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 617.600.4616
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. Co-authored The Strategic School: Making the Most of People, Time, and Money with Dr. Frank, emphasizing need for more effective resource use at the school level.
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-authored The Strategic School: Making the Most of People, Time, and Money with Dr. Miles, emphasizing need for more effective resource use at the school level. Currently working on a new book The Strategic School System for the Harvard Education Press.
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.
Divya Agarwal, Associate
617.600.4613
Specializes in School Turnaround Strategy, Teacher Performance Management Systems and District resource allocation.
Previous Experience: Consultant, McKinsey & Company: Conducted analysis and provided recommendations for strategy consulting projects contracted by Fortune 500 clients in the Pharmaceutical, Biotech and Consumer space. More recently, worked with the Gates Foundation on Teaching Effectiveness Deep Dive effort: Helped in writing Foundation's White Paper on policy and legislation that can enable more effective teachers and teaching in classrooms as well as specific strategies for building necessary political will for change.
Education: B.Sc in Economics, The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
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.
Barbara Christiansen, Consultant
Specializes in strategic support and district resource allocation.
Previous experience: Consultant, The Bridgespan Group: Conducted data-driven analysis to assist nonprofit clients with business planning and strategy, with the goal of increasing social impact; client domains included education, aging, civic engagement and youth services. Consultant, The Monitor Group: Conducted analysis and provided recommendations for strategy consulting projects contracted by Fortune 500 clients in multiple industries (pharmaceutical, biotech, retail, energy and manufacturing). Instructor, Peking University: Created curricula and instructed university students in advanced English.
Education: M.B.A., Saïd Business School, Oxford University. Ed.M., Harvard Graduate School of Education. B.A., English, Brigham Young University.
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.
Coralie DiTommaso, Project Coordinator
617.612.8098
Specializes in presentation design and project coordination.
Previous Experience:Presentation Consultant for a variety of companies including Arthur D. Little, Bay State Gas, Polaroid, and the Yankee Group: Conducted training courses, created style guides, edited and formatted publication material.
Education: B.A. in marketing, Purdue University.
Meghan Duberek,Administrative Assistant
617.600.4616
Administrative Assistant for ERS and Executive Assistant to Karen Hawley Miles. Specializes in administrative operations.
Previous Experience: Client Services Associate, Imagitas; supported and acted as a resource for nine Sales Directors and five Account Managers.
Education: BA in Psychology, Wesleyan 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.
Allison Daskal Hausman, Communications Manager
617.600.4619
Specializes in media and communications.
Previous Experience:Principal, Daskal Communications: Independent consultant specializing in multimedia production and storytelling. Co-director of Communications, Education Development Center (EDC): directed print, web, and media communications around EDC's education and health programs. Director of Communications, Jobs for the Future: directed statewide campaigns focused on education and a changing economy; Production Coordinator for Promotion, PBS series, FRONTLINE at WGBH, Boston. Founder and CEO, Small World Productions: Educational video company that produced and distributed a nationally-acclaimed wildlife video for children.
Education: Ed.M., Harvard Graduate School of Education. B.A., American Studies, Wesleyan University, High Honors in General Scholarship, 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.
Jane Lee, Associate
617.600.4612
Specializes in school turnaround strategy and organizational assessment.
Previous Experience:Consultant, Deloitte Consulting, LLP: Conducted data analysis to support development of a comprehensive voter registration database, created multi-year roll-out model to allocate needs assessments to Medicaid Waiver participants, assessed software package options for a state school system, and identified business process improvements for state prison system.
Education:MPA Candidate, John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. MBA Candidate, Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. BA, Political Science and Legal Studies, 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.
Alex Livingston, Manager
617.600.4614
Specializes in redesign of school level resource use, school funding systems and district strategy.
Previous Experience:Case Team Leader, Bain & Company, San Francisco, CA: Responsible for developing long-range strategic plan for Fortune 500 companies on how to allocate resources to improve operations and invest for the future. Clients included: a large computer hardware manufacturer looking to identify and address skill gaps in their current operations that could put them at risk for expected market changes; a regional utility that was looking to measure quality and save costs; private equity funds that needed to validate key drivers for potential investments.
Education: Masters of Business Administration with Honors, Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. B.A. cum laude with high honors, Chemistry, Harvard University.
Beth Morton, Research Assistant
Specializes in research related to school funding and resource use, as well as supporting the analysis of district resource alignment.
Previous Experience:Research Analyst at the American Institutes for Research- Federal Statistics Program, Research Assistant Intern at the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies.
Education:PhD Candidate in Educational Research, Measurement, & Evaluation, Boston College, Lynch School of Education; M.A. in sociology University of New Hampshire; B.A. in sociology, Castleton State 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.
Ariel Swan, Associate
617.600.4084
Specializes in data analysis and school-level resource use.
Previous Experience:Teacher, Peace Corps, Tanzania, East Africa: Taught secondary school and managed health projects for youth; Research Assistant, University of California, San Diego: Developed computer codes to analyze large sets of structural data.
Education: MS, Structural Engineering, University of California, San Diego; BS in Physics, Yale University.
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.
Elliot Watts, Associate
Specializes in data analysis and school-level resource use.
Previous Experience: Research Assistant at Columbia Law School focusing on gender and racial inequality in education and the workplace. Legislative intern at the Majority Whip and Democratic Caucus offices at the U.S. House of Representatives. Marking intern at L'Oreal Paris. Urban Improvement Corps tutor for inner-city youth in New Haven, Connecticut.
Education: B.A. in History, Yale University.
Lin Yang, Associate
617.600.4083
Specializes in district budgeting and performance management.
Previous Experience:Summer Consultant, Oakland Unified School District, designed the annual scorecard for both district and charter schools; Teacher, Central High School, Helena-West Helena School District, Arkansas, taught high school algebra II, geometry, and pre-calculus for two years. Visiting Research Fellow, Tsinghua University School of Public Policy and Management, Beijing, co-authored a paper on the urban water shortage in China's growing cities for China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).
Education: Master in Public Policy (MPP), Harvard Kennedy School. BS in Policy Analysis and Management, Cornell University.