA Specialist and Coach
Jennifer builds capacity of ELA instructors in TenSquare partner schools. She brings more than 15 years of experience as secondary English instructor, mentor teacher, and instructional coach at Thurgood Marshall Academy and public and charter schools in Maryland and DC. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from North Carolina A&T State University and a Master of Arts in Teaching and Instruction from George Mason University.
Jessica leads TenSquare's data practice and provides project management and data analysis support for school improvement projects. Prior to her time at TenSquare, Jessica spent four years at the Office of the State Superintendent for Education (OSSE) leading assessment and data analysis teams, and oversaw the transition to Next Generation Assessments in Washington, DC. She managed data verifications, appeals, and reporting processes, and played critical roles in the creation of DC's ESEA accountability waiver and annual enrollment audits. Jessica has 15 years of experience in the education sector, working with students from pre-K through college at the school, district, state, and independent agency levels. She holds a bachelor's degree from Connecticut College, and served as a Strategic Data Fellow with the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University. She holds a Master of Arts in Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Managing Member
- Partner
Josh is founder and managing member of TenSquare. He is the co-founder and former president and chief executive officer of Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School (TMA), one of the highest performing open-enrollment high schools in Washington D.C. Josh oversaw TMA's growth and development from a start-up serving 80 ninth graders in 2001 to a full service, accredited high school institution serving 390 students. Under Josh's leadership, Thurgood Marshall Academy garnered national recognition for the excellence and sustainability of its programs.
Josh has extensive experience with real estate development and finance for charter schools nationwide. He has successfully managed all aspects of the design, construction, and capitalization of numerous charter schools' facility redevelopment projects. He is a founding member of the DC Public Charter School Association, member of the Board of Friends of Choice in Urban Schools (FOCUS), and an advisory board member of the National Public Charter School Resource Center. He is also a frequent speaker at national conferences and seminars, and before Congress concerning charter schools and related educational matters. Josh was appointed by the District of Columbia Council to serve on the University of the District of Columbia Community College (CCDC) Transition to Independence Advisory Board. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar and in 2011 received the prestigious Robert F. Drinan Public Service Award from Georgetown. Josh holds a Bachelor Degree and MBA from Tulane University and received a law degree with honors from Georgetown University Law Center.
Karl is an experienced real estate developer with prior background and experience in banking and education. In his 12 years of educational work, Karl helped create Capital City Public Charter School in Washington, DC and served for seven years as the Board Treasurer. Karl was appointed to the DC State Education Office Credit Enhancement Committee which oversaw the disbursement of public funds for direct loans and credit enhancements for charter school facility projects, and he was appointed to the DC Public Charter School Board which authorizes all DC public charter schools and provides oversight to 60 schools on 92 campuses. Karl currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Friends of Choice in Urban Schools (FOCUS). Before becoming a real estate developer, Karl held senior management positions at Octopus Investments and Capital One, worked at McKinsey & Co, and served as an Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Air Force. Karl holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics and International Affairs from the United States Air Force Academy and a Master of Arts in Public Management from the University of Maryland.
Kathleen Padian joined TenSquare as a Partner in 2015 and opened its second office in New Orleans, LA. Kathleen has 25 years of experience working in the public education sector. She most recently served as the Deputy Superintendent for the Orleans Parish School Board where she created the authorizing office for charter schools and designed the first accountability framework. In that role she was also responsible for the office of facilities where she managed more than $400 million in school construction and renovation projects. Prior to OPSB, Kathleen founded the New Orleans School Facility Project (LA) which was funded by the Walton Family Foundation and was the only organization to convene stakeholders around the massive reconstruction of New Orleans public schools following the devastation following Hurricane Katrina. Kathleen has also served as Vice President of Building Hope (DC) as the National Director of Development for New Leaders (NY), as Strategic Investments Director for Fight for Children (DC) and was responsible for the multi-site expansion of St. Coletta of Greater Washington, raising more than $12 million and directly managing the strategic planning for its new 100,000 square foot facility in the District of Columbia.
Kathleen began her career as a high school English teacher in CT and as a special education teacher for children with severe and profound disabilities at St. Coletta. Kathleen holds degrees in English from the University of Connecticut, a Master of Arts in Teaching from Quinnipiac University and earned special education certification at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia where she also studied Educational Leadership.
Katie has over 25 years of experience working in the public education sector in Chicago, Providence and Washington, DC. She founded TenSquare's school improvement practice area, hires the TenSquare team, and manages general operations. She works directly with charter school boards and leaders on restructuring and school improvement efforts, strategic planning, charter reviews, and executive searches. Katie was among the founding staff of Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School and served as Managing Director, Development Director and Board Member for more than a decade. She led the development efforts of College Summit, a national college access organization, and as Vice President of Development she built a national development team and developed the infrastructure to support 11 regional operations. Katie has experience in education research and evaluation from her work at the DC-based education evaluation firm, Policy Studies Associates. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Brown University.
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 Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from San Diego State University and a Master of Education from the American University.
Job Titles:
- Director of Real Estate Development
Sean leads and supports real estate development services for TenSquare partner schools. Prior to joining TenSquare, Sean served for seven years as the Chief Operating Officer of Hiawatha Academies, a K-12 network of college-preparatory charter schools in Minneapolis, where he led finance, operations, and real estate development. Before entering school leadership, Sean held roles as a Fellow with Education Pioneers, a regional leader with Skyhawks Sports Academy, and an Undergraduate Admissions Counselor at the University of Minnesota. Sean currently sits on the Education and Jobs Committee for the Greater Twin Cities United Way. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, Law, Criminology, and Deviance from the University of Minnesota and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas.
Job Titles:
- Office Manager
- Recruitment Manager
Teri manages TenSquare's administrative functions and recruitment. She has experience as an 8 th grade math teacher and served as Program Coordinator at Partnership, LLC for eight years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Middle School Education from University of Georgia.