Denver’s Mary Seawell Talks Innovation Zones, Empower Schools and the SEZP

Brett Alessi

Co-founder & Partner

Brett is the co-founder and a Partner at Empower Schools. After supporting the design and launch of the nationally heralded turnaround of Lawrence Public Schools in Massachusetts, Brett has led the organization’s expansion to Colorado and Texas. He continues to focus on Colorado, as well as explore new partnerships across the country in areas such as rural innovation and pathways to post-secondary success. Prior to launching Empower Schools, Brett led the Greater Boston region for Education Pioneers. Previously he developed and advanced youth civic engagement policy, and led social responsibility efforts for a venture backed startup in Washington DC. Brett began his career as a classroom teacher and has taught 3rd grade and in high school. Brett has a B.A. in History from Middlebury College and an M.A.T. from Brown University. He and his wife live in the Boston area where they are raising their three boys.

Gordon Cromwell

Director of Strategic Finance and Operations

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Gordon joined Empower as Director of Strategic Finance and Operations in January 2020 through the Encore Fellowship Program, an 18-month Fellowship opportunity. After a 25-year career in finance, the past 9 years at The Boston Company Asset Management, Gordon is now pivoting and applying his finance expertise to the nonprofit sector. He has been actively involved in various different education related nonprofit organizations including Boston Prep, Citizen Schools, and Rehearsal for Life and is excited about the work Empower is doing to promote innovative education models around the country.

Gordon graduated from Denison University and received his MBA from Vanderbilt University. He lives in Brookline with his wife and two children.

Carey Davis

Director

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Since joining the Empower Schools team in 2018, Carey has focused on supporting leaders to develop and launch networks of autonomous district schools that enable educators to meet local needs. She has also worked closely with leaders in incubation fellowships focused on the design and launch of innovative and sustainable school models.

Prior to joining the Empower Schools team, Carey taught elementary school students with developmental and intellectual disabilities in Dallas, Texas. Carey has a B.S. in Special Education from Vanderbilt University and a master’s degree in Education Policy an Comment end d Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Jack Elsey

Senior Advisor

Jack Elsey is the executive director of the Detroit Children’s Fund and is a Future Chief with Chiefs for Change. Prior to this role, he served as the chief schools officer for the Education Achievement Authority of Michigan, a district charged with turning around some of Detroit’s historically lowest performing schools. Under his leadership, EAA schools experienced student growth results that outperformed state averages. Elsey has also served as chief of innovation and incubation at Chicago Public Schools, assistant superintendent of Detroit Public Schools, a chief schools officer of Detroit Rising College Prep Schools and is a Broad Residency alumnus. He began his career as a middle school teacher in the South Bronx as a member of the Teach For America corps.

Hannah Foley

Director

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Hannah serves as Director and supports the work of Empower Schools in Texas leading the launch of in-district charter partnerships and ongoing implementation support. Before joining Empower Schools, Hannah worked in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area in several roles supporting education systems including program evaluation for school districts and school authorizers and policy network support across the region. She began her career as a public-school teacher and administrator in Houston. During her time in the classroom and in administration she spearheaded initiatives in instructional coaching, leadership development, social-emotional learning, and blended learning. She is an alumna of Teach for America and Education Pioneers and holds a B.A. in French from St. Olaf College and an M.P.P. from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. In her free time, Hannah enjoys the outdoors, cooking, crafting, and spending time with her husband and son.

Chris Gabrieli

Senior Advisor

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Chris Gabrieli is the co-founder and Senior Advisor of Empower Schools, Chairman of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, and a lecturer at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. He pioneered the Empowerment Zone effort in Empower’s first site in Springfield, MA where he continues to be the Chair of the Zone’s Board. His current work at Empower focuses on building Empower, leading on Massachusetts work and leading the Empower Early College effort.

He has been at the forefront of several movements to expand educational opportunity and improve schooling and has been the founder of three successful non-profit education innovation and policy organizations including the National Center on Time & Learning.

Chris is a graduate of Harvard College. He has been active in civic and political life in Massachusetts for thirty years. Chris and his wife live in Boston where they have raised five children. He has never been cured of his loyalty to his original hometown Buffalo Bills.

Erika Giampietro

Senior Advisor, Early College

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Erika Giampietro is the founding Executive Director of the Massachusetts Alliance for Early College. Prior to this role, Erika served as Senior Advisor to the Chair of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education. In this capacity, she built expertise in areas critical to the success of Early College in MA. She facilitated a burgeoning coalition around Early College, helped draft and advance legislation and policy related to Early College, partnered alongside the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Department of Higher Education in growing the initiative, and provided technical assistance to a group of Early College programs. Prior to that, Erika worked in the Boston Public Schools for seven years serving in a variety of roles, including Deputy CFO, Interim CFO, and Special Assistant to the Superintendent. While at BPS, Erika oversaw the district’s $1B budget, facilitated strategic planning for the Superintendent, and co-authored a long term financial plan for the district. Prior to joining BPS, Erika spent 6 years in management consulting and education consulting. Erika has a B.S. in Business from The University of Virginia and an executive education certificate from the Harvard Business School. She is based in Boston, Massachusetts.

Kevin Guico

Senior Manager

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Kevin Guico is a Senior Manager at Empower Schools based in Austin, TX. He supports the strategic planning and implementation of innovative partnerships, and plans statewide convenings for in-district partners in Texas to amplify expert practitioners, and highlight state-wide and national best practices. He is currently the board chair for an arts education nonprofit in Central Texas, and the curriculum chair for a leadership development nonprofit. Before joining the Empower team, he worked on staff at City Year Dallas, providing year-long professional development, anti-racism facilitation, and career development support to eighty AmeriCorps members as they supported ten of Dallas ISD’s most deserving public schools. Kevin also taught 7th grade Writing and Modern Band - spending four years in Dallas ISD classrooms, three community organizing, two facilitating racial equity spaces, and one in local school board campaigns and fundraising for an arts education nonprofit. He holds a B.A. in Music Management and a minor in Business Management from the Conservatory of Music at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA, and in his spare time he performs music professionally and is a music mentor for students in the foster system, and recreationally enjoys swimming, biking, running, and coaching soccer.

Mary Beth Hiett

Executive Assistant and Office Manager

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Mary Beth is the Executive Assistant and Office Manager at Empower Schools based in Boston, MA. She provides direct support to the Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Chris Gabrieli in addition to supporting general office operations. of Empower Schools. She has over 10 years of experience supporting C-Level Executives. Mary Beth holds a BFA in Painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design and an MA in Contemporary Art from the Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London.

Matt Matera

Partner

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Matt Matera is a Partner at Empower Schools based in Boston, Massachusetts, and is also the board chairman of Teach Western Mass. At Empower, he led the design and launch of the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership and has supported the launch of more than 10 additional partnerships. Prior to joining Empower, Matt was the Director of Innovation and Talent for Lawrence Public Schools in Massachusetts. Before that, he was the Director of Human Capital Investments for New Schools for New Orleans and taught middle school English for five years. Matt is an alumnus of Teach For America and Education Pioneers and also worked for several summers with the Breakthrough Collaborative. Matt has a B.A. in English and a J.D. from Yale University.

Cara McKenna

COO

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Cara is COO at Empower, based in Boston, MA. Cara works with partners in Colorado, Texas and Massachusetts. She has supported the design and launch of new networks of autonomous, empowered district schools, as well as rural, multi-district collaboratives that expand opportunities for students. Before joining Empower Schools, Cara was a Consultant at The Boston Consulting Group, working on strategy and large-scale project management with both non-profit and for-profit organizations. Prior to BCG, Cara was a public school teacher in Boston and Brookline, MA, teaching social studies at the high school level. Cara graduated from Brown University with a B.A. in History and has an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and an M.B.A. from The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

Alyssa Morton

Partner and CEO

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Alyssa Morton is a dedicated advocate for educational equity and innovation. As CEO and Partner at Empower Schools, she leads our team of experts collaborating with state agencies, policymakers, public school districts, institutions of higher education, and community champions across the United States to design, launch, and sustain innovative schools and school systems that help students achieve long-term economic mobility. Before joining Empower Schools, Alyssa supported public education organizations at Bain & Company and advanced school and system human capital strategy as an Education Pioneers Fellow in New Orleans. Alyssa holds a B.A. in Political Philosophy, Policy, and Law (PPL) from the University of Virginia and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. She lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and two children.

Chessye Moseley

Consulting Advisor, Early College

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Chessye Moseley is the founding Deputy Director of the Massachusetts Alliance for Early College. Prior to this role, Chessye built context and expertise through her work on the Early College team at Empower Schools. In this capacity, she supported burgeoning coalition efforts, helped lead key policy and advocacy efforts related to Early College, and provided technical assistance to a group of Early College programs. She also created and leads Early College Policy Fellowship designed for former Massachusetts Early College students interested in creating systems-level change and expanding high-quality Early College programs. Prior to her work with Early College, Chessye held many roles at Teach for America, the most recent being as Director of Individual Giving in Massachusetts. Chessye started her career as a middle school reading teacher in Colorado. Chessye holds a B.A. in Government from Harvard University and is based in Boston, Massachusetts.

Janine Pires

Senior Manager, Finance

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Janine Pires is Empower’s Senior Manager, Finance based in Boston, MA. She is a business operations professional with a track record in accounting, finance, payroll, and fundraising roles in the nonprofit sector. Prior to Empower Schools, Janine was the Staff Accountant & Schools Business Manager for the Boston Plan for Excellence, an education organization operating a PreK-12 pathway of neighborhood based teaching academies.

Janine seeks to continually merge the skills acquired from her BA in Logistics & Operations Management mastered projects’ portfolio from Southern New Hampshire University, with her passion of building and supporting an education system that advances equity.

Seth Rau

Director

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Seth serves as Director, Policy, at Empower Schools, responsible for designing policies and strategies to support autonomous district schools across the country based in Austin, Texas. He works with Empower’s zone and district partners to ensure that state and local policies are best aligned to increase student success.

Before joining Empower Schools, Seth was the Director of Legislative and Strategic Affairs for the San Antonio Independent School District where he led the district’s state and federal advocacy efforts, most notably helping efforts to pass SB 1882 and school finance reforms. He also helped start up Nevada Succeeds as its first Policy Director, an education non-profit in the Silver State dedicated towards bringing a business voice to creating better schools. He began his career as a 5th grade teacher. Seth has a B.A. in International Relations and Political Science from Tufts University and an M.B.A. from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. In his free time, Seth enjoys traveling around the world, trying new foods, and watching live sporting events.

Sarah Robb

Partner

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Sarah is a Partner at Empower, based in Boston, MA. Sarah leads our partnerships in California and Indiana and supports districts and communities across the country to explore, design, and launch Zones of autonomous, empowered district schools. In Massachusetts, Sarah supported the launch and initial implementation of the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership.

Prior to joining Empower Schools, Sarah worked at TNTP where she supported the implementation of New York City’s teacher development and evaluation system. Previously, Sarah was a Program Manager with City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley where she managed a team of AmeriCorps members and worked closely with the school community to help transform the school’s culture and provide targeted support to off track students. Sarah began her work in education teaching high school biology on the South Side of Chicago. Sarah has a B.A. in Biology and Anthropology from the University of Michigan, a M.A.T. from National Louis University, and a M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in Education Policy and Management.

Chazz Robinson

Senior Manager

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Sarah currently leads our partnerships in California and Indiana and supports districts and communities across the country explore, design, and launch Zones of autonomous, empowered district schools. In Massachusetts, Sarah supported in the launch and initial implementation of the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership. Prior to joining Empower Schools, Sarah worked at TNTP where she supported the implementation of New York City’s teacher development and evaluation system. Previously, Sarah was a Program Manager with City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley where she managed a team of AmeriCorps members and worked closely with the school community to help transform the school’s culture and provide targeted support to off track students. Sarah began her work in education teaching high school biology on the South Side of Chicago. Sarah has a B.A. in Biology and Anthropology from the University of Michigan, a M.A.T. from National Louis University, and a M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in Education Policy and Management.

Hannah Sharfman

Senior Manager

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Hannah Sharfman is a Senior Manager at Empower Schools based in Austin, Texas. Hannah primarily supports the implementation and launch of in-district partnerships within both rural Texas districts and rural Colorado districts. Before joining Empower Schools, Hannah worked at the Austin-based education consulting firm BlueScope Group. In this role, she built and managed a collective of education consultants across the country and provided support through grant and proposal writing and project support. Hannah started her career as an elementary school teacher in Houston, Texas through Teach for America. In addition to teaching, Hannah has experience working for a small technology nonprofit in Saint Paul, Minnesota and for a higher education association in Washington D.C. Hannah holds a B.A. of Political Science from the College of Wooster and an M.P.P from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. In her free time, Hannah enjoys running, reading, and traveling to new places.

Jessica Thorne

Colorado State Director

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Jessica serves as the Colorado Director for Empower Schools, responsible for leading and sustaining district and zone partnerships to design, launch, and advise networks of autonomous district schools. Prior to joining Empower Schools, Jessica worked at New Tech Network, where she led efforts to develop innovative public schools across the country. Previously, Jessica worked with schools, school districts, and university systems as a funding and policy consultant, and managed turnaround and improvement efforts for a large urban school district. Jessica has a Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts from The Evergreen State College, and a Master’s in Leadership and Organizations from the University of Denver.

Victoria Vasquez

Senior Manager

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Tori is a Senior Manager at Empower Schools based in Fort Worth, Texas. She works with partners in Texas, Massachusetts, and Louisiana. Tori supports districts with strategic planning and implementation of in-district partnerships. Prior to joining Empower Schools, she served as a fellow in a variety of education contexts at the local, state, and national level including the U.S. Department of Education, the Texas House of Representatives, and the Commit Partnership. She began her career as a public-school elementary teacher in San Antonio, Texas. During her time in the classroom she implemented initiatives such as project based learning, social emotional learning, and an extended school year. Her passion for education is rooted in her time serving as a tutor for high school students in Upward Bound and as a teacher’s aide for Academia Cuauhtli, a language and culture revitalization project for elementary school students. Tori has a B.A. in Latin American and Border Studies from Southwestern University and a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Texas at Austin.

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Christi Martin

Senior Advisor

Christi leads Martin Consulting Group and serves as a formal advisor to Empower Schools in Texas. She brings twenty-five years’ experience in education policy and school law. Prior roles include service as senior advisor to the Commissioner of Education and deputy director at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Christi holds a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law and M.A. and B.A. degrees in political science from the University of Houston. A first-generation college student, Christi has focused her career on broadening opportunity for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Dana Ray

Texas Advisory Board Member

Dana Ray serves as the Chief of Staff for San Antonio Independent School District's Office of Innovation. She is directly responsible for supporting Innovation Zone and in-district charter schools and ensuring the evolution of district level departments and systems to meet the individualized needs of campuses. Dana specializes in school design and redesign, charter authorizing, leadership coaching, and systems thinking. She received a Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University and a Masters in Educational Administration from Trinity University. Dana has served as a teacher, instructional coach, school administrator, and district administrator over the course of her 20-year career in SAISD. She believes strongly that education is the key to personal growth, improving one’s quality of life, and making the world a better place.

Hjamil A. Martinez-Vazquez

Texas Advisory Board Member

Hjamil A. Martinez-Vazquez is a Bilingual Educator serving as an Instructional Support Specialist for the Dual Language program in Crowley ISD, and founder of the ADELANTE, an equity group for Latina/o educators. Hjamil has taught multiple grades (3rd-6th) in the area of reading and writing. In 2019, he was selected as Campus Teacher of the Year at Mary Harris Intermediate, and in 2022 he got the same recognition at ACE Demonstration and Design Lab at Hargrave Elementary, both in Crowley ISD. He serves as a member of the Reading Reimagined Educator Advisory Board and member of the SBEC Educator Preparation Advisory Committee. As part of his teacher advocacy work, and after being a Teach Plus Senior Policy Fellow, Dr. Martinez-Vazquez is a Teach Plus Senior Research Fellow and a Teach Plus Ready to Lead Senior Fellow. Hjamil has been part of several professional development sessions/presentations including at the 2020 Raise Your Hand Texas Leadership Conference, and works with the district’s curriculum committee and the Language Department. He was a member of the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) English as a Second Language Standards Advisory Committee and the TEA Bilingual Standards Development Committee. He graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a BA in Social Science, and received his MA in Religion from the Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico and his ThM and PhD in Religious History from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

John Fitzpatrick

Texas Advisory Board Member

John Fitzpatrick is the executive director of Educate Texas, CFT's statewide education initiative. His role spans five areas: strategy, fundraising, advocacy, culture/talent and what he calls Team CFT. From 1997-2004, John had a dual role as the executive director of Skillpoint Alliance, a central Texas nonprofit, and vice president for education and workforce development at the Austin Chamber of Commerce. John moved to Texas in 1994 to attend grad school at the LBJ School at UT Austin, where he met his wife, Kristen Vassallo. Before that, he worked on Capitol Hill for Republicans and Democrats on education, workforce development, trade and other issues. John taught eighth-grade English and U.S. history for a year in Long Island, New York. He holds a bachelor’s in sociology from Wesleyan University, where he also played soccer.

Marcus Ceniceros

Texas Advisory Board Member

Marcus is the Chief of Staff at Leadership for Educational Equity (LEE), a national nonprofit leadership development organization inspiring and supporting a network of civic leaders to end the injustice of educational inequity. Prior to this national role, he led LEE’s work in Houston, Texas.

Marcus began a career in education after graduating with a degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin by joining Teach For America. He spent eight years teaching in and helping lead primary schools in Houston, New Orleans, and Chicago. As a Dean of Culture and Director of Community Engagement, Marcus has worked to authentically engage families and communities through on-campus programming, family fellowships, and direct family advocacy at the local, state, and federal level.

Marcus’ civic engagement while in high school and has since worked on over 100 political campaigns, including presidential campaigns. At work, he supports current and former educators to build the skills needed so they can advocate for their students, organize their communities, have access to leaders that create education policy, and become public/elected leaders themselves. Marcus has directly engaged over 700 educators in Houston through one-on-one coaching and group leadership development training over the past three years. He has facilitated sessions on how to effectively run for office across the country for hundreds of other educators.

Marcus also advises ONE Houston (the Organizing Network of Educators), a regional community organizing group that consists of teachers and students. The collective has addressed policy issues impacting the school-to-prison pipeline and ran successful actions to influence local school district policies affecting over 11 million dollars of funding, terminating exclusionary discipline practices, and reallocating resources to include restorative justice practices.

Marcus currently lives in New York City where he enjoys using mass transit, spending time thinking about writing a book, and talking about Texas to anyone that will listen.

Paymon Rouhanifard

Senior Advisor

Paymon Rouhanifard is the co-founder and CEO of Propel America, an organization that empowers students with the skills, experiences, credentials, and social networks necessary to transition from high school to an upwardly-mobile first job within one-year of high school graduation. Previously, he served as the superintendent of Camden, New Jersey from 2013 to 2018 where he helped lead improvements in student outcomes, reductions in out-of-school suspensions, stronger family engagement, and critical capital investments in school facilities. Rouhanifard started his career in New York City as a 6th grade teacher in West Harlem and went on to work in the central office of the New York City Department of Education. He holds a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Sara Butler

Director

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Sara is a Director at Empower Schools based in Denver, and she primarily supports the implementation of innovative partnerships in rural Colorado. Before joining Empower Schools, Sara worked at Denver Public Schools recruiting and hiring school leaders, supporting middle schools, and as Chief of Staff to the Assistant Superintendent. Her commitment to educational equity began when she became a teacher through Teach For America in Chicago as a middle school math teacher and then as a special education teacher upon moving to Denver. Sara has spent time teaching in traditional public schools, charter schools, and in turnaround efforts. She graduated from the University of Connecticut (BS Marketing) and holds a Masters in Teaching (Dominican University) and an Executive MBA from Washington University in St. Louis.

Tim Field

Senior Advisor

Tim Field works as a Senior Advisor with the Empower Schools Texas team to support district strategic planning and implementation of initiatives to improve struggling schools, strengthen district support systems, and launch new innovative schools and programs. Tim was previously a regional director for the KIPP Foundation, where he provided coaching support to KIPP executive directors, coordinated internal and external resources, and provided quality oversight to ensure that KIPP regions are prepared to open and sustain high-performing schools in under-served communities. Before that, Tim was the deputy chief of Charter, Partnership and New Schools with the School District of Philadelphia, where he led the charter school authorization and oversight department, and worked with the district leadership, school board, and local community groups, to support successful and innovative schools. Tim earned his B.A. from Oberlin College, and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Romel Antoine

California Launch Fellow

Romel Antoine is the California Launch Fellow at Empower Schools based in Sacramento, CA. Romel helps to lead our growth and exploration work across the state, working with school districts and other key stakeholders to advance Empower’s mission. In his most recent role, Romel helped to lead state regulatory affairs for the California Charter Schools Association. A life-long facilitator and strategist, he has held various roles in support of school districts, non-profit education partners, and service organizations. Romel graduated from Wheaton College with a B.A. in Women’s and Gender Studies, Political Science, and Legal Studies. Romel is also a Pahara Next-Gen Fellow, a program of the Pahara Institute which focuses on building equity in the Education sector.

Romel Antoine

California Launch Fellow

Romel Antoine is the California Launch Fellow at Empower Schools based in Sacramento, CA. Romel helps to lead our growth and exploration work across the state, working with school districts and other key stakeholders to advance Empower’s mission. In his most recent role, Romel helped to lead state regulatory affairs for the California Charter Schools Association. A life-long facilitator and strategist, he has held various roles in support of school districts, non-profit education partners, and service organizations. Romel graduated from Wheaton College with a B.A. in Women’s and Gender Studies, Political Science, and Legal Studies. Romel is also a Pahara Next-Gen Fellow, a program of the Pahara Institute which focuses on building equity in the Education sector.

Malik Stewart

Senior Director

Malik serves as a Senior Director for Empower Schools, responsible for leading and supporting projects to benefit students across the country, with a focus on Texas. He leads project teams and works closely with local, state and district leaders to empower public schools and drive the creation, execution and implementation of strategic partnerships. Prior to joining Empower, Malik worked at Reading Partners where he led the literacy improvement portfolio in North Texas. Previously, Malik oversaw grant programs with the YMCA, and Managed Federal Programs in Delaware as a state and school district administrator where he supported schools in exiting improvement statuses and becoming National Blue Ribbon and Distinguished Title I programs. Malik has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art Design from North Carolina A&T State University and a Master’s in Education from Cabrini College. He is based in Fort Worth, TX with his wife Doreen and their three daughters Maya, Taylor, and Faith.

Barry Tyler

Director

Barry is a Director at Empower, based in Hammond, Indiana. Barry leads partnerships in Indiana and supports districts and communities to explore, design, and launch Zones of autonomous, empowered district schools.

Prior to joining Empower Schools, Barry worked at Leadership for Educational Equity (LEE), where he led the Illinois and Northwest Indiana region in an effort to encourage and support members to get involved in the fight for educational equity. Barry has a long history of working in education and has served as a Senior Director at OneGoal and a Partnership Director at Teach For America. He began his career in youth development by leading The First Tee of Hammond and coaching high school football (something he is still doing 15 years later). Barry has a B.A. in Speech and Political Science from Wabash College and is also the 3rd District Councilman for the City of Hammond.

Eliza Davis

Senior Manager

Eliza Davis serves as the Growth Manager at Empower Schools and is based in Baltimore, Maryland. She works to advance Empower’s mission by exploring and developing new partnerships nationwide, particularly in rural areas. Eliza began her career as a 7th Grade Social Studies teacher in Pueblo, Colorado through Teach for America. She also spent summers directing the Outdoors Department at Camp Kiniya in Vermont, focusing on experiential learning and leadership development for young women. Before joining Empower Eliza also worked in survey research, overseeing and conducting public opinion polls for a wide variety of clients, including media organizations, advocacy groups, and education focused nonprofits. Eliza has a BA in Public Policy from Princeton University.

Rebecca Armstrong-English

Senior Manager

Rebecca has held essential roles in higher education and K-12 education. Before joining Empower Schools, Rebecca served as the Director of Alumni Relations at her alma mater Dillard University, where she was responsible for strategically engaging with an alumni base of 8,000+ in planning and implementing programs and projects focused on strengthening relationships and providing tangible benefits for current students and alumni. Previously, Rebecca was Founding Director of Operations for a STEM-focused middle school in Baton Rouge, La. She was responsible for overseeing day-to-day school operations, ensuring families and students have access to a high-quality education. Rebecca graduated from Dillard University in New Orleans (BA in Mass Communications) and holds a Masters in Liberal Arts and paralegal certificate (Tulane University) and an MBA from Capella University.

Rachell Davis

Manager

Rachell is a Manager at Empower Schools. Her work focuses on supporting partnerships and projects that positively impact students who have been traditionally underserved. Before joining Empower, Rachell served as a program coordinator at a youth development non-profit that focuses on community and school-based partnerships to support girls' physical, educational, and social development. She began her career as a 6th grade teacher in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she was inspired to pursue a career in public administration after observing a variety of issues that her students faced. The impact of housing accommodations, financial and nutritional resources, and familial dynamics on the classroom environment and student achievement motivated Rachell to learn more about public and non-profit management. Through various career endeavors, she has assisted youth in foster care and the juvenile justice system, who also have a high risk of discontinuing their secondary and post-secondary education. Rachell holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Memphis and a Master of Public Service and Administration (MPSA) from Texas A&M University.

Aden Avery

Associate

Aden Avery is committed to ensuring that all children have access to an education that prepares them to lead choice-filled lives. In his current role at Empower Schools, he works to advance system conditions at the state and local levels to catalyze and sustain innovation that transforms public schools and communities.

Prior to joining Empower Schools, Aden taught 4th grade in Austin’s Rundberg community. He began his career in research, communications, and advocacy in roles at Young Invincibles and the Roosevelt Institute’s campus network, where he focused on policy topics spanning voting rights, higher education, student loan debt relief, and student mental health.

Aden holds a B.A. in History from Texas A&M University. In his spare time, he enjoys landscape photography, gardening, and convincing friends to explore new bookstores with him.

Patricia Fortes

Finance and Operations Associate

Patricia Fortes is a Finance and operations associate at Empower Schools based in Boston, MA. Prior to Empower Patricia has been working as a Financial associate being the point of contact to clients for any invoice related questions, as well as preparing bi-weekly invoices to about 100 clients.

Patricia has a student mindset, and is seeking to strengthen her skills in a way that she can provide leverage to her team and Empower Schools.

She acquired her BA in Finance and accounting management at Northeastern University.

Anastasia Magana

Manager

Anastasia is a Manager at Empower Schools based in California where she works to advance early college and career pathway innovation strategies, while also supporting the emerging growth happening across the state.

Before joining Empower Schools, Anastasia worked at the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, an education non-profit that directly serves 13,550 students at 20 of the most historically underserved schools in LA Unified, including elementary, middle, and high schools in Boyle Heights, South LA, and Watts. Anastasia’s dedication and commitment to public education programs began as a Student Peer Advisor at the University of California Santa Cruz and then in the classroom as a Cultural Ambassador for the Spanish Ministry of Education in Spain. She holds a B.A. in World Literature & Cultural Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz and is fluent in both English and Spanish.

Claire Albert

Associate

Claire Albert serves as an Associate at Empower Schools based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her work focuses on supporting partnerships in rural communities, particularly in Colorado. Prior to taking on the associate role, Claire worked as a research consultant on Empower’s Early College projects, championing the amplification of student voices in expansion efforts for Early College programs in Massachusetts.

Claire steered student engagement efforts, social media campaigns, and research projects aimed at expanding practices that bridge the gaps between high school, college, and college graduation for underrepresented students in higher education. Claire also worked within the community outreach sector at Community Rowing Inc. Serving in a variety of roles, Claire facilitated a tutoring partnership as an academic coordinator with RowBoston, and worked as a rowing coach with Boston Center for Youth and Family summer camps, teenage rowers with disabilities, and military veterans group. Claire holds a B.A in Psychology from Harvard University.

Lauren Hall Riggins

Senior Manager

Lauren Hall Riggins has worked in education, non-profit leadership, and policy and advocacy research for over a decade. She has earned three masters degrees in education, public affairs, and arts administration. She is currently a doctoral candidate writing her dissertation on centering youth perspectives in creating educational experiences that lead to economic mobility and increased civic engagement. She holds a deep conviction that education is a vital tool for addressing generational poverty and systemic racism.

Hall Riggins has worked with pre-kindergarten through post-secondary students, and has coached and supported teachers spanning these grades for five years. She launched an Early Childhood Education program and helped lead the Mid-North Promise Program, which is a cradle-to-career program that supports families with economic mobility and holistic wellness. She co-founded a non-profit in 2013 and oversaw its successful merger with a mission-aligned organization in 2017 to provide a more catalytic, sustainable impact for Indiana youth and families. She worked in development for three years with Teach For America Indianapolis and managed a portfolio of $3.1 million.

Additionally, Hall Riggins has served as a grant reviewer and panelist for the Indiana Arts Commission; reviewed films for the Heartland International Film Festival; and served as a judge for the National Youth Poet Laureate competition. She currently leads the Indiana Youth Poet Laureate program, an affiliate of the National Youth Poet Laureate program, and is passionate about leveraging the literary arts to advance healing, cross-cultural understanding, justice, and joy. She proudly, humbly boasts that her student since 2013 has just earned the 2022 National Youth Poet Laureate title, thereby becoming the first (but not the last!) National YPL from Hall Riggins' home state of Indiana.

Jaynie A.

Senior Manager, Communications

Jaynie is a senior manager at Empower Schools, leading communication strategy. She supports our team members on-the-ground as they execute and share their work while passing the mic to those most proximate to the issues. Throughout her career, Jaynie has leveraged storytelling to work towards educational empowerment in partnership with communities around the world. Hailing from a small beach town in Florida, Jaynie moved to Texas to become a bilingual elementary teacher at Dallas Independent School District. While holding a variety of on-campus roles, Jaynie innovated community initiatives aimed at empowering families to use their voice and access the most effective resources for their needs. In order to affect systemic change, Jaynie used her experience in programming, marketing, and communications to elevate stories of change at scale at top brands including Teach For America, National Geographic, Learning A-Z, and more. Jaynie holds a bachelor’s in interpersonal and organizational communication from the University of Central Florida, a master’s in bilingual education from Southern Methodist University, and a master’s in education leadership from the University of North Texas. Jaynie is currently a Forté Fellow pursuing her MBA at Duke University.

Veronica Fabian

Associate

Veronica is a Growth Associate based in Austin, Texas. Previous to joining the Empower team, Veronica worked on Google.org’s grant operations team, helping Google distribute their funds to deserving organizations across the globe. Her love for education grew during her four years as the Project Director for a Texas ACE after school program. Through her work she created programs that provided academic and enrichment support for over 200 low-income students and families in East Austin.

Veronica holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Texas State University and is pursuing her M.A in Social Justice & Human Rights from Arizona State University.

Veronica is passionate about using her skills to advance social justice initiatives and addressing systemic inequities that negatively impact marginalized communities, specifically BIPOC youth. In her free time she loves to travel, listen to live music, and attend sporting events.

Shaterra Martin

Events Coordinator

Shaterra is the Events Coordinator at Empower Schools based outside of Washington, DC. She provides event management and execution support across the organization. She has over 10 years of event management and non-profit operations experience. Shaterra holds a BA in Communications from The George Washington University and a MS in Urban Education from Johns Hopkins University

Juliet Zimmer

Finance and Operations Associate

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Juliet Zimmer is a Finance and Operations Associate at Empower Schools based in Boston, MA. She started her career in accounting doing taxes in Charleston, South Carolina. After a couple years in taxes, she found an opportunity to move into Accounts Payable work and loved it. These jobs gave her lots of experience working with clients and vendors. She moved to New Hampshire in August of 2022 and after a few months of living in NH and searching for her dream job, she found Empower. She is excited to continue her career with a passionate nonprofit.

Juliet graduated with her BA in accounting from the College of Charleston in South Carolina. Prior to her college education, she graduated high school from an early college program with 44 college credits. She loves being able to use her knowledge from school and seeks challenges to overcome to show her skills and hard work.

Lesly Gramajo

Associate

Lesly Gramajo is a dedicated professional with a diverse background in education equity, community engagement, and organizational excellence. She possesses an unwavering passion and steadfast commitment to addressing education inequity to create a more just and equitable educational landscape for all. With experience at the Houston Mayor's Office of Education and Youth Engagement, Teach for America, and KIPP Texas Public Schools, she has demonstrated her ability to excel in various fields. Her accomplishments range from securing significant grant funding and effectively managing teams to building strong relationships with stakeholders, conducting data-driven assessments, and contributing to organizational development.

Lesly holds a B.S. in Psychology and African American Studies from the University of Georgia. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, traveling, and styling clothes.

Himanvi Kopuri

Chief of Staff

Himanvi Kopuri is the Chief of Staff at Empower based in Boston, MA. As someone who moved around a lot at a young age, Himanvi noticed the stark differences in education quality, accessibility, and equity across the US. Since then, Himanvi has held a deep-seated passion for promoting access to quality education for all. Through the years, she has closely worked with various education nonprofits and even runs her own nonprofit called The Schaefer Program. Before joining Empower, Himanvi was a consultant at Bain & Company where she worked with several education organizations and was on the leadership team for Education@Bain. Himanvi earned a B.S. in Economics from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Carley Taronji

Associate

Carley Taronji serves as an Associate at Empower Schools supporting our rural innovation and post-secondary success work in Indiana.
Carley earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from Marian University in Indianapolis, Indiana, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. Carley has held a number of different roles in the Education field and has consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to fostering equitable outcomes for students and communities. Throughout her career, Carley has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to equity and empowerment. As an Educator, Carley led data meetings and facilitated professional development workshops focused on equity and inclusion. By analyzing data and providing coaching feedback, she worked tirelessly to ensure that every student had the opportunity to thrive academically and personally. As an Instructional Coach, she provided targeted feedback to teachers, empowering them to embrace best practices and cultivate a culture of growth and excellence in their classrooms. Carley's experience as a Psychology Research Assistant at Georgia Institute of Technology and as a Supplemental Instructor at Georgia State University further reflects her commitment to building capacity and empowering individuals to reach their full potential.

Driven by a passion for equitable outcomes, Carley continues to advocate for students and communities, striving to create a more just and inclusive education system for all.

Kristen Alesch

Manager

Kristen serves as a leader in both the civilian and military sector. She serves as an officer in the California Army National Guard part time, in addition to working as a Manager for Empower Schools. Kristen brings six years of education experience to the team and has held several roles within the education sector: high school Spanish teacher, school operations manager, and assistant principal. Before joining Empower Schools, Kristen completed two public policy fellowships with Leadership for Educational Equity and was a fellow for Colorado Youth Congress and Great Education Colorado. Kristen graduated from the University of Iowa with a BA in International Studies and Spanish and the University of Southern California with a Masters in Public Administration and public policy certificate. In her free time, Kristen enjoys hiking, reading, snowboarding, and socializing with friends and family!