Senior Leadership Team
Amber Arellano, MPP
Executive Director at The Education Trust-Midwest
Amber Arellano is the founding executive director of The Education Trust-Midwest. Founded in 2010, today Ed Trust-Midwest is widely recognized…
Dia Bryant, Ed.L.D.
Executive Director at The Education Trust-New York
Dia is the executive director at The Education Trust–New York. In that role, she leads an ambitious policy and…
Maria Darie
Chief Financial Officer
Maria has over 15 years of professional experience in finance, accounting, process improvement, management of nonprofit organizations and corporate…
Wil Del Pilar, Ph.D.
Vice President of Higher Education Policy and Practice
Wil Del Pilar, Ph.D., serves as Ed Trust’s vice president of higher education policy and practice. In this role,…
Denise Forte
CEO
Denise Forte is the CEO at The Education Trust, a national advocacy organization often described as “the most important…
Robin V. Harris, Ph.D.
Vice President of Communications
Robin brings more than 15 years of writing, editing, and production experience to The Education Trust. As the leader…
John B. King Jr., J.D., Ed.D.
President
John B. King Jr. is the president of The Education Trust, a national nonprofit organization that seeks to identify…
Claudia Luján
Chief of Staff
As the chief of staff at The Education Trust, Claudia oversees operations and provides strategic support to the Interim…
Christopher Nellum, Ph.D.
Executive Director at The Education Trust-West
Dr. Christopher Nellum (he/him/his) is the Executive Director of The Education Trust–West, a nonprofit education equity organization focused on…
Allison Rose Socol, Ph.D.
Vice President for P-12 Policy, Research, & Practice
Allison Rose Socol, Ph.D. serves as Ed Trust’s vice president of P-12 policy, practice, and research. In this role,…
Rachel D. Stalcup
Chief Development Officer
As chief development officer, Rachel is a member of The Education Trust leadership team, working to strengthen the movement…
Office of the President
Tia Borders
Senior Executive Assistant to the President and CEO
Tia Borders is the senior executive assistant to John B. King Jr., president of The Education Trust. In this…
Kevin Chappell
Executive Writer
Kevin Chappell serves as the executive writer, Office of the President/CEO, where he leads the direction, development, and execution…
Ebony Daughtry
Senior Executive Assistant, Office of the CEO
Ebony Daughtry is the senior executive assistant to Denise Forte, Interim CEO. In this role, Ebony provides comprehensive support…
Eliza Jarvinen
Director of Development
Eliza Jarvinen joined Ed Trust as associate director of development in Spring 2019. Previously, she served as director, institutional…
Emily Herd
Development Specialist
As a Development Specialist, Emily helps to draft grant reports, budget narratives, and concept papers. She also processes grant…
Communications
Grace Aiyedogbon
Digital Communications Manager
Grace Aiyedogbon is the Digital Communications Manager at The Education Trust. She specializes in structuring web, social and email…
Ameshia Cross
Assistant Director, Higher Education Communications
Ameshia leads media strategy, press outreach, and engagement for the higher education team. Prior to joining The Education Trust,…
Jack Fleming
Associate Director for Digital Communications
As the associate director for digital communications at Ed Trust, Jack leads the digital advocacy strategy, planning, and execution…
Nicolle Grayson
Senior Director of Communications
With more than 15 years of experience in issues advocacy, media relations, and strategic planning, Nicolle advances the organization’s…
Karen Lomax
Director, Art
Karen is lead creative of the visual voice for The Education Trust. She develops and designs for all marketing…
Letisha Marrero
Associate Managing Editor
Letisha Marrero brings more than 15 years of editorial experience across multimedia platforms—digital, mobile, broadcast, and print—to The Education…
Gabriela Montell
Senior Editor/Writer
In her current role, Gabriela writes and edits a variety of content — including, but not limited to, blogs,…
Andrea Ramirez
Communications Manager, Partnerships & Engagement
Andrea serves as the communications manager for the Partnerships and Engagement team, where she liaises with the various state…
Joe Weedon
Assistant Director, P-12 Communications
As part of the Communications team, Joe Weedon prepares senior leaders for public outreach and engagement opportunities and advises…
Finance
Jerald Gaddi
Staff Accountant
Jerald is responsible for the day-to-day business operations, month-end, and year-end closing phases of the general accounting functions, such…
Chantel McCloud
Associate Director for Grants Management and Finance
As the associate director of grants management and finance at Ed Trust, Chantel leads the grants management, reporting and…
Azeb Measho
Finance Manager
Azeb has more than 12 years of nonprofit accounting experience, including over three years in public accounting. Prior joining…
Maria Elena Tapia
Accounting Associate
Maria Tapia is an accounting associate in the finance department. Previously, she worked for 25 years at a multinational…
Katherine Wiryaman
Grant Specialist
Katherine is the grant specialist at Ed Trust. She helps manage the organization's multitude of grants across all offices…
P-12 Policy, Research, and Practice
Nancy Duchesneau
Senior P-12 Research Associate
Nancy is a Senior P-12 Research Associate and leads the Social, Emotional, and Academic Development work at EdTrust. In…
Eric Duncan, J.D.
Assistant Director of P-12 Policy – Educator Diversity
Eric Duncan is a assistant director for P-12 policy, specializing in policies related to educator quality and increasing the…
Carrie Gillispie, Ed.D.
Senior P-12 Research Associate
As a senior associate on the P-12 Research team, Carrie Gillispie conducts quantitative and qualitative analyses and develops Ed…
Oscar Jimenez-Castellanos, Ph.D.
Director of P-12 Research
Oscar Jimenez-Castellanos, Ph.D. is the Director of P-12 Research at The Education Trust. Dr. Jimenez-Castellanos has spent over 20…
Tanji Reed Marshall, Ph.D
Director of P-12 Practice
Tanji Reed Marshall, Ph.D., is the director of p-12 practice, leading Ed Trust’s Equity in Motion assignment analysis work.Prior…
Ivy Morgan
Director for P-12 Data & Analytics
As the director of P-12 data and analytics, Ivy Morgan designs and conducts data and policy analyses that contribute…
William Rodick, Ph.D.
Spencer Scholar
William researches and writes about P-12 curriculum and instructional practice with a focus on representation and culturally responsive teaching.William…
Zahava Stadler
Special Assistant for State Funding and Policy
Zahava focuses on state-level school funding policy and supports on other funding issues on the P-12 team. She is…
Higher Education Policy, Research, and Practice
Jinann Bitar
Director of Higher Education Research and Data Analytics
Jinann leads an ambitious, innovative effort directed at advancing the opportunity and equity agenda at colleges and universities. She…
Kayla C. Elliott, Ph.D.
Director for Higher Education Policy
Kayla C. Elliott, Ph.D. is director of higher education policy at The Education Trust, where she leads the team…
Ivy Ellis
Senior Executive Assistant
Ivy joined The Education Trust in 2000. She previously worked as an executive assistant/proposal coordinator for Facilities Management Company…
William Freeman III
Manager of Higher Education Justice Initiative
William leads and manages the Justice Policy Fellowship, where he works with the policy team to provide an equity…
Jessie Hernández-Reyes
Higher Education Policy Analyst
Jessie Hernández-Reyes is a policy analyst on the higher education policy team. She focuses on promoting policies and strategies…
Victoria Jackson
Assistant Director of Higher Education Policy
Victoria Jackson is the assistant director of higher education policy at Ed Trust, where she leads work on college…
Phil Martin
Director, Higher Education Policy Implementation
Phil Martin is director of higher education policy implementation at The Education Trust. His focus is helping federal and…
Gabriel Montague
Higher Education Research Analyst
Gabriel Montague is a higher education research analyst who utilizes data to develop a strong evidence-based foundation for institutional,…
Diana Torres
Higher Education Research Intern
Diana works with the Higher Education Team analyzing data related to college affordability, college outcomes, and racial equity. Diana’s…
Brittani Williams
Senior Policy Analyst in Higher Education
Brittani supports the higher education policy team in researching, analyzing issues like college affordability and student success, and support…
Operations
Doug Brownlee
Associate Director for Information Technology
Doug is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the organization’s Information Technology (IT) department. This work includes hardware…
Gwendolyn Chappell
Senior Human Resources Generalist
Gwendolyn is the primary benefits coordinator, serving as the point person for all benefits-related concerns to staff and vendors. …
Sarah Brody
Director of Human Resources
Sarah leads the Human Resources function at The Education Trust. Her work focuses on building a diverse, thriving workforce…
Dailyn Fowler-Holmes
Associate Systems Administrator
Dailyn is responsible for handling the day-to-day tasks for the organization's Information Technology (IT) department. This includes installing, maintaining,…
Ray Galloway
Operations and Events Manager
Ray is responsible for coordinating the day-to-day operations of the national office and is the primary contact for all…
Davon Mason
Associate IT Analyst
Davon is responsible for handling the day-to-day tasks for the organization's Information Technology (IT) department. This includes installing, maintaining,…
Loretta Singleton
Receptionist
Before joining Ed Trust, Loretta was the administrative assistant to Floretta Dukes McKenzie, a former superintendent of schools in…
Andrew Whiting
Assistant Director of Human Resources
Andrew supports Ed Trust Operations to recruit, hire, engage, develop, and reward amazing talent. He is passionate about leadership…
Partnerships and Engagement
Marissa Alberty, Ed.L.D.
Senior Associate for National & State Partnerships
Marissa Alberty supports the National and State Partnerships team in building and supporting coalitions in partner communities that advocate…
Alexza Barajas Clark, Ph.D.
Assistant Director for Tennessee
Alexza is the assistant director for Tennessee at The Education Trust. She advises the state director and develops strategic…
Ruth Boyajian
LEE Public Policy Fellow
Ruth is a Public Policy Fellow at The Education Trust in Tennessee where she supports the team’s government relationships…
Jordyn Bussey
Assistant Director, National and State Partnership
Jordyn Bussey is the assistant director for national and state partnership at The Education Trust, where she leads the…
Genesis Carela
State Associate for Massachusetts
Genesis Carela is the state policy associate for Massachusetts at The Education Trust. She conducts policy and data analyses…
Jamie Clinton
Tennessee College Access Coordinator
Jamie is the Coordinator for College Access, where she works to advance equitable access for students of color and…
Judith Cruz
Texas Assistant Director, Houston Region
Judith Cruz is the assistant director for Texas in the Houston region at Ed Trust, where she manages and…
Jonathan Feinstein
State Director for Texas
Jonathan brings more than 15 years of experience in education as a teacher, organizer and nonprofit leader. He serves…
Vilmaris González, M.Ed.
Senior Manager of Engagement and Operations for Tennessee
Vilmaris is the senior manager of engagement and operations for The Education Trust in Tennessee, where she manages partnerships…
Melissa Harkreader
Tennessee Manager of Operations
Melissa is the manager of operations for The Education Trust in Tennessee, where she manages the day-to-day operations of…
Tramelle Howard, J.D.
Louisiana State Director
Tramelle Howard is an educator, community advocate and a deep believer in the urgent need to advance equity in…
Lynn C. Jennings, Ph.D
Senior Director of National and State Partnerships
Lynn C. Jennings, Ph.D., is the senior director of national and state partnerships for The Education Trust. She leads…
Sergio Lopez
Senior Associate of National and State Partnerships
As senior associate of state and national partnerships, Sergio leads the development of coalitions and strategic partnerships with state-based…
Chanthy Lopes Toro
Assistant Director for Engagement and Communications for Massachusetts
In her role, Chanthy works alongside students, families, and community advocates to build urgency and collective will through meaningful…
Reginald Nash
External Relations Manager for Tennessee
Reginald is the External Relations Manager for The Education Trust in Tennessee, where he leads our office’s government relations…
Britney Plumley
TN Communications Associate
As a Communications Associate, Britney supports The Education Trust in Tennessee team’s digital communications strategy and works to amplify…
Meili Powell
Advocacy & Partnerships Manager
Meili Powell is the Advocacy and Partnerships Manager for The Education Trust in Tennessee, where she supports partners in…
Gini Pupo-Walker
State Director for Tennessee
Gini brings more than 20 years of work in education as a teacher, administrator, and nonprofit leader. She serves…
Robert L. Ruffins
Assistant Director, State Advocacy
As assistant director for state advocacy, Robert advances the mission of The Education Trust by identifying and building strategic…
Reid Setzer
Director of Government Affairs
Reid serves as the organization's director of government affairs, working to leverage policy analysis as well as legislative tactics…
Breanna Sommers, MPP
Tennessee P-12 Policy Analyst
As the P-12 policy analyst for The Education Trust in Tennessee, Breanna analyzes education data, research, and policy to…
Gray Sterling
Assistant Director for Washington State
Gray is responsible for the design and implementation of The Education Trust’s advocacy strategy in Washington State that positively…
Natasha Ushomirsky
State Director for Massachusetts
Natasha currently serves as the State Director for Massachusetts at The Education Trust. In this role, she builds relationships…
Blair Wriston
Senior Government Affairs Associate
Blair serves as senior government affairs associate, working alongside the director of government affairs and other members of the…