The REL Mid-Atlantic Governing Board helps identify and prioritize regional needs. Board members represent the interests of the diverse student population in the region, and reflect a variety of expertise and perspectives. In addition to participating in regular meetings, the Governing Board provides strategic guidance on REL Mid-Atlantic’s activities and input on plans to address high priority problems in the region.
Atnre Alleyne
Founder and Executive Director
Delaware Campaign for Achievement Now (Delaware CAN)
Delaware
Atnre Alleyne is the co-founder and CEO of TeenSHARP, an organization that prepares students of color for top colleges and leadership. Atnre previously founded and led an education advocacy organization — DelawareCAN: The Delaware Campaign for Achievement Now. Prior to launching DelawareCAN, Atnre was the Director of Talent Management at the Delaware Department of Education. He is an alumnus of the Pahara NextGen fellowship and the Strategic Data Project at Harvard. He is also a founding member of the 4.0 Angel Syndicate, a community of Black philanthropists co-investing in early-stage education ventures. Atnre is the proud husband of Tatiana and father of Zoryana, Nazariy, and Taras. He blogs at www.fiercelyurgent.com.
Christine Alois*
Deputy Secretary of Education
Delaware Department of Education
Delaware
Christine Alois serves as deputy secretary for the Delaware Department of Education (DOE). Growing up in a family of educators and serving for over 23 years in the field of education, Christine is committed to providing opportunities for students to exceed all expectations.
Prior to joining the DDOE team, Christine worked in the Caesar Rodney School District. After moving from New Jersey to Delaware in July of 1994, she became one of the original “latch key” teachers for the district. After one year as a latch key teacher she became a classroom teacher in both 5th and 7th grade. She then spent several years as the district’s English language arts resource teacher working with teachers and administrators across the district. After that experience she became the assistant principal at Stokes Elementary School and then the principal until 2009 where she was named Delaware's National Distinguished Principal. As the supervisor of instruction starting in 2009, she worked with students, teachers, administrators, and families across all of the schools in the district with a focus on secondary social studies and English language arts, world language/immersion K-12, English language learners, gifted education, instructional technology, teacher leaders and new teacher mentoring. Before leaving the district, she served as the director of instruction where she oversaw all curriculum and instruction PK-12 and championed efforts to include outdoor education initiatives across all grade levels and school sites.
She received her undergraduate degree from Penn State University in elementary education, her masters from Wesley College in middle childhood education, and her doctorate from the University of Delaware in educational leadership and continues to be a life-long learner.
Mary Kay Babyak
Executive Director
Consortium for Public Education
Pennsylvania
Mary Kay Babyak became the Consortium’s Executive Director in 2016. She was promoted to the post after serving as Senior Director of Programs & Organization. Before her appointment, she led several of the Consortium’s key initiatives and helped plan and implement overall organizational strategy. Driven by the belief that all students have amazing potential they can develop when given the right opportunities, Mary Kay has spearheaded the Consortium’s umbrella goal of ensuring students are Future Ready. The work is designed to engage business, post-secondary institutions and community groups in partnership with school districts to prepare students at each step of their K-12 journey. Significant focus is placed on career exploration, skill development, and planning.
Previously, she oversaw The Forum, a Consortium program that brought together teams of educators from districts working to create cultures of excellence in their schools while developing their own leadership capabilities. As part of The Forum’s focus on personalization, Mary Kay led the Consortium’s MAPS (My Action Plan for Success) initiative, which was designed to help schools give all students a process and the adult support they need to develop viable plans for post-secondary education and careers.
Prior to joining the Consortium as Director of Initiatives in 2007, she was co-director of the APEX Consortium, which was based at Duquesne University and provided professional development for K-12 educators. For 12 years before founding APEX, Mary Kay worked with the Council for Basic Education in Washington, D.C., directing the national program of Fellowships for Independent Study in the Humanities.
Susan Bunting
Secretary of Education
Delaware Department of Education
Delaware
Dr. Susan Bunting, a long-time Delaware educator and former superintendent of the Indian River School District, is Delaware’s Secretary of Education.
Prior to joining Governor John Carney’s Cabinet in January 2017, Bunting led Indian River, one of the state’s largest school districts serving more than 10,000 students, for more than a decade. After teaching in Maryland for several years, she joined Indian River in 1977 as a middle school language arts teacher, later teaching gifted education. She was named Indian River’s Teacher of the Year in 1985. She served as Supervisor of Elementary Instruction then Director of Instruction before being named superintendent in 2006. Delaware’s 2012 Superintendent of the Year, she also was one of four finalists for the American Association of School Administrators’ National Superintendent of the Year award.
She has served on and led numerous state committees, including the DPAS II Advisory Committee, Vision 2015 Implementation Committee, Governor’s ESSA Advisory Committee and Delaware STEM Advisory Council, among many others. She also served as president of the Delaware Chief School Officer Association.
Bunting, a former adjunct faculty member at University of Delaware and Wilmington University, earned her Bachelor of Arts in K-8 education and psychology from the American University in Washington, D.C. followed by a master’s degree in education from Salisbury State University and her educational doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Delaware.
Edward Cosentino
Principal, Clemens Crossing Elementary School and President-elect, Maryland
Association of Elementary School Principals
Maryland
Edward Cosentino is a principal at Howard County’s Clemens Crossing Elementary School in Columbia, Maryland. He is also president-elect of the Maryland Association of Elementary School Principals. Mr. Cosentino served as a teacher and assistant principal at Hollifield Station Elementary, assistant principal at Bellows Spring Elementary Schools, and principal at Bushy Park Elementary School. He is a recent recipient of the National Distinguished Principals award from the National Association of Elementary School Principals, an award honoring outstanding elementary- and middle-level principals who ensure that America’s children acquire a sound foundation for lifelong learning and achievement. Mr. Cosentino is also coauthor of 7 Steps to Sharing Your School's Story on Social Media. He holds an M.Ed. in administration and supervision from Loyola University in Maryland and a B.S. in elementary education from Towson University.
Maria DeBruin
Senior Scientist, Merck & Co, Inc. and Adjunct Professor, Monmouth University
New Jersey
Maria DeBruin is a national award-winning science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educator, curriculum developer, and presenter. As an Advanced Placement chemistry teacher at Brick Memorial High School in New Jersey, Maria achieved scores up to 40% above the national average. She teaches as an adjunct chemistry professor at Monmouth University, and is an e-learning consultant. She received the national Milken Educator Award for the 2017–2018 school year and received the Brick Memorial Teacher of the Year award for the 2016–2017 school year. She served as a standard review member for the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in science and as an “Equity for All” member for the New Jersey Department of Education. She is currently a Senior Scientist at Merck & Co, Inc. in Rahway, New Jersey where she conducts analytical research to aide in the development of life-saving medications. Ms. DeBruin holds an M.S. in chemistry from Lehigh University, an educational administration certification in supervision from Kean University, and a B.S. in biochemistry from Hofstra University.
Theodore “Ted” Dwyer
Chief of Data, Research, Evaluation and Assessment
Pittsburgh Public Schools
Pennsylvania
Dr. Dwyer serves as the chief of the Data, Research, Evaluation and Assessment (DREA) Division at Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS). There, he leads the four DREA departments of Data and Accountability, Research and Evaluation, Assessment, and Charter Accountability. His efforts are focused on improving data quality, renewing the internal research and evaluations taking place in the district, ensuring actionable assessment information is available to make student-centered decisions, implementing data governance processes, and providing appropriate information to the public to allow informed choices about charter options in the city. Dr. Dwyer joined PPS in April 2017. Previously, he served as the manager of evaluation in the Hillsborough County school district in Florida for eight years. In this role, he oversaw the external research review process, worked with his team to provide actionable evaluations and analyses, and strengthened relationships with external partners. Dr. Dwyer holds a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction with a focus on research and evaluation from the University of South Florida.
Sharif El-Mekki
CEO
Center for Black Educator Development and Former Principal, Mastery Charter School – Shoemaker Campus
Pennsylvania
After attending an elementary Pan-African Freedom School, middle school in Iran, and Overbrook High School, El-Mekki attended college as a Criminal Justice Major. After a brief stint as a social worker and counselor at the Youth Study Center, he became eager to make a community-focused impact.
As the son of an educator and activists, El-Mekki had a strong desire to dive into a cause that would address issues relating to social justice, equity, and educational opportunities. In 1992, El-Mekki studied to become a teacher through an alternative certification program for African American men. After teaching for 8 ½ years, he became an administrator. El-Mekki proudly served as the principal at Mastery Charter School-Shoemaker Campus, a neighborhood public charter that serves almost 800 students in grades 7-12. He founded the Center for Black Educator Development, a national organization focused on ensuring equity in the recruiting, training, hiring, and retention of quality educators that reflect the cultural background and share common socio-political interests of the students they serve. He is currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer for the Center for Black Educator Development.
The Shoemaker Campus has been recognized by former President Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and many others for collaborating with the community to successfully turn around a persistently failing school. Shoemaker Campus received the prestigious EPIC and was also recently recognized as one of the top ten schools in the state of Pennsylvania for accelerating the achievement levels of African American students.
For almost 18-months (2014-16), El-Mekki served as one of Secretary Duncan’s three Principal Ambassadors, providing the principalship perspective to the US Secretary of Education and his senior cabinet. He currently serves on the Mayor’s Commission on African American Males and recently completed a fellowship with America Achieves, a non-profit organization that helps communities, states, and practitioners leverage policy, practice, and leadership to build high-quality educational systems.
El-Mekki has served as a member of US delegations to the International Summit on Teaching and Learning (Banff, 2015) and the Conference on Integrating Refugees and Immigrants into Schools (Poitiers, 2017). He and several other Black male educators recently launched a new organization called The Fellowship which focuses on supporting current and aspiring Black male educators in the Philadelphia region. El-Mekki blogs at Phillys7thWard.org and serves on several boards, including, The Fellowship, Outward Bound, and Beyond the Bars Music. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) and gained his Master’s degree and Principal Certification from Cheyney University.
Erskine Glover
CTE State Director, Office of Career Readiness, Division of Academics & Performance New Jersey Department of Education
New Jersey
Erskine Glover started as New Jersey's Director, Office of Career Readiness, in early 2020. Erskine brings a breadth and depth of educational experience with him to this new position, having served as an educator in northern New Jersey for 24 years including as an assistant superintendent for a couple of years, school administrator for 14 years, and teacher for eight years. Erskine has spent the majority of his career in the K-8 landscape.
Glover has a passion for preparing current and future instructors for their roles as educators. He has supported their professional development, including helping to promote practices that support the emotional capital of educators for long-term careers, an issue that is prevalent during COVID-19. Additionally, Glover has helped educators in delivering more project-based and blended learning education. While working for Newark Public Schools, the largest school district in the state, Glover tapped into his systems thinking and systems design skill set to develop a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) pathway for elementary school students that connected to the Career Technical Education (CTE) options at the district's high schools, providing learners with early exposure to STEM while also setting them up for a seamless pathway throughout their education.
Richard Gordon IV
Principal, School District of Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Richard M. Gordon IV is an award-winning educator who has been the Principal of Paul Robeson High School for Human in the West Philadelphia/University City section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for approximately seven (7) years. In 2012, the School District of Philadelphia's budget deficit during the city's historic and unprecedented financial crisis crippled city public school budgets throughout the entire school system. The School District of Philadelphia elected to close approximately 30 schools in total over a two-year period, aimed at balancing the School District's budget by targeting mostly disadvantaged black and brown children hailing from the city's poorest neighborhoods in North and West Philadelphia.
Paul Robeson High School was placed under the leadership of Principal Gordon, whereby his transformative and innovative leadership led Paul Robeson High School to be recognized as the "2017 Most Improved High School" in the City of Philadelphia. In 2019, the Pennsylvania State Department of Education recognized Principal Gordon for Paul Robeson High School becoming a "High Progress" school, removing it from State's list of academically "high needs"/lowest performing schools. Principal Gordon was named the 2020-2021 National Association of Secondary School Principals' (NASSP) National Principal of the Year.
Alaina Harper
Dean, Philadelphia & Camden Relay Graduate School of Education
Pennsylvania and New Jersey
Dr. Alaina Harper is currently the dean of the Relay Graduate School of Education’s Philadelphia and Camden campuses. She replaced Shemanne Davis, who previously served on the Governing Board. As the dean, Dr. Harper is dedicated to improving educational opportunities for all children by supporting teachers and identifying intersections between pedagogical content knowledge and practice. Dr. Harper’s work and educational background are founded in supporting educators. Before Relay, Dr. Harper worked with the school leadership team at KIPP Academy Charter School in the Bronx, New York. She has presented at conferences on team development and restorative practices. Dr. Harper holds an Ed.L.D. from Harvard University, an M.A.T. in curriculum and teaching from Fordham University, and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.
Donna Johnson
Director of Accountability and Strategic Planning and Performance Officer
Office of the State Superintendent of Education
District of Columbia
Donna Johnson currently serves as the Director of Accountability and Strategic Planning and Performance Officer for the District of Columbia’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education. From 2011- 2018, she served as the Executive Director of the Delaware State Board of Education. She has been a leader in education policy development, analysis, external relations, communications, and program management. Previously, Donna was the District Supervisor for Mathematics and STEM Initiatives in Caroline County, MD, and a National Board-certified teacher in high school mathematics at two Delaware high schools. She has worked with state and national leaders to develop policy and has extensive expertise related to standards, assessments, accountability, teacher and school leader development, ESSA/ESEA, early learning, educational equity, and career & technical education. She is past-president of the National Council of State Boards of Education Executives (NCSBEE) and previously served on the Board of Directors for the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE). In 2018, she was awarded the Kysliko Award by NASBE for her impact on policy and unwavering commitment to education.
Donald Martin
Executive Director, Intermediate Unit 1
Pennsylvania
Donald Martin is the executive director of Intermediate Unit 1, a regional educational agency in Pennsylvania. As executive director, Mr. Martin oversees all operations of 650 employees in facilities spanning a three-county region. For the previous eight years, he held the position of assistant executive director. He began his career in education as an elementary school teacher and spent 12 years in the classroom. Over 13 years, he served as an administrator in three districts: the California Area School District, East Allegheny School District, and Frazier School District.
Noe Ortega
Acting Secretary of Education
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Pennsylvania
Noe Ortega was nominated to serve as Secretary of Education in October 2020. Prior to his nomination, he had served as the Deputy Secretary and Commissioner for the Office of Postsecondary and Higher Education (OPHE) at the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). As commissioner for higher education, he led the work of the agency aimed at closing the postsecondary attainment gaps that have persisted among historically underrepresented populations and communities of color in Pennsylvania. Additionally, Mr. Ortega facilitated the efforts of the department to improve the diversity of Pennsylvania's educator workforce and to ensure that every student of the Commonwealth has access to educators who have been trained in culturally responsive and culturally relevant approaches to teaching and learning in the classroom.
Prior to joining PDE, Mr. Ortega spent eight years at the University of Michigan, where he held several academic and administrative roles. During his tenure he worked as the Assistant Director and Senior Research Associate at the National Center for Institutional Diversity and as the Managing Director for the National Forum on Higher Education for the Public Good. While most of his research focused on postsecondary access and success for all students, his most recent publications examine how public investment in higher education influences decision-making at colleges and universities. Additionally, Mr. Ortega spent nearly a decade working in the areas of financial aid and enrollment management at both public and private universities in Texas, and he also served as a P-16 Specialist for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Mr. Ortega also spent nearly seven years as director of a language institute in Japan where he trained teachers in the area of early childhood language acquisition.
Diana Pasculli*
Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Performance, Division of Academics and Performance
New Jersey Department of Education
New Jersey
Diana Pasculli is the Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Performance in the Division of Academics and Performance at the New Jersey Department of Education. In this role, she oversees the offices that handle educator certification, preparation, school performance reports, and the statewide student assessment system. Ms. Pasculli has co-led 2018 Assessment Outreach and the New Jersey Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) State Plan development and focused on engaging a diverse group of stakeholders throughout the process.
Prior to her current role, Ms. Pasculli was Chief Public Affairs Officer for the department, managing press, publications, messaging, and stakeholder outreach. She also was Director of the Office of Educator Policy and Outreach, as well as a legal analyst for the DOE.
Previously, Ms. Pasculli was a middle school teacher for six years, first in Bronx, New York and then in Newark, New Jersey.
Ms. Pasculli earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Smith College, a Master of Science in Teaching and Childhood Education from Fordham University and a Juris Doctor from Rutgers Law School.
Ms. Pasculli was born and raised in New Jersey and currently lives in Mercer County with her husband and two children.
Marilyn Pryle
Teacher, Abington Heights High School
Pennsylvania
Marilyn Pryle is a National Board-certified teacher in secondary English and reading instruction. She has taught at the middle school, high school, and college levels, and in several English language learner programs. Ms. Pryle has written several books about teaching reading and writing, including Teaching Students to Write Effective Essays and Reading with Presence. She teaches 10th-grade world literature at Abington Heights High School in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. She was named Pennsylvania’s 2019 Teacher of the Year and speaks regularly at local, state, and national conferences. Ms. Pryle is currently an Ed.D. candidate in curriculum and instruction at Wilkes University. She has an M.F.A. in creative writing and literature from Emerson College, an M.S. in education, specializing in reading, and a B.S. in secondary education and communications from University of Scranton.
Adam Schott
Special Assistant to the Secretary
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Pennsylvania
Adam Schott is the special assistant to the secretary at the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Previously he served as the director of policy research for Research in Action and as an executive director of Pennsylvania's State Board of Education. He has also served in a number of senior positions in the Pennsylvania Department of Education, including special assistant to the chief of staff and director of government relations. Schott earned his B.S. in secondary education from Penn State University and his Ed.M in education policy and management from Harvard University.
Dara Zeehandelaar Shaw*
Executive Director, Research and Accountability
Maryland State Department of Education
Maryland
Dara Zeehandelaar Shaw is the Executive Director for Research and Accountability at the Maryland State Department of Education. The division she oversees drives the agency’s evidence-based decision-making by undertaking actionable research, collaborating with LEAs to collect and learn from their data, supporting the development and implementation of the agency’s strategic research agenda, communicating information to stakeholders and state leaders, and advancing a data-driven culture. She also supports the design and implementation of the state’s accountability system. Previously, she was the national research director at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, an education policy think tank. There she oversaw Fordham’s research pipeline, designed and executed new studies, managed ongoing projects, and conducted quantitative and qualitative research. Her areas of expertise include data use; program and impact evaluation; accountability and governance; education finance and teacher pensions; and policy design and implementation. She earned a Ph.D. in Urban Education Policy with a specialization in research methodology from the University of Southern California, and previously worked as a high school mathematics teacher and summer-school coordinator in Washington D.C. public schools. A Los Angeles native and Washington D.C. resident, she also holds a M.S. in astrophysics from the University of Maryland and a bachelor’s degree in astronomy from Cornell University.
Colin Taylor
Deputy Chief of Data and Strategy
District of Columbia Public Schools
District of Columbia
Colin Taylor is the Deputy Chief of Data & Strategy at DC Public Schools (DCPS). He is responsible for leading a team that provides high quality data, research and analysis to support decision-making in DCPS. This team leads the development and dissemination of all accountability related data, manages the district’s research and evaluation agenda, enables performance management and accountability at DCPS and works to improve the accessibility, accuracy and alignment of data across the organization.
Colin has been at DC Public Schools since March 2012. Prior to his current position, Colin was Director of Strategic Planning & Performance Management and was responsible for overseeing the central office performance management process, the development of division operating plans, and internal program evaluation agenda. He also served as a Research & Evaluation specialist in the Office of Data & Accountability where he focused on program evaluation initiatives.
Colin previously worked in the Office of Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and was a research assistant at the Harvard Center for Education Policy Research. He started his career in education research at the Urban Institute and holds an MPP from the Harvard Kennedy School and a BA from the University of Notre Dame.
Kady Taylor
First-grade teacher and instructional strategy leader for literacy
Colonial School District
Delaware
Ms. Taylor is currently a first-grade teacher and instructional strategy leader for literacy with the Colonial School District in New Castle, Delaware. She graduated with a bachelor of science in elementary education (K–6) from Shippensburg University in 2012, and is currently working toward earning her master of science in special education from Drexel University. Upon graduation, Ms. Taylor joined Teach For America, and transitioned to Cleveland, Ohio, to start her teaching career. As a founding member of Village Preparatory Charter School, she worked for Breakthrough Charter Schools for three years, helping establish what is now one of the highest-performing charter schools in Cleveland. In addition to her work as a classroom teacher, Ms. Taylor worked as an intervention specialist with teachers, helped design reading curriculum, and mentored new teachers.
In 2015, Ms. Taylor transitioned back to Delaware, where she currently works at Kuumba Academy Charter School. With a strong focus on data-driven instruction and experiential learning opportunities for students, Ms. Taylor’s classroom was nationally featured for Expeditionary Learning (EL) Education. She has presented her work at the EL National Conference, sharing strategies and implementation plans with teachers from across the country.
Richard Warren
Teacher, Crisfield High School and Academy
Maryland
Dr. Richard Warren is Maryland’s 2019 Teacher of the Year and a nationally awarded STEM innovator in Maryland. As the 8th-grade science teacher at Crisfield High School and Academy, Dr. Warren leads the school’s first-ever STEM applications program. He has seven years of teaching experience and holds a B.S., an M.A.T, and an Ed.D. in educational leadership from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. In February 2019, Dr. Warren was inducted into the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s Hall of Excellence.
Tonya Wolford
Chief for District Evaluation, Research and Accountability
School District of Philadelphia
Pennsylvania
Dr. Tonya Wolford is the Chief for District Evaluation, Research and Accountability (ERA) at The School District of Philadelphia (SDP). Dr. Wolford received her B.S. degree from The University of Maryland and her Ph.D. and M.Ed. from the University of Houston. She has worked at the intersection of education and research for many years, starting her career in medical education in Washington, D.C. and in Houston at Baylor College of Medicine.
Dr. Wolford is dedicated to facilitating the use of research and data to improve outcomes for children in Philadelphia. For eight years, Dr. Wolford held various roles in the Office of Research and Evaluation at SDP prior to becoming Chief for ERA. Over the years, she has conducted research and evaluations across all aspects of K-12 education, including attendance, early literacy, arts education, school turnaround, family and community engagement, disciplinary practices, and career and technical education, among other topics. She has worked extensively in the emerging field of research-practice partnerships and serves on the Steering Committee for the National Network of Education Research-Practice Partnerships at the Kinder Institute, Rice University.
*Denotes designee for the state chief of education