Staff

Thomas Acampora has over 15 years of experience working in and with schools to improve outcomes for students. He began his career as a high school social studies teacher in Baltimore City, where he was named Maryland’s History Teacher of the Year in 2008. Thomas left the classroom to be a facilitator and manager at the Center for the Social Organization of Schools at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). At JHU, Thomas led teams of educational professionals that worked with middle and high schools to improve graduation rates by creating powerful and nimble systems of student support, including small learning communities, early warning systems, positive behavior supports, and restorative practices. He has managed and overseen successful transformation plans that include a wide variety of partners and efforts at multiple schools across the country, ensuring coherent, effective, and sustained school improvement in the ABCs (Attendance, Behavior, Course Performance). He also helped to design, launch, and expand United Way of Central Maryland’s On Track 4 Success program that improved outcomes for students in multiple middle and high schools in and around Baltimore City.

Thomas has a deep and abiding passion for teaching and learning and reducing inequities in education and a strong belief that every student can achieve and be successful if given the right support at the right time. He earned his undergraduate degree in History at Hamilton College and completed his Master of Art in Teaching at Johns Hopkins University.

Tyler supports the Curriculum Implementation team. Before joining the UnboundEd team via its merger with Pivot Learning, Tyler worked as an Office Manager and Professional Development & Coaching QRIS Program Associate supporting various initiatives for the Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles. She has also worked as a Program Manager for Engaging Education Nonprofit Resource Center where she led and trained student retention coordinators, in addition to her work supporting various outreach programs.

Tyler is well-versed in strategic planning, designing and organizing internal databases, and planning and managing events.

She received her B.A. in Sociology and Education from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Jen has twenty-four years of experience in math education. She has taught at the elementary, middle, and high school level, but has a special place in her heart for middle school students and teachers. She has served in several leadership roles, most recently as the K-12 math director in Guilford County Schools. In that role, she led curriculum implementation and professional development at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. As the director of mathematics leadership at UnboundEd, Jen will work on the development and management of the MILA (Math Identity Leadership Accelerator) grant, along with supporting coaches during the virtual summits. Jen is passionate about all students seeing themselves as mathematicians.

Sean leverages the power of data analytics to challenge systemic injustice and promote community empowerment. At UnboundEd, and at Pivot Learning prior to its merger with UnboundEd, Sean leads a portfolio of applied research projects to innovatively support educators that include measuring school districts’ stability and evaluating the usability of instructional materials. He also garners insights from unique and existing research to inform programmatic teams’ practices. Before joining the team, he applied his expertise in family and community engagement, California education policy, and social scientific methods to draw lessons about a range of topics, from how school districts foster professional learning networks to their COVID-19 responses.

Sean’s matriculation through California public schools inspired a lifelong passion for the state’s education system. He graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in American Indian Studies. He later worked as a teaching assistant at a San Diego charter school. For his dissertation research, he studied how school districts implemented the Local Control Funding Formula’s stakeholder engagement requirements. He earned his Doctorate in Sociology at the University of California, Davis in September 2021.

Rolanda Baldwin has worked in mathematics education for nearly 2 decades as a middle and high school math teacher, a math instructional coach, and a math curriculum coordinator at Guilford County Schools in North Carolina. She began her career at UnboundEd as a math specialist before transitioning to the math director role. Currently, as vice president of mathematics, Rolanda coordinates development across all UnboundEd math programs. Rolanda also contributes to organizational strategy, cross-functional workstreams, and external partnerships. She is passionate about everyone being a “math person” and is committed to influencing the systems and structures to support educators in providing grade-level, engaging, affirming, and meaningful math instruction.

Adrienne Baytops-Paul has been an educator for over two decades and has always sought to provide children with informative, engaging, and effective learning experiences. With UnboundEd, she will be collaborating with a team to design mathematics professional development content. She began her career as a language arts teacher, then shifted her focus to learning more about mathematics pedagogy. As a seventh-grade math teacher, she worked to de-track pre-algebra in order to provide high-quality and equitable mathematics learning opportunities for all of her students. She regularly writes about mathematics instruction, standards, and best practices and has had her research published in the Journal of Mathematics and Science. Adrienne holds English degrees from the University of Chicago and Columbia University, and a master’s degree in K-8 Mathematics Education Leadership from George Mason University. She lives in Maryland with her husband and two children.

As a forever learner, Sharone started off her journey as a career educator 21 years ago. She was educated in the Baltimore City Public School System where she later poured back into the same community she grew up by educating students as a middle school teacher of math, social studies, and English, and high school algebra. She has held various positions at all levels in two Maryland School Systems from teacher, coach, mentor, grant writer, assistant principal, network lead, principal to district administrator. While serving in these various roles, she began her own equity journey and as a result, has provided racial equity support for staff members through a consortium of professional learning opportunities and conferences. She has served as a facilitator of Standards Institute, Virtual Summit, and the System Leaders Academy program to support school leaders and educators across the country in building their capacity around the implementation of standards-aligned instruction and pedagogy keeping equity at the center. Currently, Sharone is the vice president of research, strategy, & evaluation at UnboundEd overseeing the implementation of a federally-funded initiative, the Math Identity Leadership Accelerator (MILA) program focused on transforming how school leaders raise math achievement through the design of professional learning and a focus on culturally relevant and responsive practices. Sharone holds a doctoral degree from Morgan State University in Urban Educational Leadership with a concentration in Social Policy.

Lauren began her career in education almost seven years ago by working in two different higher education institutions for the disability support services departments. She also has worked for almost three years in an administrative capacity for a non-profit higher education organization known as NC-SARA.  She graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Administration.

Allison Carter is Vice President, Curriculum Services at UnboundEd, and served in a similar capacity at Pivot Learning prior to its merger with UnboundEd. Allison leads a portfolio focused on educational equity through the adoption and implementation of high-quality instructional materials and aligned, equitable instruction. Previously, Allison led various efforts at Pivot Learning, including school district strategic planning, student-based budgeting, and large-scale change initiatives with school districts across the US, including Chicago Public Schools, Los Angeles USD, Spokane, and Seattle Public Schools.

Allison earned an MA in Education Policy, Organization and Leadership Studies from Stanford University, and an MST in Elementary Education from Pace University in New York City. Allison started her career as an elementary school teacher in New York City.

Jayson Cheung is a multidisciplinary creative with well over a decade of design and operations experience. A Hong Kong-born, San Francisco Bay Area-raised native, he graduated from the University of California, Berkeley where he earned two bachelor’s degrees in Architecture and Art. He has worked in a wide variety of fields ranging from architecture to graphic design to studio photography. In 2013, he co-founded a multifaceted post-production & photography business in San Francisco and grew the creative team from his apartment into two studio spaces as the CEO & Art Director. His strong creative and design background makes him a perfect fit as the director of visual content for UnboundEd.

Erica Coca began her career working closely with a number of nonprofit organizations to uplift and support underserved communities in her hometown of Brooklyn, New York. For over a decade, Erica has worked in education, specifically in charter schools, both in student and family-facing roles and more recently as director of recruitment of a K-8 charter management organization in Brooklyn. As UnboundEd's director of talent operations, her focus is on talent systems and practices, human resources, performance alignment and support, as well as organizational development work. Erica obtained her BA in Media Studies and MS in Business Management & Leadership from CUNY Hunter and SPS respectively.

Nadya Chinoy Dabby is an education leader with experience improving learning opportunities for underserved students in government and nonprofit organizations. As Pivot Learning’s Chief Growth Officer and, more recently, as UnboundEd’s Chief Impact Officer, Nadya leads organizational strategy, philanthropic partnerships, research and evaluation, and marketing and communications. Previously, she served as an appointee of Governor Brown in California and President Obama. 

Dabby was a member of the Obama Administration’s senior education team for 6 years, leading the U.S. Department of Education’s innovation division as the Assistant Deputy Secretary. In this role, she oversaw $1 billion in annual grant programs spanning the arts; community development; early learning; education innovation; personalized learning; charter schools; science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education; and teacher and principal preparation and development. She also led the Department’s efforts on evidence-based decision-making, including helping better align education research and school leaders.

Previously, Dabby served as Director of The Broad Foundation and worked as a management consultant for nonprofit and government organizations. In addition to her work with UnboundEd, serves on the Board of multiple education nonprofits, and is a Senior Fellow with FutureEd at Georgetown University. 

Nadya is a proud graduate of California’s public schools and holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Development and a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from the University of California, Berkeley, as well as a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Los Angeles. She lives in Oakland, California with her family.

Arielle is the Director of Product Development at UnboundEd, and served in a similar capacity with Pivot Learning prior to its merger with UnboundEd. She manages the product development process for UnboundEd’s portfolio of new and existing products for schools and districts.

With over a decade of experience in product management, product marketing, education, and early childhood development, Arielle has demonstrated leadership-building and launching innovative, growth-generating products for global publishers. Previously, Arielle worked at The New York Times where she led a team focused on revenue growth and launched NYT’s highly successful content marketing platform. Prior to that, Arielle worked at AT&T, The Wall Street Journal, and Time Out where she managed emerging digital products and platforms.

Arielle’s commitment to education and children began early in her career as an early childhood educator in Montessori pedagogy and as a recently published author of the illustrated children’s eBook, The Hungry Adventures of Riley, which uses Read Aloud text highlighting to facilitate individualized learning, engagement, and literacy challenges.

Arielle has a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Disorders from the State University of New York at New Paltz.

Taisha Dickerson has over 16 years of contract administration functions and procurement experience within the technology, banking, and construction sectors. As UnboundEd's coordinator, contracts and finance, Taisha manages the life cycle of contracts, from creating, coordinating, and process improvement of contract workflows. Taisha applies her knowledge and attention to detail to support the finance and operations team and partners with legal and other external vendors to ensure contract accuracy and execution. Previously, Taisha worked as a contract administrator for a technology firm where she was responsible for contract management and acquisition of products for IT related projects within the banking industry.

Valery Dragon has worked over a decade in the Washington DC area as an ELL specialist, language teacher, and instructional coach, before leading a PK-8 school as a principal. Both New Leaders and RELAY trained, she then transitioned to a national organization as a managing director of instructional support to focus on leadership actions and practices. In this role, Valery crafted development for district/network leaders through targeted cycles of improvements anchored in operationalizing instructional improvement plans, auditing systems and structures through the lens of internal coherence and equity, as well as modeling and developing coaching practices anchored in content-specific pedagogy. As vice president of leadership programs, Valery contributes to the design of our leadership programs. It is Valery's belief that fidelity to our mission will empower partners and school leaders to own their input in school-based outcomes, and will allow them to intentionally launch their influence as change agents in hopes that their affirmed identities and leveraged leadership position them to build a strong coalition for change.

Samantha has multiple administrative support roles at UnboundEd, which span supporting our program and executive teams, as well as managing the office. Samantha served in a similar capacity with Pivot Learning prior to its merger with UnboundEd. She enjoys using her skills to “connect the dots” and help her team complete the big picture of giving every child a chance at a better education. 

Prior to UnboundEd, Samantha worked as a Facility Coordinator for Microsoft at their San Francisco office. She has also worked in the hospitality sector, at renowned 5-star hotel chains like The Oberoi, Le Meridien, Hilton, and Westin in India. She was responsible for streamlining processes to improve teamwork and in turn enhance customer satisfaction in these hotel chains. Samantha began her career at an American military base in Bahrain where she was responsible for coordinating travel arrangements for service members both on and off duty.

She had also volunteered her time as an administrative coordinator at WOMAN Inc. (Women Organized to Make Abuse Non-existent), in San Francisco. She had earlier worked with the not-for-profit, Reality Gives, helping them create and translate lesson plans to English for children and teenagers residing in the slum areas of Dharavi in Mumbai, India.

Away from work, her passion is to create felt toys for children and giveaways for special occasions.

She has a bachelor’s degree in hotel management from Nicosia, Cyprus.

Rebecca Eiseman is a non-profit professional with over a decade of experience in education, environmental justice, and health equity. Prior to joining the UnboundEd team via its merger with Pivot Learning, Rebecca facilitated fundraising and programs for mission-driven organizations such as the California State Parks Foundation, Urban Sprouts, and People’s Community Market. Rebecca has also pursued her passion for health education by supporting bilingual nutrition and cooking classes, as well as a summer curriculum for high school students focused on job skills, science, and social justice. In her current role on the research and evaluation team, she leverages her experience in programs, research, and evaluation to continuously improve the organization’s key services and offerings. 

She holds an MPH from San Francisco State University and a BA from Oberlin College.

Erin Endreson has over twenty years of experience in the education industry, from when she started in editorial and sales with McGraw-Hill and then moved to teaching English Language Arts to middle school and high school students. She worked in brick-and-mortar schools in Arizona and Washington and then transitioned into the online classroom with Stride Learning. She is compelled to ensure districts see and serve every student and support teachers as they continue with their professional development. Erin now joins us at UnboundEd as coordinator of partnerships where she brings her enthusiasm and passion for education, educators, and equality. 

Jason Epting is a passionate and transformative leader, dedicating his life and career to ensuring that underserved communities receive the standard of excellence that they truly deserve. He has worked in education for over two decades as a teacher, coach, principal, head of school, and consultant. He launched his career in Nebraska and Iowa as he finished his Masters and post-graduate work before moving to New York City. In New York, Jason spent 15 years working in charter schools in Harlem. Jason was a teacher, director of student and family affairs, principal, and alumni engagement officer. As a principal and Head of School, Jason transformed his schools in terms of both instruction and culture for staff and students - implementing restorative justice and Responsive Classroom to transform culture, and implementing standards-aligned curricular frameworks and data teams to transform instruction. In his work with alumni engagement, Jason ensured that over 91% of first-year alumni matriculated into their sophomore year. Jason began working with UnboundED as a facilitator in 2017, conducting sessions on standards-aligned ELA curriculum and instruction, equitable teaching practices, and systemic racism and bias. He has also worked as an independent consultant, developing and leading professional development for leaders and teachers in anti-racist best practices and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Jason joins UnboundEd as the director of facilitator engagement to leverage his expertise in building an impactful, closely-knit community of facilitators ready to change the educational landscape.

Brittany Flurry is a storyteller at heart, and that is the lens through which she views data analysis. A classically trained actor with her BFA from Texas State University who studied abroad with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Brittany has taught acting for film and stage to teens and adults for over a decade. This actor, writer, producer, and performance coach turned data nerd began that journey while assisting Babs George in running The Actor’s School through Austin Community College’s Continuing Education program. She found joy and further purpose in finding the human elements within data and sharing the story it tells. Brittany saw the powerful changes in analyzing data from student feedback and experiences, making changes to curriculum and classes, and seeing the results in student learning and achievement. She is honored to expand that work with UnboundEd and provide actionable and insightful data to tell the story of participants experiencing the vital mission of this organization and the message of GLEAM™, because “Justice is found in the details of teaching and learning.®”

Kathleen has over twenty years of experience in the field of education. Her degrees in elementary education and instructional technology, along with her years in the classroom, launched her into education consulting with the groundbreaking company of Co-nect.

Moving forward in her career, her versatility and collaborative nature are apparent in her contributions to K-8 and graduate course development as a curriculum designer at Promethean Inc. and a learning experience designer at Bisk Education.

Kathleen’s leadership qualities radiate through each role, from hosting workshops, conducting training, and leading innovative development teams for experiential learning.

As the regional sales manager for Cambium Learning, her accomplishments include expanding market share and doubling client revenue through state adoptions and lead generation. Her high energy and skills in superseding expectations won her the Top Producer award.

Kathleen joins UnboundEd Inc. as director of partnerships. She continues to bring her results-driven work ethic, boundless aptitude to support business and learning gains, and lasting relational connections to our team.

Sophie Green has worked in education for nearly ten years, first as a teacher and then as program staff for educational equity efforts in California’s nonprofit sector. In her role as Director for UnboundEd, and with Pivot Learning prior to its merger with UnboundEd, Sophie manages grant processes and development work for the organization and lends her design, strategy, and writing expertise to both program staff and leadership. Sophie came to UnboundEd from the Opportunity Institute, where she worked on a variety of initiatives, including the development of district strategy for equitable implementation of whole child supports, and with state and local agencies and advocates to build more robust systems of stakeholder engagement that focus on equitable inclusion. As a teacher, Sophie worked with extraordinary young people teaching art at a high school designed to support over-age and under-credit students. Sophie received her B.A. at Dartmouth College and her teaching certificate through Teach for America’s partnership with the University of Pennsylvania.

Johana Guardado supports the innovation and research and evaluation efforts at UnboundEd, and previously with Pivot Learning prior to its merger with UnboundEd. Before joining the Pivot team, Johana worked as an Administrative Coordinator for the talent team at Green Dot Public Schools, a charter management organization in Los Angeles, California. She received a B.A. in Political Economy and Chicano Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.

Leah leads business operations for UnboundEd’s fee-for-service partnerships with school districts. She works directly with UnboundEd coaches and staff on scope of work, contract and budget development, time reporting and payment, and management of engagements with our partners. Leah joined UnboundEd via its merger with Pivot Learning; Leah joined Pivot in 2007 as a Research Assistant after working at the RAND Corporation, Los Angeles Unified School District, and Progressive Management Resources. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations at the University of Southern California.

Altaaf Habibulla has worked in accounting and finance for over ten years. As manager of finance, Altaaf manages accounts receivable by executing all billing and collection transactions for UnboundEd events. Coordinating internally with colleagues and externally with our customers to maintain accuracy in our billing and payment collection process. Previously, he worked as a junior financial analyst, managing accounts receivable and payable while improving and streamlining workflows to be more efficient and sustainable.

Lina joined UnboundEd with over 15 years of experience in education and a commitment to use data to understand and improve the organization's impact. She began her career in New York City, where she completed a B.S in Operations Research and a M.A. in Mathematics Education from Columbia University. As she lived in and experienced New York City, she worked as an investment banker and then as a high school math teacher. Lina’s passion for math education grew as she spent time in the classroom and worked with a diverse student population. She especially enjoyed conducting cognitive interviews with students to gain insights into their thinking. That passion brought her to California, where she completed her Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley. Since she completed her Ph.D. in 2014, Lina has worked on a variety of research, evaluation, and curriculum development projects to fine-tune her skills; she focused on how to design studies, collect and analyze data, and communicate findings effectively to different audiences. Lina now focuses on qualitative data analysis to support UnboundEd's research and evaluation work.

Jimmy Han has worked in education for over 16 years. Before joining UnboundEd, he served as the director of assessment programs & support services at the New York City Department of Education. In his role, he led a team responsible for developing and implementing formative assessments in over 1,600 schools citywide, including professional learning, communications, and operations for all programs. He played a key role in developing various formative assessment resources for English Language and Multilingual Learners. Previously, he served in different program and project management roles at the American Institutes for Research, which involved working with multiple states to develop and administer K-12 summative assessments, including Florida, Hawaii, Minnesota, Ohio, and Utah. Jimmy developed a passion for K-12 education while working as a teaching assistant at an elementary public school in Brooklyn, New York. He spent the early part of his career at Kaplan, working in their International English and Test Prep divisions.

Jessica Harrell has worked in the field of education as a teacher, director of curriculum and instruction, founding principal, and district academic director. As the Director of Science at UnboundEd, Jess is dedicated to changing the narrative around science education to ensure that teachers, schools, and districts provide all students with opportunities to learn, do and think about science in relevant and meaningful ways. Her areas of interest and passion involve the intersection of science and math with culturally relevant, responsive and sustaining practices, special education, social-emotional learning, and literacy. Jess has also worked extensively with curricular development, new teacher support, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. She holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Fairfield University, an M.S. in Secondary Education from Northwestern University, and an M.A. in Educational Leadership from Montclair State University. She and her husband live in New Jersey with their two children.

Erick Harrison has been guiding CORE’s technology infrastructure for over 17 years. He brings over 2O years of experience framing and implementing advanced technology and business solutions.

Erick has expertise in most things Microsoft, including Windows, Windows Server, Exchange, and Office 365. He is also a specialist in macOS, Moodle, WordPress, telecom systems, mobile and network hardware, and software and exhibits excellent problem-solving. He takes great pride in the many relationships fostered over the years with executives, team members, vendors, and other contractors. Erick has executed key technologies to keep the team communicating and working together efficiently and in a cost-effective manner. He was instrumental in leading CORE’s transition from a brick-and-mortar office to a virtual office and now guides UnboundEd in new ventures in technological advancement.

Earlier in his career, Erick held technical and management positions in the legal and environmental fields.

Dr. Aliza Nadir Husain is an education researcher with a focus on using quantitative methods to understand policy and practice issues, with the goal of improving student lives. As UnboundEd’s Vice President of Research and Evaluation, she works with external partners to implement and evaluate various initiatives in K-12 schools and districts. She also works with the research team to understand UnboundEd’s internal and external impact, focusing on improving student outcomes and experiences through an educational justice framework. Her work at UnboundEd centers aims of continuous improvement and growth for the organization.

Aliza joined UnboundEd via its merger with Pivot Learning. Previously, Dr. Husain was an Assistant Professor at the University at Buffalo’s Graduate School of Education in their Educational Leadership and Policy department, where she taught quantitative methods and data analysis to Master’s and Doctoral students, all of whom were practitioners in the K-12 education setting. She has also published in various education and economics journals on topics of principal and teacher quality and effects. She previously served as an elementary school teacher in California.

Aliza grew up in Pakistan, after which she pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Education at Occidental College in California. She received her Master’s in Public Policy and Ph.D. in Education Policy from the University of Virginia. She currently lives in Long Island, NY with her husband.

Faaria supports communications and development efforts at UnboundEd, and served in a similar capacity with Pivot Learning prior to its merger with UnboundEd. Faaria has dedicated her time to improving educational experiences and advocating for equitable access for historically underrepresented students. Prior to joining the Pivot team, she worked in nonprofits and local government. As an undergraduate, Faaria provided confidential counsel to students with university-related issues. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.A. in Political Economy and a minor in Public Policy.

Jessica has diverse leadership experience in K-12 urban education. She taught and mentored at the elementary and middle school levels, in both general and special education. She served in several leadership roles including response to instruction & intervention coordinator, district math administrator, and principal. Jessica has served as a professional developer and panelist at district, state, and national levels. For eight years as principal, she led a K-8 and middle school in two large urban school districts. As a “Pandemic Principal” she understands the many challenges that presently exist for principals and is excited as the Director, MILA Program Partnerships to help with the implementation of MILA in schools. Jessica is passionate about supporting district and school leaders to “implement meaningful structural changes that positively impact students' math identity.”

Johannah has two decades of experience leading program and people operations in the education sector. Her career has focused on building and managing internal operations and staff. She is an experienced culture-builder, professional developer, and strategist, with a strong record of success in developing staff skills, performance, engagement, and culture.

Johannah joined UnboundEd via its merger with Pivot Learning, serving as Pivot’s Chief Talent & Culture Officer. Previously, Johannah worked for the University of California, Berkeley Center for Executive Education at the Haas School of Business, where she was the Chief Operating Officer, and previously the Director of Program Management. Her work there included oversight of all program and service delivery, organizational operations, and providing senior leadership to the organization. Before that, Johannah worked as the Director of Talent for the Stupski Foundation, managing operations and human resources of the $150M private operating foundation. Prior to that, she oversaw the operations and staff of Teach For America’s eight teacher training institutes, serving over 5000 new teachers each summer.

Johannah began her career at SCORE! Educational Centers, a network of for-profit learning centers, running individual centers and in the corporate office focused on new product and service development, learning and professional development, and operations. A Bay Area native, Johannah holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from UCLA.

Kelsey uses her love for words, stories, and people to positively impact children’s education and health. At UnboundEd, she manages social media, coordinates and helps to lead multi-channel marketing, and develops compelling new content to grow the reach and impact of the organization’s work.

Before joining the team, Kelsey held several marketing and communications roles at MIND Research Institute, creator of ST Math. In her most recent role as communications manager, she oversaw all content creation for the organization’s marketing, communications, and public relations activities. Kelsey’s seven years serving MIND’s mission have driven her work to pursue diversity, equity, and inclusion in educational spaces to improve the lives of students, educators, and their families. Kelsey earned her undergraduate degree in anthropology at the University of California, Irvine.

Doe Kim has spent nearly 20 years in education and has served as a classroom teacher, dean of Curriculum & Instruction, assistant principal, and principal. In these school-based roles, Doe guided staff in creating high-performing, student-centered teaching & learning environments through modeling and developing instructional practices anchored in content-specific and culturally relevant pedagogy. Doe also led the development of the professional learning community through collaboration, continual learning, data-responsiveness, and anti-racist principles.

Doe’s passion is to create an anti-racist educational system that prioritizes cultivating identity, skill, knowledge, and criticality so all children can see themselves as complex, real, and enactable power. She believes that all children have unlimited capacity and is committed to grounding every action and decision in equity, justice, and the pursuit of love and liberation. It is all about our children because #littlehumansbecomebighumans!

As director of leadership programs, Doe is excited to share her passion with district and school leaders who will create those very spaces in which students can truly thrive, both as learners and as human beings. Doe will contribute to the vision, strategy, and goals of the leadership programs by driving the programs’ facilitation of content design & development and leading the training and ongoing development of cohort facilitators and coaches.

Maryia leads UnboundEd’s Innovation team and portfolio, focusing on launching and scaling products that will increase UnboundEd’s overall impact. These products represent a mix of focus areas, all focused on serving high-priority student populations (e.g., English Learners and multilingual learners) and related policy areas (e.g., improving information availability and accessibility regarding the quality of instructional materials in California). Maryia previously served in a similar role with Pivot Learning, prior to its merger with UnboundEd. 

Maryia started her career as a Teach for America Corps Member and special education teacher in the Bay Area. Later, Maryia was a lead elementary teacher in South Los Angeles, piloting a blended learning program and leading her school’s transition to the California Common Core State Standards. Immediately prior to Pivot, Maryia championed talent initiatives in teacher selection, retention, and equitable hiring practices at Green Dot Public Schools. She also served as a BTSA / induction coach for Spanish teachers pursuing their CA Clear Single Subject credential. She joined Pivot as a Program Manager in 2021, leading projects focusing on improving instructional materials in California through district adoption best practices and state-wide advocacy.

Maryia is a proud graduate of California public schools, an immigrant, and a former English Learner. She holds a B.A. in Linguistics and Psychology with minors in Language Teaching and Russian Language from UCLA, an M.P.P. in Education Policy from Vanderbilt University, a CA Multiple Subject credential, and a Project Management Professional (PMP)® certificate from the Project Management Institute.

With nearly 15 years of experience, Stephen has worked in multiple sectors with his focus on impacting children’s lives. Previously, he has worked in K-12 schools as both a practitioner and researcher as well as in public policy conducting research for statewide policy efforts. At UnboundEd, he is responsible for the research and evaluation of UnboundEd’s current programs, services, and offerings, working cross-functionally with internal staff as well as with external partners. Bringing a constant commitment to equity principles, his work elevates impact through acknowledging blind spots. Stephen received his Ph.D. from the graduate school of education at Bellarmine University in Education and Social Change with an emphasis on research and evaluation.

Deeply rooted in the mission of educational equity, Briana came to UnboundEd with over a decade of experience in the public education sector. Briana joined UnboundEd via its merger with Pivot Learning. Briana started her career as an educator through Teach For America, teaching elementary and middle school in Wilmington, Delaware. Through her experience in the classroom, Briana realized the impact of hiring great talent and alternatively the implications of when that is not the reality which led her to the role of Recruitment & Selection Specialist with The School District of Philadelphia.

Briana started at The School District of Philadelphia as a recruiter, managing the recruitment and selection process for over 200 elementary schools eventually becoming the Manager of Recruitment and Selection. As the Manager of Recruitment and Selection, Briana managed a team of instructional recruiters while leading and conducting searches for instructional, school leadership, and central office-based positions.

Briana was born and raised in Philadelphia and holds a Bachelor of Economics degree from Spelman College and a Master of Education degree from Wilmington University.

Michaelle McCastle brings a unique combination of educational sales and service experience to cultivate new client relationships, promote the promise of equitable instruction, and ensure systemwide impact and results for all. In her role at UnboundEd, she will focus on building new client relationships and sustaining existing ones. McCastle has been a top sales performer for leading school publishers, including Jostens, Franklin Covey, Pearson, and McGraw-Hill.  She has helped schools advocate for the most impactful textbook, technology, and professional development solutions as well as guided them in adopting and implementing solutions systemwide. She has written state and federal grant applications and won millions in funding to launch new school initiatives. She has recruited educators to become published book authors and contributors. Additionally, she has earned a Master of Public Additionally, she has earned a Doctorate in Education from Capella University, concentrating her studies on organizational change and school improvement to best serve and support the K-12 school leaders she serves.

Jamahr McDaniel has been dedicated to ensuring equitable experiences for all educators and students for the past 16 years. As Senior Director for CORE’s Curriculum Services team, he oversees the delivery of curriculum adoption and implementation services for high-quality instructional material in partner districts nationwide.

Jamahr’s prior roles included Director of Partnership Development at the Achievement Network where he cultivated and supported district and school partnerships in strengthening school and district leadership teams. Jamahr earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Educational Studies from Bethune-Cookman University and a Master’s Degree in Education Supervision/Administration from the University of Phoenix.

Lauren Milam comes to UnboundEd with more than a decade of experience in education and research. She started her career as a special education teacher in Tulsa, Oklahoma before pursuing her Master’s degree from Duke University. Her studies propelled her to dive deeper into systems-level changes that are needed to support the needs of each learner, particularly those whose strengths and needs do not align with the traditional model of a “successful” student. After a number of years facilitating professional learning and strategic planning for digital and personalized learning, Lauren pursued her Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the Ohio State University. There she studied leadership and change management in schools with a particular focus on the role of teachers and teacher leaders. Most recently she worked at the Kentucky Department of Education as a strategic data analyst, providing research and analysis on strategic priorities for the commissioner to improve the work of the agency. She comes to UnboundEd with a core belief that leadership matters and that thoughtful uses of data can enable schools and teachers to better support all of our students.

Rachel Nicolay is a mission-driven problem solver with a passion for learning. She comes with a diverse background in product, marketing, and education in the nonprofit and private sectors. As director of digital product & marketing technology, Rachel oversees the strategy, development, and management of UnboundEd’s digital products and marketing/sales technology platforms. Prior to joining UnboundEd, Rachel managed marketing and PR for a global architecture firm, provided marketing consulting to start-ups and nonprofits, and spent a year teaching English at a public school in South Korea.

Jignasha Pandya brings over twelve years of experience in varied education roles to her current role as Director of Business Development. Jignasha’s leadership, collaborative and entrepreneurial spirit are evident through each role; most recently as an adept client manager, providing strategic partnership and consulting to districts to design and implement complex projects for better student outcomes. She is excited to leverage her unique combination of program and client management experience for business development to cultivate new client relationships and continue her work of supporting education systems to ensure all students have access to high-quality, equitable instruction.

Jignasha is experienced at taking a concept idea and designing prototypes and implementing pilots to bring the idea to reality. She has leveraged design thinking to help design and launch new education programs with the Reset Foundation, Thrival World Academies, and Design School X (DSX) to name a few, working at the intersection of design, education, social justice, and cultural competency.

Jignasha holds a BA in Neuroscience from Macalester College and an MEd in Education Policy and Leadership from American University.

Shaterika has worked in education for over 10 years. As director of staffing, she will lead the recruitment and selection processes for UnboundEd. Prior to UnboundEd, Shaterika served as the director of recruitment and retention at Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools and has also worked as a sourcing specialist for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, as well as supporting recruitment efforts for a non-profits and charter management organizations. Shaterika began her career as a 7th-grade math teacher in her hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. She holds degrees in business and economics from Mary Baldwin University and completed the Middle Grades Math Master of Arts in Teaching program at the University of North Carolina Charlotte.  She is an HR Certified professional that finds joy in connecting passionate change-makers to impactful opportunities.

Manny Pina comes to UnboundEd with 6 years of education experience as dean of operations in a high-performing charter school and with over 6 years of sales experience as a sales executive for Fortune 200 companies. Manny’s time in education was dedicated to improving school culture and organizational processes to streamline day-to-day tasks for students and teachers. Manny worked to create an environment that allowed educators to focus on academic excellence, social-emotional learning, and a culture of acceptance. Manny’s passion for education stems from his personal experience in public schools. As a Cape Verdean American student, he received English as a Second Language (ESL) and other reading services until high school. Despite his cognitive and intellectual abilities, he was often labeled as having a learning disability because of his limited English acquisition. Manny joins UnboundEd as a director, partnerships and will support K-12 schools across the North East. Manny hopes to support K-12 schools in their mission to dismantle systemic racism and provide equitable instruction to all students.

Dr. Arun Ramanathan is an education leader and expert, and currently serves as Senior Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer of UnboundEd. Arun joined UnboundEd via its merger with Pivot Learning; as CEO of Pivot Learning, Arun led the Oakland-based non-profit to partner with schools and districts across the nation to ensure a rigorous, relevant, and inclusive public education for all students by developing instructional coherence and improving teaching and learning. Pivot Learning’s ongoing partnership with UnboundEd was one of many reasons for Arun to champion the merger of the two organizations.

Before joining Pivot, Dr. Ramanathan served as the Executive Director of the Education Trust-West, Chief Student Services Officer for the San Diego Unified School District, and Research Director for the Modified Consent Decree in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Dr. Ramanathan is an immigrant to the U.S. and an English Learner. He earned his B.A. from Dartmouth College, M.Ed. in Elementary and Special Education from Boston College, and a doctorate in Administration, Policy, and Social Planning from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Lacey Robinson is the president and CEO of UnboundEd, and the chair of the Board of CORE Learning. As CEO, Robinson sets the organization’s vision for transforming instruction for students at the margins. She is a former teacher, principal, and professional development specialist who has focused on literacy, equity, and school leadership for more than 25 years. Her life’s work aims to enable educators to disrupt systemic inequities in their school districts and classrooms. 

As CEO of UnboundEd, Robinson is responsible for overseeing UnboundEd’s health, sustainability, and vision for how engaging, affirming and meaningful grade-level teaching can transform teachers’ experiences and student learning. In 2022, she also led the merger of UnboundEd, Pivot Learning, and CORE Learning under the UnboundEd banner — creating the nation’s largest K–12 educator development organization focused on improving teaching and learning for underserved students.

Robison is a leading national voice on disrupting the predictability of students’ educational outcomes, and was named to 2023’s Forbes 50 Over 50 list in recognition of her innovative leadership. Her new book, Justice Seekers: Pursuing Equity in the Details of Teaching and Learning, released in July 2023, is a love letter to teachers inspiring us all to recognize that “justice is found in the details of teaching and learning^®.” She frequently serves as a keynote speaker and is featured on Emily Hanford’s 2022 “Sold a Story” podcast.

She is a proud graduate of Florida A&M University and Teachers College, Columbia University.

Steve Sebelski leads and contributes to program design and development. He supervises live learning experiences for the UnboundEd Planning Process, contributes mathematics and leadership expertise to UnboundEd Cohort Programs, and co-leads internal diversity, equity, and inclusion work. Prior to his time at UnboundEd, he was a middle school teacher and instructional leader in New York, NY and Camden, NJ.

Robert Sheffield has devoted his career to building the skills of educators to improve student academic outcomes. He specializes in organizational development, performance management, and leadership development. As the President of CORE and the Chief Growth Officer for UnboundEd, Robert leads the organization’s efforts to expand the reach and impact of our programs into schools and districts throughout the country.

Prior to joining CORE, Robert was Director of the Quality Schools and Districts content area team at WestEd, responsible for growing capacity to improve outcomes for students in high-priority schools that primarily serve Black, Hispanic, and low-income communities.

Robert also led the District Coaching and Implementation Services for the College Board’s SpringBoard program. In that role, he was part of the leadership team that added 1.1 million students to the program within four years. Robert’s responsibilities included administrator professional development and coaching, product development, sales team product training, and overall go-to-market strategy development for the program.

Robert started his career as a high school history teacher, and also served as district curriculum specialist. In addition to his K–12 teaching experience, he taught and supervised pre-service History/Social Science teachers at California State University, Long Beach.

Morgan serves as the Program Manager on the Innovation Team at UnboundEd, managing a range of projects including revamping the CalCurriculum website, launching an asynchronous academy for families of multilingual learners, and helping California districts measure ease of implementation with their instructional materials. Morgan joined UnboundEd via its merger with Pivot Learning. 

Morgan began her career managing an early grades literacy research project for Innovations for Poverty Action on the South Coast of Kenya. Following the conclusion of the study, she worked on the Operations & Impact Teams at the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, and then served as the Manager of Special Projects for UP Education Network in Massachusetts. At UP, she helped launch new initiatives for the network, including a benchmark assessment program and an internal leadership pipeline development program. For six years, Morgan taught elementary school, including serving as the lead reading teacher for her grade level and being named a “Distinguished Teacher.”

Morgan holds a B.A. in Public Policy Studies with minors in Education and Spanish from Duke University and an Ed.M. in International Education Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Gabr’l Stackhouse is a passionate educator with two decades of experience. She is a grade three co-author of the Heinemann series Math by the Book. Recently, she was the lead content writer for UnboundEd’s Math Identity Leadership Accelerator® (MILA®). This comprehensive 15-month program equipped school leaders with an understanding of what it means to apply culturally responsive math practices and build their capacity to use school structures to promote grade-level, engaging, affirming, and meaningful math instruction.

Before joining UnboundEd, Gabr’l served as an elementary math specialist for Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, where she supported 106 elementary schools and more than 85,000 students. She also served as Regional Professional Development Lead for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, where she supported 12 school districts.

One of her proudest accomplishments is her work as a K-8 principal. During her tenure, she led the school through a charter change that provided students with daily opportunities to take thoughtful risks, engage in experiential learning, persist in problem-solving, embrace collaboration, and work through the creative process by integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics.

As Director, Curriculum Services, Gabr’l will oversee and lead the development of current and future products and services.

Dr. Sunday Steele is a passionate, mission-driven educator who has dedicated the past twenty-three years to advocating for students and dismantling educational barriers.

As Managing Director for Curriculum Services, Sunday supports the team with deploying CORE’s Adoption and Implementation Services for high-quality instructional materials in districts across the country. She also leads the development of products and services for the team. Sunday joined UnboundEd via its merger with Pivot Learning. 

Before joining Pivot, Sunday spent six years with The College Board as their Senior Director of Pre-AP Programs where she supported district and school leaders in implementing Pre-AP and SpringBoard Programs. In addition, she led the development of products and services on the Implementation Team and managed district accounts in Western and Southern regions of the U.S.

Sunday spent sixteen years in Long Beach Unified School District as a high school English Teacher, Literacy Coach, and school administrator. Sunday received her Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from UCLA, her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Cal State Dominguez Hills, and her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from USC. Sunday lives in the Los Angeles area.

Kathleen Stevens is an educator with experience as a middle school math teacher, curriculum coach, instructional technology coordinator, and district-level director. She most recently served as Director of Mathematics for a large, urban district in North Carolina where she supported the adoption and implementation of curriculum in 126 schools.

Raquel Talley has been an educator for over 26 years, working in K-12 urban education. She is passionate about collaborating with educators to support their professional growth in providing a high-quality, equitable education for all students. She was an evaluation supervisor in the division of human resources, where she served as a conduit to the school district as it related to talent development, leadership development, professional learning, and evaluation support for all employees. As an employee effectiveness and evaluation specialist, Raquel was the lead for principal, assistant principal, and central office employees’ evaluation. She provided training and support on every facet of the evaluation process to enhance their continuous growth.

Furthermore, as an educational leader, Raquel served as an assistant principal for ten years in elementary and middle schools, promoting each student's academic success and well-being. She has also worked in education as a mentor, technology coordinator, testing coordinator, talented and gifted coordinator, reading resource teacher, and elementary classroom teacher. Raquel holds a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Howard University. She has her superintendent, administrator, framework for teaching, advance professional, and inclusive leadership: the power of workplace diversity certifications. Raquel also enjoys event planning. She has been an event planner for over twenty-three years.

Khaleiah Taylor is an educator and community leader with over 20 years of experience in Fort Worth, Texas schools and communities. She served local public schools as a teacher, literacy coach, and assistant principal, where she worked passionately to make students and teachers feel seen, heard, and valued. She served as program director for Teach For America, training pre-service teachers in the science of high-quality instructional content and pedagogy and in the art of genuinely reaching and teaching all students. She provided school turnaround expertise and assistance in Arkansas, Oregon, Chicago, and New York and worked as a professional services director for educational publishers Pearson and McGraw-Hill. Khaleiah now joins us at  UnboundEd as manager of strategic partnerships, serving and supporting customers with the direction, guidance, and support to sustain their local equity work consistently and continuously.

LeAndrea works as an ELA Specialist at UnboundEd. In her current role, she develops professional learning experiences for ELA educators serving students in grades K-5.  Prior to joining UnboundEd, LeAndrea served as a classroom teacher for over a decade in North Memphis and Douglass where she grew up.  In this revolutionary but disenfranchised community, she learned the value and power of Black educators from examples, like her very first teacher, her grandmother, Velma Taylor.  

LeAndrea believes teaching is a calling, and she has served as a literacy coach, district leader, and consultant. In previous roles, LeAndrea shepherded improvement work with striving schools across Memphis, Tennessee to improve literacy outcomes for students. She worked alongside her colleagues in iZone schools, a nationally recognized turnaround school model, to transform underperforming schools.  Before transitioning to Unbounded, LeAndrea served as Director of Literacy for a charter school network where she coached teachers and school leaders to bolster student literacy scores on state assessments. 

LeAndrea became acquainted with the work of UnboundEd as a participant and joined the team as a facilitator before coming on board full-time. She accredits the knowledge gained from the UnboundEd experience with changing the trajectory of her career and leading to a better understanding of her role as a disruptor of systems, structures, and inequitable instructional practices that lead to inequitable outcomes for students who experience marginalization in American schools.

LeAndrea considers herself a lifelong teacher, however, her greatest role is Mom to her three sons, Devin, Dylan, and Ezekiel. 

Randy Westbrook is UnboundEd’s Accountant and is responsible for accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, account reconciliations, and staff support. Raised in a family of educators, Randy is inspired to be a part of the UnboundEd team and takes pride in the work we do to support schools and districts in solving their persistent problems. Randy joined UnboundEd via its merger with Pivot Learning. 

Before coming to Pivot, Randy worked for small and large organizations, including the Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, Mindful Schools in Emeryville, and Jewish Vocational Services in San Francisco.

Randy has an MBA from Marshall University.

Clay Willis is a mission- and impact-driven strategic communications leader who has devoted his career to the belief that public education is our most crucial lever for redressing systemic inequities and injustice and advancing democracy.

As the Director of Marketing and Communications, Clay helps connect UnboundEd and CORE’s transformative work to education leaders seeking to grow coherence and accelerate student outcomes by crafting clear and compelling communications and bringing human-centered strategies to life. 

Clay joined UnboundEd via its merger with Pivot Learning. Before joining Pivot, Clay spent six years with WestEd leading communications strategy, marketing, and brand growth for a diverse portfolio of special initiatives, research projects, and professional learning services. Additionally, as a project lead and subject matter expert with WestEd’s Regional Comprehensive Centers, Clay worked closely with multiple state departments of education to scale communications impact through an original strategic communications capacity-building approach.

Clay previously led communications operations for NewSchools Venture Fund and worked with the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. Clay began his career as a journalist and received his B.S. from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University in Journalism and Anthropology.

Edwina Woods is a visionary leader and strong motivator who inspires educators, school districts, and students to thrive. As Director, Curriculum Services, Edwina brings more than 25 years of education service and leadership. Edwina joined UnboundEd via its merger with Pivot Learning. 

Before joining Pivot, Edwina was a secondary English Language Arts Teacher, lead teacher, mentor teacher, district instructional coach for ELAR, Assistant Principal, and Campus Principal. Edwina has been a National Board Certified Teacher since 2011.

After leaving the principalship, she joined the Region 10 Education Service Center in Richardson, Texas, where she served as a Program Coordinator in Administrative Services. As Program Coordinator, she coordinated all activities related to the annual Innovative Principal Conference , the Assistant Principal Leadership Academy , provided district and campus training in Crucial Conversations, and supported the Region 10 National Board Cohort as well as the Texas Instructional Leadership Team in building effective systems for instruction and learning.

Edwina graduated from Northwestern State University of Louisiana in Natchitoches with two bachelor’s degrees—one in social work and the other in psychology. She earned her master’s in Education Administration from Dallas Baptist University and is currently in her third year of doctoral school at Texas A&M University-Commerce.