Back Row (L-R): N Ireland, S Frank, M Burns-Thompson, J Travers, K Singleton, S Lettre, K Miles, R Shields, R Feinberg, K Baroody, J Derderian.
Front Row (L-R): L City, A Sommers, K Munkwitz, M Curtis.
Dr. Karen Hawley Miles, President and Executive Director 617.607.8961
Specializes in long-range strategic planning in urban public school districts, focusing on professional development, instructional leadership capacity and accountability, resource allocation, organizational restructuring, and school redesign. Teaches administrator seminars at Harvard University Graduate School of Education, urban principals with New Leaders for New Schools, and school boards with the Broad Institute. Advisory board member of the MacArthur Foundation’s Teaching and Learning Partnership. Co-directed Economic Policy Institute study, Where Has the Money Gone?, tracing growth in school spending since 1967.
Previous Experience: Strategy & Management Consultant, Bain & Company, Boston.
Education: PhD in Education, Harvard University. B.A. in Economics, Yale University.
Dr. Stephen Frank, Director of Rethinking School and School System Resources
469.831.3815
Specializes in performance management systems, professional development strategy, school- level resource use, per pupil cost and resource allocation in urban school districts. Creates performance management tools and strategic leadership training programs for principals and superintendents. Co-authoring Rethinking School Resources with Dr. Miles, emphasizing need for more effective resource use at the school level.
Previous Experience: Management Consultant, Bain & Company, Dallas. Teaching Experience: Broad Institute, New Leaders for New Schools, Brigham Young University & Duke University: Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy.
Education: PhD, Duke University, Fulbright Fellow, Javits Fellow.
Regis Shields, Director
617.607.8959
Specializes in urban high school and district reform
Previous Experience: Director of High School Reform, Providence, RI School Department: Responsible for design and implementation of a strategic framework to transform Providence high schools into small personalized learning communities. Special Assistant to the Superintendent of the Providence Schools: Strategic planning, redesigning systems, procedures and policy development. Public Finance Lawyer: Rogers & Wells. Moody’s Investors Service.
Education: Masters in Public Administration, John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. JD, New York University Law School. BS, Economics/Applied Mathematics, Brown University.
Karen Baroody, Managing Director
617.607.8960
Specializes in financial and other internal ERS operations
Previous Experience: Strategic Planning consultant: Supported businesses in development and execution of strategic and business plans. Senior Vice President, Fidelity Investments: Responsible for $60MM High Net Worth division including marketing, customer service and operations for Fidelity’s most valuable retail customers; Head of Marketing for 401(k) Large Plan services: supported on-going relationships with Fortune 500 clients, developed online planning tools, drove migration to online participant and plan sponsor administration tools. Responsible for 200 person Customer Service and Problem Resolution group: reinvented customer service processes, measures, training and protocols to increase customer satisfaction by 10 percentage points. Management Consultant, Bain & Company. Overseer, Boston Children’s Museum.
Education: BA in Mathematics, Princeton University.
Jonathan Travers, Director
617.607.8965
Specializes in redesign of school level resource use, school funding systems and district strategy and operations.
Previous Experience: Vice-President of Finance and Administration for Teach For America: Responsible for the overall financial health and resource allocation processes for a rapidly expanding non-profit organization; helped organization more than double in size in 5 years while simultaneously strengthening financial position. Budget Director, DC Public Schools: Led the development and implementation of the Weighted Student Formula, a school- based budget tool to equitably and strategically allocate school- level resources. Analyst, US Office of Management and Budget: Responsible for budget development and management for a portfolio of federal education programs. Teacher, Compton Unified School District: Taught at the elementary level through Teach For America.
Education: Master in Public Policy, John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. BA, American Studies, Yale University.
Don Hovey, Director
617.607.8964
Specializes in strategy formulation, implementation, leadership development and change management.
Previous Experience: Founded independent strategy consulting firm, Hovey Strategies, Inc. Held a variety of marketing management and line marketing roles for medical device companies: Vice President Marketing, Smith & Nephew Endoscopy; Director of Marketing, Endovations and Endoscopy Division, Boston Scientific Corporation. Led Corporate Strategic Planning process for Boston Scientific Corporation as it grew from $450MM to $1.3B over 3 years. Management consultant, Bain & Company - strategy work included hospital and corporate clients, as well as a resource allocation project with Boston Public Schools.
Education: Masters in Business Administration, Harvard Business School. BA in Economics cum laude with highest honors, Williams College.
Dr. Naomi Calvo, Principal Associate
617.607.8958
Specializes in analytic tools, school funding equity and adequacy analyses, school choice and student assignment.
Previous experience: Consulting Associate, Management Analysis & Planning, Inc: Evaluated the equity and adequacy of state education finance systems; developed cost-based funding formulas; conducted policy analyses of standards-based accountability systems and other education initiatives. Naomi recently completed dissertation research on school choice and how parents choose schools within a public school choice setting.
Education: PhD in Public Policy, John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Masters in Public Administration, Cornell University. BA in Psychology, Bryn Mawr College.
Julie Derderian, Knowledge Associate
617.607.8963
Specializes in urban high school reform and knowledge management.
Previous Experience: Program Associate, Education Alliance at Brown University, Secondary School Redesign Team: Provided technical assistance to Smaller Learning Communities grantees and program support to Breaking Ranks coaches.
Education: BA in Public Policy and Education, Brown University.
Randi Feinberg, Consultant
Specializes in school-level resource use, per pupil cost analysis and resource allocation.
Previous Experience: Management Consultant, Independently and with the firms Bain & Company, Booz, Allen & Hamilton, and The Cambridge Group: Provided business research, evaluated new product development and marketing opportunities, created business plans, and developed strategic recommendations for Fortune 500 companies, start-up businesses, and non-profit organizations.
Education: MBA, Yale School of Management. BS in Economics and Computer Science, Tufts University, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa.
Betty Hsu, Associate
617.607.8962
Specializes in educational entrepreneurship and education industry market research.
Previous Experience: Analyst, Eduventures: Conducted market research, forecasted market performance, and evaluated new product development and market entry/positioning starategies for leading k-12 and higher education corporations, foundations, non-profits, and financial services firms. Development Associate, Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health: Managed and analyzed the annual fund's campaigns and operating budget. English Teacher, Valence, France.
Education: Ed.M., Education Policy and Management, Harvard Graduate School of Education. B.A., Economics, Harvard University.
Nicole Y. Ireland, Principal Associate
Specializes in principal and teacher support and professional development.
Previous Experience: New Principal Support Coordinator, School Leadership Institute, Boston Public Schools: Organized New Principal Institute, and helped streamline recruiting, hiring, and support processes for BPS principals; Education Policy Intern, Boston Plan for Excellence: created Coaching Resource Binder for literacy and math coaches; Teacher, Boston Public Schools: piloted Collaborative Coaching and Learning program, served on Instructional Leadership Team, mentored student teachers.
Education: Masters in Public Policy, John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. BA in English, Northwestern University.
Simmons Lettre, Consultant
Specializes in education communications, comprehensive school reform planning and implementation, and systemic factors to support school-level improvement.
Previous Experience: Director of Communications, Focus on Results: Edited book outlining the organization’s professional development strategy, generated press, wrote marketing materials; Consultant, New American Schools: Worked with Trenton Public Schools (NJ) to develop district and school leadership capacity; Teacher, Cambridge Public Schools (MA); Writer/Project Coordinator, Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound; Project Coordinator, Boston Plan for Excellence: supported Boston principals in areas of formative assessment, resource allocation, and coaching.
Education: Masters in School Leadership, Harvard University. BA in Psychology, Davidson College.
Keri Munkwitz, Consultant
Specializes in operational and organizational analyses, benchmarking analysis, business process improvement studies, and resource allocation for public education at the district and state level.
Previous Consulting Experience: Conducted school district management and operational reviews, performance audits, and evaluations of charter school practices, educational programs, and student data collection in a number of districts across the country.
Education: MBA, University of North Carolina. BA, Stetson University.
Greg Rawson, Principal Associate
617.607.8796
Specializes in teacher support and professional development.
Previous Experience: Program Director, Teach for America New York City: Designed and implemented induction, training, and ongoing professional development for a cohort of 50 new elementary school teachers in Brooklyn and the Bronx, NY. Teacher, PS 28 Mount Hope Elementary School, New York City Public Schools: taught at the elementary level through Teach for America.
Education: Masters in the Science of Teaching, Pace University. BA in History and Philosophy, Colgate University.
Dr. Simone Sangster, Principal Associate
617.780.9738
Specializes in supporting and performing strategic planning, analyzing financial and operational management, developing resource allocation models, examining the cost of services, and evaluating institutional structure (organization, management, and governance) in educational organizations.
Previous Experience: Assistant Superintendent for Finance & Operations, Bainbridge Island School District: responsible for performing financial analyses, overseeing the transportation department, developing an energy policy and opening up interagency negotiations with the Parks District. Graduate Assistant to Professor Robert Peterkin, Urban Superintendents Program, Harvard Graduate School of Education. Lecturer, "Managing Financial Resources In Nonprofit Organizations," Harvard Graduate School of Education, responsible for developing & teaching the course. Senior Manager, KPMG, responsible for providing audit and advisory services to clients in the public & private sectors, practice development, training and practice management.
Education: Doctor of Education, Harvard University (dissertation title: Reframing School District Services: How Best to Support Schools.); Masters of Education, Harvard University. Bachelor of Commerce, Merit, University of NSW, Australia.
Kristan B. Singleton, Manager of Tools & Technologies 617.607.8956
Specializes in the use of technology as a lever to support instructional reform.
Previous Experience: Assistant Director and Director of Technology Initiatives, Boston Plan for Excellence in the Public Schools. Supported Boston's whole-school improvement initiatives by partnering with the district on the design of its web-based data analysis system, spearheaded the development and implementation of formative assessments and companion assessment data analysis tools, designed Microsoft Access-based applications to analyze student formative and summative assessment data, and designed knowledge management systems. Change Management Consultant, Andersen Consulting.
Education: Masters in Education (Education Policy and Management), Graduate School of Education of Harvard University. BA in Social Psychology (focus on organizational behavior), Harvard University.
Anna Sommers, Consultant
Specializes in long-range planning and strategy, comparative spending analysis, and creation and implementation of school improvement plans.
Previous Experience: Director of Marketing, CranBarry, Inc., Management Consultant, Bain & Company. Teaching Experience: Secondary English and Social Studies.
Education: Ed.M., Harvard University. BA, Amherst College.
Monique Burns Thompson, Consultant
Specializes in instructional leadership training, strategic planning, and school performance analysis and budgeting.
Previous experience: CEO of The Principal Initiative and Co-Founder and CCO of New Leaders For New Schools, responsible for development, management, and delivery of nationally recognized urban principal training curriculum and leadership tools. Consultant, participated in the opening, inspecting, and restructuring of charter schools in Boston. Hired, trained and evaluated teachers at DCPS model schools.
Education: ABD for Doctorate, Masters in Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education. MBA, Harvard Business School. BA, Dartmouth College.