Scott Morgan , Founder & CEO

Scott founded Education Pioneers to develop a national network of education leaders focused on devising and implementing creative solutions to our nation's most pressing educational problems.  He feels incredibly fortunate to collaborate with exceptional individuals and high-performing organizations that share his deep commitment to transforming urban education.  He is excited to continue scaling the organization to provide an efficient and effective solution to the talent needs of the education field.

Scott began his career teaching social studies and leadership at St. Jude High School in Montgomery, Alabama, where he received an award for Excellence in Teaching. Scott later served as the legal counsel for Aspire Public Schools, where he worked with the management team and school leaders to start and operate a network of small charter schools throughout California. He graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in government from the University of Notre Dame, received his Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Portland, and earned his law degree from Stanford Law School. 

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Frances McLaughlin, Chief Operating Officer

Frances McLaughlin, Chief Operating Officer at Education Pioneers, has extensive experience in for- and non-profit organizations. Prior to joining Education Pioneers in early 2009, Frances was a Senior Director at the Broad Foundation, a Los Angeles-based venture philanthropy.  There she was responsible for the foundation's investments in organizations which build leadership capacity in public education.  Frances previously served as executive vice president of the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), a nonprofit organization and market leader in the fields of study abroad and international student exchange. In addition to developing new business activities, over the course of her ten years at CIEE, she also served as chief operating officer of the organization's largest division, managing operations in Asia, Australia, Europe and the United States.  Prior to CIEE, Frances was the director of North American marketing and sales for the EF International Language Schools, and also worked as a regional director for Teach for America.  Frances has a bachelor's degree in history and art history and an Executive Management Certificate from Columbia University. 

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Brendan Cullen, VP, Strategic Growth & Development

Brendan joined Education Pioneers to help build a pipeline of diverse leaders in the education sector.  Inspired by his work with a hybrid team of professionals at the NYC DOE, Brendan is thrilled to fuel education innovation by providing Partners with top talent from diverse backgrounds. Brendan also thoroughly subscribes to the fun-loving culture of Education Pioneers and the core values of courage, action, optimism and collaboration.

Brendan began his career in education as a middle school language arts teacher in Baltimore, Maryland through Teach For America. Brendan later worked as a founding Campus Director for Citizen Schools, a non-profit after school program based in Boston. Before moving to the Bay Area, Brendan served as Director of the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) Scholars program in New York City and most recently as a project manager for the New York City Department of Education's Empowered Schools Initiative. Brendan received a BA in English from Cornell University and a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School. 

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Allison Wyatt, VP, Human Assets

After several years working in Human Resources, Allison saw how important strategic talent development and management is to the success of any organization. She became intrigued with Education Pioneers during business school as an opportunity to experiment with applying her HR background to the Education sector and joined the Fellowship program in 2006. As a Fellow, Allison experienced firsthand the transformative nature of the Education Pioneers experience and ended her summer with a lifelong commitment to working in education. She was therefore excited to join the Education Pioneers team to support the growth of an organization which catalyzes long-term commitment in top talent from diverse backgrounds to pursuing careers in Education Reform. 

Allison spent her summer fellowship at the Boston Public Schools (BPS) Office of Human Resources while completing her Masters in Business Administration at MIT Sloan. In this role at BPS, Allison designed a balanced scorecard and three-year strategic plan for the HR department. Prior to attending business school, Allison served as a Human Resources professional at a subsidiary of Time Warner where she spearheaded her company's recruiting efforts and was involved in compensation planning, organizational development, and performance management. Allison is deeply committed to applying her human capital expertise to support top talent in pursuing high impact careers in the field.

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Emily Chiswick- Patterson, National Analyst

Emily has been involved with several issue areas within the nonprofit sector, and is excited to work with Education Pioneers on the one about which she is most personally passionate. She believes that education is the most critical tool one can have because it opens doors for opportunities and social mobility, a notion instilled in her by her family. She wants to work to ensure that education is accessible in a meaningful way to all, and believes that strong and talented leadership will help improve education in this country.

Prior to Education Pioneers, Emily worked with The Bridgespan Group in Boston, doing nonprofit consulting, and on early childhood education with CityBridge Foundation in Washington, DC. Emily received her undergraduate degree in Religion and American Studies from Princeton University, and earned a Master’s degree in History from the University of Oxford.

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Norisha Corbett, Director of Development

Norisha joined Education Pioneers because of its mission to connect talented individuals to careers in education.  Working for Education Pioneers aligned with her previous work experience of fundraising for institutions committed to providing and to improving education opportunities for individuals from underserved communities. 

Norisha began her development career at the LSU Foundation by stewarding donors and supporting efforts to convert the entire University to one fundraising system.  She then joined Blackbaud where she trained clients in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern region on how to incorporate the Raiser's Edge database into their daily operations and use it to support fundraising efforts.  And for the past three years, Norisha worked at SEED, the nation's only urban public boarding school, to support development efforts by identifying prospects and conducting research, serving as database manager, planning events, managing a comprehensive annual fund program, coordinating student volunteers and establishing systems within the development department.

Norisha is a member of CASE and the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and she is active in the local AFP chapter.  Norisha received both a Masters of Public Administration and a Bachelors of Mass Communications from Louisiana State University.

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Julie Cruit Angilly, Director of Marketing and Communications

Julie joined Education Pioneers to increase the supply of transformative leaders in education. After years working within the charter school movement in California and Colorado, Julie observed the critical need for leaders in schools, districts, and education organizations. 

Julie has over 12 years of experience in marketing and sales for non-profit organizations and specializes in strategic, integrated marketing, message development, marketing/communications and media management. Julie first developed a passion to improve urban public education studying the severe inequities in Winston-Salem, North Carolina public schools. She began her career as the Assistant Director, and second employee, with the Colorado League of Charter Schools where she grew the organization's membership and conference programs. Julie was a founding staff member of the California Charter Schools Association where she notably led a 40% increase in the organzaition's membership in two years. As the Director of Marketing, she led marketing strategy, message development, and managed marketing / communications and media outreach resulting in a 6-month 30% increase in media activity. Julie received her BA from Wake Forest University in Communications and Politics, completed graduate work in Public Policy from the University of Colorado at Boulder and received a Professional Certificate in Marketing. 

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Jordan Crumley, Associate, National Recruiting

Jordan joined Education Pioneers because of their holistic approach to improving our Nation's educational system.  He believes the infusion of highly accomplished and talented graduate students looking to forge a career- not just a job- in education will greatly improve the access and opportunities available for students in urban schools.

Jordan started his career as a corporate recruiter in Boston.  Prior to joining the team at Education Pioneers, he worked at a hedge fund where he tracked investments and conducted research on housing price fluctuations and bank assets/liabilities.  He received a Government degree from Claremont Mckenna College.

Outside of work, he is on the advisory board of the Young Savants basketball program, and an active mentor for Year Up.  

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Jackie Hanselmann, Manager, National Recruiting

Jackie joined Education Pioneers because of her commitment to urban education reform and her belief that cultivating our future leaders can and will make a difference in our school systems.  After several years working with numerous national leadership development grants at The Broad Foundation, she welcomed the opportunity to hit the road in hope of finding our nations future education leaders.  

Jackie has worked closely with various national and district leadership training programs over the last three years.  Most recently, Jackie served as Program Coordinator for the National Leadership Development team at The Broad Foundation where she supported, monitored, and evaluated investments that included The Broad Center, Teach For America, New Leaders for New Schools, and various district leadership training programs.  Prior to working in the education space, Jackie worked as Director of Sales and Marketing for Period 3, a start up web-design company where she developed marketing strategies and built valuable relationships with key influential business contacts.  Jackie graduated Cum Laude from Lenoir-Rhyne University majoring in Electronic Media/Communications with a minor in Education.

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Lindsay Heinlein, Program Associate, New York City

Lindsay joined Education Pioneers because she was passionate about education and knew she did not belong inside the classroom. She is thrilled to find a position that utilizes her project management experience within an organization addressing the leadership deficit in organizations findings ways to alleviate the inequity and inequality of education provided to students in urban cities.

Her experience and passion stem from her experience in Jordan in the Peace Corps. There, she worked with children with mental disabilities and built relationships between local, national, and international NGOs. Following her Peace Corps service, Lindsay won a fellowship and later graduated from Milano the New School with an MS in Nonprofit Management.  During graduate school, Lindsay taught English to immigrants and international students as well as managed qualitative research projects. Lindsay is originally from Texas, though she attended thirteen schools in twelve years in four states growing up. She earned her bachelor’s from Western Kentucky University.

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Marilyn Hylton, Associate, National Recruiting

Marilyn joined Education Pioneers because she believes that every student deserves access to a high quality education. She believes in Education Pioneers' mission to further education reform by placing talented individuals in positions of impact.

After graduating from Harvard University with a degree in Social Studies, Marilyn continued her studies at Harvard Graduate School of Education. She graduated from HGSE with a masters in Teaching and Curriculum and a teaching license in secondary education. Her career in education began in the classroom, where she taught social studies and math in Boston Public Schools.

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Kristi Kleinfelter, Director, National Programs

Kristi joined Education Pioneers to continue her dedication towards addressing the educational inequities facing students in this country. She is excited about her new role in helping to develop motivated and talented leaders who can effectively maximize the opportunities available to students in urban schools.

After graduating from Boston University with a degree in International Relations, Kristi joined Teach For America in 2005. As a corps member she taught elementary special education in Phoenix, Arizona for students with significant cognitive disabilities. During her time in the classroom Kristi served as the special education department chair and district liaison for her school. She also co-lead Teach For America's special education learning team in Phoenix and served as corps member advisor and learning team leader for their summer institute in Atlanta. Teaching in an urban school fueled her passion for education and working for change. After completing her commitment with Teach For America, Kristi returned to Boston to earn her Masters in Education from the Harvard University Graduate School for Education. 

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Sheryl Linsky, Director of Alumni Engagement

Sheryl Linsky joined Education Pioneers because she believes that by focusing on human capital, education reform can move idealism into action. As an Education Pioneers alumna, Sheryl is excited to focus on the alumni community by building a program that will help young professionals find the best match for their talents in the education sector and develop leaders in the field.

Sheryl began her career at Stanford University's Haas Center for Public Service, encouraging and aiding college students with a desire to work in public service. She has a BA from Connecticut College in Sociology, and an MBA from the Yale School of Management, with a focus on strategy and organizational behavior in the social sector.

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Jacqueline Pohl, Director of Operations

Jackie joined Education Pioneers to work for an organization which serves as a hub in the nonprofit education industry.  The exposure to a myriad of different educational organizations, strategies, and incredible leaders ensures constant development and access to an unparalleled network.  Jackie also is motivated by the opportunity to use her business skills to make significant changes to a small but quickly growing organization.

An alumna of Education Pioneers, Jacqueline spent her summer fellowship at KIPP Bay Area while completing her MBA at the Haas School of Business at University of California - Berkeley. In her role at KIPP Bay Area, Jacqueline researched and implemented a donor management system for a $20 million fundraising goal, oversaw the launch of the inaugural KIPP Bay Area website, and developed a marketing plan to promote KIPP Bay Area to donors and teachers. At Haas, Jacqueline co-founded the Education Leadership Club, served as an Oakland Small Schools Resident, and led a feasibility study for a Supplemental Education Services program in Oakland Unified School District. She developed an interest in education reform prior to business school while working as a Director at SCORE! Educational Centers, where she recruited and tutored over 1,000 children in the San Francisco community.

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Alisha Rayner, Executive Assistant

Alisha joined Education Pioneers because of its mission to transform our nation’s education system so that all students have the opportunity to receive a quality education. Alisha is excited to be part of a growing team of inspiring individuals leading change in education reform.

Alisha has a diverse work history that began in grassroots politics where she worked on several campaigns in California advocating on behalf of health care, education and insurance reform. She further developed her business acumen while working as a project manager for a software company offering outsourced HR benefits administration software. During this time Alisha fulfilled a life-long dream to live on the East Coast and relocated from California to Massachusetts. While residing in Massachusetts, Alisha joined a small law firm outside of Boston that provides property valuation and abatement services to ensure fair property taxes to commercial and industrial property owners, as well as many of the state’s affordable housing organizations. She also enjoyed coaching Pop Warner Cheerleading to over 100 kids in her community. Before moving back to California, Alisha lived in Philadelphia where she worked at the Philadelphia Museum of Art as the executive assistant in Membership and Visitor Services.

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Anne Sawyer , Director, National Recruiting

Anne Sawyer joined Education Pioneers as she believes human capital is a crucial element in improving education in this country.  Anne has extensive experience recruiting top talent in the education and private sectors.   Anne comes to Education Pioneers from the NYC Department of Education where she was the Chief of Staff for the Office of Accountability. In this role, Anne managed the operations, budget, and recruiting for the 200+ staff office.   Previously she was a Team Leader for an HR transformation project at the NYC Department of Education.  Anne started her career at Morgan Stanley where she managed associate recruiting for North America and later worked in London supporting the recruiting efforts for the European office.  Anne received her bachelor's degree in political science from Trinity College, CT and her masters in Higher and Postsecondary Education at Columbia University's Teachers College.

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Liam Garland, Managing Director, Bay Area

For the past fifteen years, Liam Garland has worked in institutions that shape our urban centers' quality of life. He is thrilled to return to the education sector and focus his energy on Education Pioneers' efforts to make a difference in Bay Area public education by building a network of impactful leaders.

For the last six years, Liam has worked to advance civil rights, first as Director of Litigation for the Housing Rights Center and then as co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Equitas Media, the nonprofit publisher of a civil rights law reporter.  His work on housing discrimination has been published in various journals and magazines, and in 2008, he was awarded for his outstanding contributions to the national fair housing movement. Prior to this, Liam was a founding attorney in the Oakland City Attorney's Neighborhood Law Corps.

Liam cut his teeth as a teacher in a Compton, California elementary school and corps member of Teach for America. He later provided legal services in San Francisco jails and wrote a how-to-guide on obtaining pro-community results from project labor agreements. In 2002, Scarecrow Education Press published his book, Navigating Treacherous Waters, which explored the state policy of taking over failing school districts.

Liam earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York and a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall).

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Jason Weeby , Program Director, Bay Area

 An alumnus of Education Pioneers, Jason spent his summer fellowship at Envision Schools, where he researched performance management practices in the non-profit, private, and education sectors. Jason began his career serving youth as a treatment provider in a residential crisis unit in Kalamazoo, Michigan before teaching middle school Language Arts and Social Studies at Kazoo School, a small, independent, K-8 school. While he was teaching, Jason undertook a two-year action research project examining federal and local support mechanisms for special needs students in independent schools. Jason earned his Bachelor's degree in Secondary Education-English and Environmental studies from Western Michigan University, where he played for and coached the men's lacrosse team, and his Master's in Education from Stanford with a concentration in Policy, Leadership, and Organizational Studies.

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Katherine Casey, Program Associate, Bay Area

Katherine joined Education Pioneers' Bay Area team because she believes that new ideas and new leadership, shaped by collaborative, hands-on learning, can transform American education. Katherine's passion for education reform began at Stanford when she worked as curriculum director for Women and Youth Supporting Each Other (WYSE), served as a teacher at the East Palo Alto Stanford Academy (EPASA), and developed teaching materials for the Liberation Curriculum program at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project. At the  Haas Center for Public Service at Stanford, Katherine trained student leaders, served on a Committee for Education Equity, and co-taught a course on service ethics in education reform. Katherine participated in the Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs in San Francisco where she studied public policy and worked with the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice, the California School Employee's Association, and the San Francisco School Alliance. Most recently, as Grants Manager at the Silver Giving Foundation, Katherine worked to support and learn from a wide range of schools, after-school programs, and education reform advocates throughout the Bay Area. Katherine received her degree in American history from Stanford.
 
Katherine currently volunteers on the fellowship selection committee at the Haas Center as well as with the fellowship and youth leadership programs at Coro. In addition, she was a member of the Summer Youth Project Steering Panel for Northern California Grantmakers and is an Advisory Committee member for the Take Home Book Program.

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Brett Alessi, Managing Director, Boston

Brett joined Education Pioneers to help build a pipeline of talented leaders from diverse backgrounds.  Having worked as a classroom teacher, as a policymaker and in the private sector, Brett saw that human capital was the single most important driver of success in each arena and is working to ensure that more talented leaders are committed to improving educational outcomes for students in the Boston area and across the country.

After starting a youth service program in Chile and teaching in both public and private schools, Brett joined Innovations in Civic Participation (ICP), a Washington, DC-based think tank that supports the development of youth civic engagement policies and programs in the US and around the world.  At ICP, Brett led a wide range of initiatives, including developing pathways from national and community service to careers in education.  Brett left ICP to develop and lead corporate social responsibility efforts at Revolution Health, a leading consumer-centric health company. Most recently, Brett worked with Rock the Vote to help reposition the organization for the 2008 elections.  Brett received a BA in History from Middlebury College and an MAT from Brown University.

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Priya Linson, Program Director, Boston

Priya joined Education Pioneers because of a strong belief that new leadership and fresh ideas could change the face of urban education.  After completing her teacher training, Priya taught for three years at a small, unique New York City public school, The Bronx Guild High School.  Upon moving to Pittsburgh, she coordinated an after-school program for talented urban youth in the University of Pittsburgh's School of Engineering.  Most recently, Priya served as the Academy Director for CIS Academy, an alternative school for middle and high school students. 

Priya earned her Bachelor of Arts in Child Development from Tufts University, a Master of Arts in English Education from Columbia University's Teachers College, and a Master of Public Management from Carnegie Mellon University.

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Emily Msall, Program Associate, Boston

Emily joined Education Pioneers because she believes that collaborative and diverse leaders can have a transformative impact on urban education.  She is excited to work with the EP team to inspire and develop emerging leaders committed to education reform.

Prior to joining Education Pioneers, Emily served as a Teaching Fellow at Citizen Schools, where she developed and led out-of-school time educational programming for students in the Roslindale and Mattapan neighborhoods of Boston.  As a Teaching Fellow, Emily supported a team of 15 sixth graders as they transitioned into middle school and partnered with adult volunteers to design and teach hands-on learning projects. She also worked with Citizen Schools' Staff Alumni Engagement Team, coordinating the organization's efforts to mobilize and support former staff members as they continue their careers in education.  Emily is a graduate of Columbia University, where she earned a B.A. in English.

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Julayne Austin, Managing Director, Chicago

Julayne Austin is passionate about the transformative power of education. She joined Education Pioneers to cultivate a network of the next generation of education leaders who will maximize the impact of our education system by developing creative solutions to current and future challenges.

Julayne has developed innovative solutions to social challenges in Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, and Bamako, Mali.  Her experience includes strategic planning, program design and facilitation, communications, resource development, policy evaluation, and capacity building for several organizations, including: The Advertising Council, The Salvation Army, Access Community Health Network, the Prospect Park YMCA, The City of Los Angeles, and The One World Foundation. Julayne graduated cum laude with a Bachelor's degree in Communication and French from the University of Pennsylvania and earned the Dean's Certificate of Merit from the University of Southern California where she received her Master's degree in Public Administration.

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Annie Levy, Program Director, Chicago

Ann is excited to be a part of a movement that builds a nation-wide community of innovators and leaders dedicated to working in the field of education reform. She joined Education Pioneers because of her belief that a diverse and talented pool of professionals possess a creativity that will inspire real, long term, solutions to the ongoing issues in education.

As the new Chicago Area Program Director, Ann is excited to use the skills she developed in the international field of education reform and apply them to the national, urban landscape. Her passion for education began when she worked as a summer school teacher throughout high school and college. Her work with local education non-profits has spanned the past decade and lead to her Masters of Arts in International Educational Development from Columbia University's Teachers College. After graduate school, Ann worked in India, developing evaluation models and teacher training recommendations for education NGOs working for migrant communities. Upon her return to the states, Ann ran a 10 month long  fellowship in India that placed graduates with NGOs working in the areas of Education, Livelihoods and Public Health.

 

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Aqeela Jogee, Program Associate, Chicago

Aqeela has dedicated her professional career to promoting healthy sustainable development in vulnerable communities. She joined Education Pioneers because she has a firm conviction that a holistic innovative approach to education is needed to improve the quality of urban education. She is very excited about her role in developing the Chicago Education Pioneers office, and working with passionate talented individuals who are driven to create positive change in the education sector.

Aqeela is originally from Malawi and earned her Master's in Social Work with a concentration in Social and Economic Development from Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to joining Education Pioneers, Aqeela worked with the Pratham Education Initiative; one of India's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to reforming education in India. She directly worked on implementing the ASER Report which assesses basic reading and math capabilities of children across India; ASER is used to influence evidence-based reform in rural schools nation-wide

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John Troy, Managing Director, DC Metro Area

John joined Education Pioneers because of his passion for improving our nation's education system and his belief that talented leaders are necessary to ensure every child receives an exceptional education.  A 2008 New York City Education Pioneers alumnus, John spent his summer fellowship at Achievement First Charter Schools, where he wrote a new business plan that both guided the organization's rapid growth and served as a fundraising tool to make that growth possible.  Having experienced the power of the fellowship firsthand, John is excited to help grow the organization in the DC Metro Area and ensure more students can have a similar experience as well.

John began his career as an investment banking analyst at Citigroup in New York.  Out of a desire to utilize his business skills to benefit the local community, John switched to the non-profit sector where he ran a community service non-profit named EPIC Adventures, served as the Director of Community Service and Finance at The Journey Church in Manhattan, and helped start Church Leader Insights, an organization dedicated to equipping pastors with the leadership and organizational skills necessary to effectively run their churches. After New York, John spent a year studying Spanish and volunteering in orphanages in Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina before returning to earn his MBA.

John has a Bachelor's of Business Administration from Texas A&M University and a Master's of Business Administration from Duke University, where he served as President of the Net Impact Club.

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Valerie Mitchell, Program Director, DC Metro Area

Valerie joined Education Pioneers because of her dedication to providing high-quality, free educational opportunities to traditionally underserved young people and her understanding that many of those involved in this endeavor do not necessarily carry out their charge in a classroom or even within a school.  She relishes the opportunity to work with talented individuals and organizations to think outside of the box in finding creative and viable solutions for ongoing educational issues.
 
Valerie was previously a middle school English and reading teacher at Roxbury Preparatory Charter School in Roxbury, MA.  She has also served as Student Life Coordinator for the middle and high school girls' afternoon and evening program at the SEED Public Charter School in Washington, DC.  Most recently, Valerie has worked as a Relationship Manager for the Gates Millennium Scholars Program, which provides cost-of-attendance assistance and leadership development opportunities to college and graduate students of color who exhibit high potential and financial need.  She is also a co-founder and a founding board trustee of Achievement Preparatory Academy, a charter middle school in Southeast Washington, DC.  Valerie majored in English at Spelman College and earned a Master of Arts degree in Education from the University of California at Berkeley.

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Whitney Metzger, Program Associate, DC Metro Area

After serving as an intern in development for the DC Metro Area site, Whitney joined Education Pioneers as a Program Associate.  Education Pioneers' emphasis on innovative solutions, its deep commitment to education reform, and its focus on collaboration all align with her own beliefs about and desires to affect long-term change and improve access to high-quality educational opportunities for urban youth. 

After dedicating academic pursuits to the study of education and much of her extracurricular time as a volunteer in schools and youth organizations, Whitney devoted five years to teaching kindergarten through 5^th grade in a variety of settings.  Despite a love for the classroom, she was determined to explore ways to have a broader impact in the education sector outside of a traditional school and classroom setting.  Before entering the policy sector, Whitney was employed in Southwest Florida as a field organizer for the Obama campaign.  Prior to joining Education Pioneers, Whitney worked as the education policy fellow in Senator Feingold's office.

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Brandon Malmberg, Managing Director, Los Angeles

Brandon joined the Education Pioneers team to be part of an organization which is increasing the efficiency and quality of programs serving children in a powerful way. He is extremely excited about his role in developing a talent pipeline for individuals with the skills and passion to drive positive change in the education sector.

Brandon has dedicated his career to building organizations that help meet the needs of underserved children and families. His passion for creating effective and efficient social and educational programs led Brandon to the UCLA Anderson School of Management where he earned an MBA with a focus on Entrepreneurship and Non-Profit Management. During his time at graduate school, he served as the Net Impact club President and as a leadership coach for executives leading Head Start and Healthcare organizations. Prior to business school Brandon worked in a series of management roles impacting youth. He was part of the leadership team of a startup camp serving children with severe behavior problems, managed a multi-site residential treatment facility, and served as interim-dean at a special needs school. 

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Jennifer Takata, Program Director, Los Angeles

Jen joined the Education Pioneers team because she is inspired by the opportunity to connect talented graduate students with innovative education organizations. She believes that these partnerships will support the growth of a critical and life-long network devoted to transforming public education for all students.

Jen began her career in education as a teacher in public, private and international schools. Inspired by the need for more supplemental programs to support underserved students, she opened a non-profit community center to provide after-school and weekend programs to youth in the Crenshaw community of Los Angeles. She later returned to graduate school at the University of Southern California where she taught undergraduate and Masters' level courses in the Teacher Education program. During this time, she also served as the Assistant Principal at a start-up charter middle school. Most recently, she worked at The Broad Foundation as a member of the Research and Evaluation team where she conducted quantitative and qualitative analyses of Broad Superintendents Academy graduates and provided key R&E support to The Broad Center. Jen received her BA in Psychology from Dartmouth College and her Masters and Ed.D. from the University of Southern California.

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Catherine Fryszczyn, Program Associate, Los Angeles

Catherine has a passion for education and the effective management of organizations. Catherine has taught English and served as a literacy tutor in the US and abroad. Prior to Education Pioneers she helped to launch a school in South Korea and managed the development initiatives and events for an arts nonprofit. Catherine joined Education Pioneers in the Spring of 2008 to support the expansion of the Los Angeles site. She is excited about expanding an organization that supports the improvement of the education sector. She aspires to use her management skills to one day launch an NGO in Eastern Europe. She earned her B.A. in Russian Literature and History from Rutgers University, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa.

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Kelli Doss, Managing Director, New York City

After years of working in education and youth development, Kelli was drawn to the core values and mission of Education Pioneers.  Helping others find their voice and connecting people to opportunities has been a common thread throughout her career.  Education Pioneers serves as the perfect forum for Kelli to continue to positively impact education while assisting in the development of a new cadre of dedicated leaders in the field.

Kelli comes to Education Pioneers with an incredible track record of serving youth, communities and urban education systems in Minneapolis, Washington, D.C. and New York City. Following law school, Kelli worked as law clerk for two years in Minneapolis. During that time, she focused her sights on tackling critical community issues before launching her non-profit career with the Children's Defense Fund. Kelli went on to develop and manage youth programs for the National Black Child Institute and the Harlem Community Justice Center. Drawing on more than a decade of experience with organizations including Youth Frontiers, New Leaders for New Schools, and the NYC Department of Education, Kelli brings her expertise in program design and management, facilitation, partnership development and talent recruitment to Education Pioneers to support the continued growth and success of our New York City site. Kelli pursued her undergraduate degree from Howard University and received her J.D. from Tulane Law School.

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Laura Donald, Program Director, New York City

Laura joined Education Pioneers because she saw it as an incredible opportunity to both be a part of finding solutions to public education challenges - by connecting organizations with exceptional talent - as well as helping to pave career paths for inspired graduate students.  She is particularly excited about the momentum within the education reform community and about participating in potentially revolutionizing the field of education itself: in the way it solves systemic problems of inequity and attracts and utilizes the nation's top talent.

Laura has dedicated her career to working with public school students in underserved communities in Hawaii, California and New York. As a graduate student, Laura became interested in education policy and public school reform movements, and studied international education reform in South Africa. She later worked at a charter school in Harlem and went on to manage education programs as the Education Director for a Children's Aid Society community center. Laura received her undergraduate degree from San Francisco State University and her Master's from the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University.

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