“Education Reformers on the Move” is a quarterly email that tracks new hires at the director level and above in reform-oriented school systems, CMOs, foundations, funding organizations and other nonprofits that support the movement.
If you or someone you know has recently made a move that you think is appropriate for sector recognition, please feel free to email ranthony@k12searchgroup.com the information.
Congratulations to the individuals listed below on their recent transitions!
Carrie Mauer, previously Senior Director of Strategy and Operations, Teaching and Learning Labs at KIPP Foundation, is now Chief Operating Officer at Explore Schools. Sarah Lillis, former Institute Director and COO for EdVoice, accepted the California Executive Director role at Teach Plus. Ric Zappa is the new Chief Academic Officer for Caliber Schools; he was most recently Director of School Culture for KIPP Bay Area. Katie Dankleff Pasniewski recently joined the Ewing Marion Kauffman School as Chief Operating Officer; she was most recently Associate Director, The Network at Building Excellent Schools.
(The above paragraph represents searches conducted or placements made by The K12 Search Group).
Para Los Niños announced the selection of Dr. Frances Esparza, Ed.D, as Superintendent & Vice President of Charter Schools; Dr. Esparza transitioned to Para Los Niños after serving as Assistant Superintendent for Boston Public Schools. Kirat Doshi, previously the Director of Evaluation and Data Insights at eSpark Learning, is now Managing Director of Analytics for OneGoal. Amy Liszt, former President and Executive Director of Academy for Global Citizenship, will soon join Chicago Public Schools as Director of Instructional Quality. Connor Allman transitioned from his role as Data Culture and Professional Learning Manager at Denver Public Schools to Director of Instruction and Leadership Development at Aurora Public Schools. Brittany Estrada, formerly Program and Policy Development Advisor for Los Angeles Unified Schools District, is now Vice President of Performance Management at Alliance College-Ready Public Schools. Krupa Desai transitioned to Managing Director of The Broad Residency after serving as Chief Strategy Officer for Citizens of the World Charter Schools. Former Executive Director of University Heights Charter School and Owner of Scholutions LLC, Misha Simmonds is now Senior Portfolio Director for the Newark Charter School Fund. Allen Mueller, previously the Executive Director of New Schools for Georgia and Strategic Account Executive for Vantage Learning, is now the Director, District Flexibility and Charter Schools Division for the Georgia Department of Education. Former Executive Director of Talent Impact at the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Jessica Wilson, is now a Consultant with Hendy Avenue Consulting. Jon Schwartz, previously Operator in Residence for the Charter Schools Growth Fund, is now a Partner at Wildflower Schools. Former Chief Strategy and Operating Officer at The Partnership for Los Angeles Schools Mikelle Willis is now Chief People Officer for Leading Educators. Brian Sims, previously Director of Education at ARK Schools in London, recently transition to Managing Director of Strategic Initiatives at UKA Ventures. Education Consultant Frances McLaughlin joined Wildflower Schools as a Partner; previously she was President of Education Pioneers. Andrea Zayas has recently become Founding Executive Director of New Orleans Youth Alliance; she most recently served as Founder and CEO of Upstream ED Consulting. Nancy Livingston, former Chief Academic Officer for KIPP NYC, recently accepted a role as Head of Schools for KIPP Nashville. Benjamin Lindquist, previously a Program Director for the Kern Family Foundation, is now President at the Colorado League of Charter Schools. Warren Morgan was recently named Executive Director at Teach for America in St. Louis, MO; he previously served as a White House Fellow with the U.S. Department of Education. Education Consultant, Katie Hytros, recently joined Future Leaders of Chicago as Executive Director. Former Co-CEO of Project Renaissance, Justin Testerman, is now Executive Director of Innovation Partnerships at Instruction Partners. Tanya Ramos Puig is now Chief Executive Officer for Pencils of Promise. Billy Snow recently accepted the Superintendent role for Cedar Hill ISD; Billy previously served as Chief of Transformation and Innovation for Dallas ISD. Harold Lee recently accepted a position as Director of Strategy and Special Projects with the New Jersey Charter Schools Association. Former Executive Director (West Region) for New Leaders, Sarah Slavin, is now Chief Executive Officer for Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT). Angie Peluse transitioned to Chief of Regions for College Track after serving as Vice President of Financial Strategy and Innovation for Teach for America. Asheesh Misra, former DC Development Director at Urban Teachers, now serves as Chief Academic Officer for DC International School. Edward Xavier Barrios, most recently an Executive Principal for Metro Nashville Public Schools, is now Chief Academic Officer for LEAD Academy University Charter School. Felix Flores now serves as Bay Area Executive Director for iMentor; most recently, he was National Director at #YesWeCode. Jonathan Mathis recently transitioned to Executive Director of Next Step Public Charter School. Michelle Seijas, formerly a Principal at Sacramento Charter High School, was recently named Oakland Executive Director of Surge Institute. Carissa Moffat Miller was recently named Executive Director of the Council of Chief State School Officers after serving as the Deputy Executive Director. Former Senior Director of Talent for the Charter School Growth Fund Alesha Arscott is now Chief Talent Officer at STRIVE Prep. Brett Turner, previously Director of Blended Learning at the New Mexico Public Education Department, recently transitioned to Director of Research and Policy at Tennessee SCORE. Nate Easley now serves as the Founding CEO of Blue School Partners; he was previously Executive Director for the Denver Scholarship Foundation. Former Executive Director, Western Region for New Leaders for New School, Kareem Weaver, has recently transitioned to Managing Partner at New Schools Venture Fund. Jason Atwood, former Senior Director, Evaluation & Learning at Education Pioneers, transitioned to Director of Research and Learning at New Schools Venture Fund. Amy Wilkins, most recently of The College Board and Education Trust now serves as Senior Vice President of Advocacy for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Josh Thomases, former Dean of Innovation, Policy, and Research for Bank Street College of Education, is now Executive Vice President of Great Oaks Foundation. Jean Claude Brizard was recently promoted from Senior Fellow to Deputy Director & Senior Advisor at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.