Staff

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.”

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.

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.

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.

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 Administration from the University of Southern California and is currently a doctoral candidate, concentrating her studies on human performance improvement for the individuals and organizations she serves.

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.

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.

As an elementary educator for more than 30 years, Deborah believes that all students can be successful learners and critical thinkers. Prior to joining UnboundEd, Deborah was the lead author for second grade for the Illustrative Mathematics Elementary Math Curriculum. Deborah is the founder of My Mathematical Mind and speaks on a variety of topics related to math identity and literacy connections to mathematics. She advocates for a mindful approach to teaching mathematics in order to address math anxiety, build confidence, and support the development of positive math identities. Blending her literacy and mathematics knowledge and expertise, Deborah has dedicated her career to helping other educators and instructional leaders approach teaching in innovative ways that allow students to see themselves as valued mathematical thinkers and lifelong learners. Deborah believes that all children deserve high quality instruction and the opportunity to become competent readers, writers, and mathers.

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.

As President and Chief Executive Officer of UnboundEd, Lacey Robinson sets the organization’s vision for equity-driven national change as she carries the pride and tears of her enslaved ancestors and the native sons and daughters of this sacred land to this work. While continually monitoring the design, delivery, and quality of UnboundEd’s antiracist work, Robinson concurrently maintains the nonprofit’s health, sustainability and future-driven vision for what teaching and learning can be in the 21st century. 

Robinson engaged with industry partners to support standards-aligned, content-focused, equity-driven adult professional learning and development from the organization’s infancy as its Chief of Program and Engagement. She also supported vital design and execution elements for UnboundEd’s signature professional learning opportunity, the illustrious Standards Institute. Robinson’s contributions led to the rapid growth of the organization and positioned UnboundEd as industry leaders. Robinson spearheaded migrating this work into a virtual space during the pandemic to meet the needs of educators.

As a teacher, principal, and staff development specialist, Robinson maintained a focus on literacy, equity, and school leadership for more than two decades. Her life’s work aims to help educators in school systems disrupt systemic racism and all of its legacies in classrooms. Inspired by Langston Hughes, her path is to build temples for tomorrow, as strongly and bravely as she knows how, and to ensure that future generations can stand freely within themselves to be whomever they choose to be. As CEO, Robinson pursues this passion by leading an organization known for the highest integrity in professional development.

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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.

Gabr’l Stackhouse is a passionate educator with over nineteen years of experience working at the school, district, and state levels. She is a grade three co-author of the Heinemann series Math by the Book and enjoys designing learning experiences that make mathematics come alive.

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 to provide 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 the MILA math specialist at UnboundEd, Gabr’l will leverage her knowledge of mathematics and leadership to design engaging content for school leaders.

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.

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. 

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.

As a senior director at UnboundEd, Sierah Tyson drives the vision, design, and strategy for UnboundEd's two leadership development programs, the System Leaders Academy™ and the Equity Influencer Residency™. In her previous role as director, she led the development of content, trained cohort facilitators and coaches, and configured the learning management system for over 250 participants. She is a former English Language Arts specialist and supported the development of The UnboundEd Planning Process™, Standards Institute, and other partner work. Prior to UnboundEd, Sierah was a secondary English teacher in Detroit, Michigan, where she was also a Michigan Education Policy Fellow. She holds a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University and received her Master's in Education from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Sierah also curated The Education Nomad project, where she traveled around the United States to capture best practices and amplify teacher voices via blog. Sierah proudly coordinates UnboundEd's Woman of Color Affinity group and The Kindness Project, which both aim at empowerment, wellness, and unity.