Meet the Team

Malika Anderson previously served as Superintendent of the TN Achievement School District (ASD). Prior to joining the ASD, Ms. Anderson led school turnaround and principal leadership development for DC Public Schools and helped organizations improve their management and operational systems with A.T. Kearney Management Consulting and WrightWay Consulting. She is an alumna of the Broad Academy for school system leaders, earned her bachelor’s degree in economics from Spelman College and a master’s degree in business administration from UCLA. Ms. Anderson serves as Board Chair for Valor Collegiate Academies in south Nashville, where she lives with her husband and two sons.

Ben began his career in education as the co-founder of New Leaders, a non-profit that trains school leaders for high-poverty schools. He managed all operations, local program implementation, and district partnerships as New Leaders grew from a startup to a $20 million organization. He later led the organization’s research and consulting teams, serving as the lead author of Breakthrough Principals (Jossey Bass, 2016), and advising states and districts on principal quality policies. More recently, Ben served as a Senior Advisor to Turnaround for Children, as a founding board member for TeachPlus, and as a board member for Instruction Partners, seeing first-hand the dedication to educator partnership and instructional improvement that inspired him to join the organization as the Chief of Growth and Delivery.

Before co-founding Instruction Partners (formerly District to District), Emily was the Assistant Commissioner of Curriculum and Instruction for the Tennessee Department of Education. In this capacity, she oversaw K-12 core academics including standards, assessment design, instructional materials, and educator training and support. She led a collaborative effort to train more than 65,000 teachers and leaders during this time in a peer-led, content-based approach and Tennessee saw increases in student achievement on both NAEP and state tests. At the department, she also managed the implementation of educator evaluation and served as Chief of Staff, supporting the development of the strategic plan. For five years before coming to Tennessee, Emily managed Teach For America’s D.C. and Connecticut Regions. She fell in love with education teaching seventh-grade math in a rural community in Louisiana.

Kelsey’s belief that high quality, standards-aligned instruction is an essential component of equitable instructional experiences for all students began during her time as a middle school mathematics teacher in Nashville, TN. Most recently, she was an Instructional Support Advisor in Shelby County Schools, where she designed and led learning around curriculum implementation for district and school leaders. Prior to Shelby County Schools, Kelsey was a Manager of Teacher Leadership Development with Teach For America and a middle school mathematics and social studies teacher. Kelsey joined the Instruction Partners team in January 2018 as a Math Content Lead, a Senior Math Content Lead, and now the Executive Director of Engagement. Outside of work, Kelsey can be found exploring cities through their culinary offerings and passionately rooting for her alma mater, Georgetown University, basketball team.

Annie O’Donnell began her career as a 2nd grade teacher in Baltimore, Maryland, where she learned about the power of a responsive literacy education for children. She transitioned to Teach For America’s national design team, where she led efforts to remake new teacher training and support and staff development to be content specific, grounded in culturally relevant pedagogy, and practice based. After almost a dozen years, Annie launched her own consulting practice. Recent clients have included the National Student Support Accelerator, Reading Reimagined, and NC Education Corps. Outside of work, she is active in efforts to remove barriers to books within her local public school district. She lives in Naples, Florida with her husband and two girls.

Jessica started her finance career in oil and gas and quickly realized corporate finance was not her thing. Jessica pivoted to help establish a community nonprofit, FamilyPoint Resources in Houston, TX, while also becoming a certified teacher. Jessica taught 7th and 8th grade math for 5 years until she received her MBA and decided to seek opportunities that combined her passion for both education and finance. Jessica has worked in finance leadership roles for the University of Houston Alumni Association, YES Prep Public Schools and most recently as the founding Executive Director of the Luminary Learning Network, the first Innovation Zone within Denver Public Schools. Jessica also serves as the Board Chair of Compass Academy in Denver, CO and My Child, My Voice in Houston, TX. When she is not working, you can find Jessica exploring the Rocky Mountains on bikes, skis, or by foot!

A Louisiana native, Sims started his career as a TFA corps member in Houston, Texas. He eventually moved to New York City, where he taught, served in several education and school leadership positions, and was a founding principal at an elementary school in Brooklyn. Jabari previously served as founding dean of Relay Graduate School: Dallas-Fort Worth, where he oversaw the Metroplex’s growing teacher preparation programs. Jabari earned his M.Ed. in Education Administration from National Louis University, as well as a B.A. in English from Dillard University. He completed his Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Learning in Organizations at Vanderbilt University.

Justin is an education professional with over 20 years of experience creating high-quality education opportunities for at-risk youth. Most recently he helped co-found Project Renaissance, a nonprofit focused on doubling the number of Nashville children in high-quality schools where he supported the creation and launch of Nashville Teacher Residency. Testerman also served as the COO of the Tennessee Charter School Center where he led school incubation efforts, resulting in the development of 16 high performing charter schools in Nashville and Memphis. Justin began his career as a middle school teacher in Newark, New Jersey through Teach for America.

Jen's career started in an 8th-grade classroom in rural North Carolina, where as a teacher, department chair, and special projects coordinator she gained new respect for the impact operations have on student learning. She transitioned to a role with Teach For America's summer training program and worked alongside a brilliant, talented team for 14 years to manage training logistics, build high-quality operations tools and systems, and design and implement risk management policies. Most recently Jen worked as a consultant for Braven. Outside of work, she serves on the board of a nonprofit dedicated to supporting arts in her local school district and is pursuing her master's degree in public policy and management at the University of Pittsburgh. She lives just outside of Pittsburgh with her family.

Dr. Blomstedt (Matt) joined Foresight Law + Policy after serving for nine distinguished years as Nebraska’s Commissioner of Education. His career includes working closely with rural and urban school districts, intermediate educational service agencies, professional associations, business leaders, and other education stakeholders. While serving as chief executive of the state education agency, his nationally recognized work drew peer recognition and awards and three invitations from Congress to testify about the state’s education system and leadership. He also served as a board member and board chair of the Council of Chief State School Officers. Blomstedt has been a thought leader for over two decades in Nebraska and national education policy circles—including contributing his insights about K–12 and postsecondary education finance, assessment and accountability systems, connectivity and digital learning, professional development, and learning recovery.

Candice Bocala is a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). Her research focuses on the connections between educator learning and organizational conditions that support collaborative work. As a member of the Data Wise Project at HGSE, she co-chairs multiple Data Wise Institutes and is currently the director of Data Wise Research. In this role, she studies how schools and districts use data for continuous improvement and integrates that knowledge into the design of practitioner-friendly tools and resources. She is the former faculty director of the Reimagining Integration: Diverse and Equitable Schools (RIDES) Project at HGSE. Bocala began her career as an elementary school teacher in Washington, D.C. She was also a senior research associate at WestEd, where she served as a researcher and technical assistance provider for federally-funded national centers such as the Regional Educational Laboratory, Northeast and Islands (REL-NEI). Bocala received her Ed.D. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and she holds an M.A.T. in elementary education from American University, an M.A. in policy analysis and evaluation from Stanford University, and a B.A. in government from Cornell University.

Rick Cruz is a seasoned general manager and entrepreneurial leader with more than 20 years’ experience at high-growth for-profit and nonprofit enterprises in the education and advisory services sectors. As Arabella Advisors’ president, Rick led the executive team and guided strategy and client development with the goal of growing the organization’s reach and social impact. Rick previously held the role of ‎executive director of strategic partnerships at The College Board. Prior to that, he served as a vice president at America’s Promise Alliance, a leader in education and youth practice at the consulting firm FSG, CEO of DC Prep Public Charter Schools, chief field officer of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, vice president at Teach For America, and manager at CEB. Rick also serves on the board of directors of the DC Public Charter School Board and is a Pahara-Aspen Education fellow and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. Rick earned a B.A. in philosophy from Yale University and resides in Washington, DC with his wife, Leslie, and two children, Luca and Belén.

Wil Del Pilar, Ph.D., serves as Ed Trust’s Vice President of Higher Education Policy and Practice. In this role, Wil spearheads Ed Trust’s mission to highlight inequities and outline solutions in order to improve access, success, affordability, and completion in higher education for low-income students and students of color. Prior to joining Ed Trust, Wil served in Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s administration as Deputy Secretary of Postsecondary and Higher Education, where he developed and implemented the state’s strategic vision for higher education. Wil has also held senior development positions, as the director of development at Pennsylvania State University and at the University of Florida’s Machen Florida Opportunity Scholars Program. Wil holds a doctorate in higher education/higher education administration from The Pennsylvania State University, a master’s degree from California State University-Dominguez Hills, and a bachelor’s degree from Chapman University.

Prior to founding the Center, El-Mekki served as a nationally recognized principal and U.S. Department of Education Principal Ambassador Fellow. His school, Mastery Charter Shoemaker, was recognized by President Obama and Oprah Winfrey, and was awarded the prestigious EPIC award for three consecutive years as being among the top three schools in the country for accelerating students’ achievement levels. The Shoemaker campus was also recognized as one of the top ten middle school and top ten high schools in the state of Pennsylvania for accelerating the achievement levels of African-American students. In 2014, El-Mekki founded The Fellowship – Black Male Educators for Social Justice, an organization dedicated to recruiting, retaining, and developing Black male teachers. El-Mekki blogs on Phillys7thWard, is a member of the 8 Black Hands podcast and serves on several boards and committees focused on educational and racial justice.

Before cofounding Instruction Partners (formerly District to District), Emily was the Assistant Commissioner of Curriculum and Instruction for the Tennessee Department of Education. In this capacity, she oversaw K-12 core academics including standards, assessment design, instructional materials and educator training and support. She led a collaborative effort to train more than 65,000 teachers and leaders during this time in a peer-led, content-based approach and Tennessee saw increases in student achievement on both NAEP and state tests.  At the department, she also managed the implementation of educator evaluation and served as Chief of Staff, supporting the development of the strategic plan. For five years before coming to Tennessee, Emily managed Teach For America’s D.C. and Connecticut Regions. She fell in love with education teaching seventh-grade math in a rural community in Louisiana.

Nancy Hanks, a Harvard graduate from the west side of Chicago, has transformed underperforming schools through her leadership as a teacher, principal, and systems leader. As a principal in Chicago, she improved literacy and math outcomes by adding 90 minutes to the school day. Her role as chief of schools for elementary in Madison led to significant gains in literacy and math across multiple schools. Now, as a partner at The Management Center, she supports leaders in education and nonprofits to address race and equity issues in their organizations. Nancy is dedicated to proving that all students and adults can achieve high levels of success through hard work and resilience.

After 13 years in leadership roles at Student Achievement Partners, Sandra Lightman now serves as an educational consultant. Drawing upon her extensive background in mathematics and literacy policy, Sandra collaborates with school districts, states, and other education-related partners, focusing on strategic leadership as it intersects with academic content. Sandra previously worked at the New Jersey Department of Education. There, she held positions as the director of academic standards and as the director of math and science education. In these roles, Sandra was directly involved in shaping state standards and assessments in addition to professional learning policy and district implementation strategies. Before her state-level work, she held various district-level positions, including school superintendent, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, principal, subject area supervisor, and high school science teacher. Sandra earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Rutgers University and master’s and doctoral degrees in educational leadership from Rowan University.

Saamra Mekuria-Grillo is the CEO and co-founder of Formation Ventures, a nonprofit that is dedicated to dramatically increasing the number and success of Black Gen Z entrepreneurs, through educational and new venture support programs. From 2011–2019, she served as Vice President of Strategy and Operations and Chief Operating Officer of the Pahara Institute, an education leadership development organization. Prior to Pahara, Saamra held roles at Bain & Company and at Google, where she helped to launch Google’s Hyderabad office. Saamra currently serves on the board of Compass Rose Public Schools and has previously served on the boards of the Mission Preparatory School and the East Bay Innovation Academy. She holds an MBA with a certificate in Public Management from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a bachelor’s degree from Yale University. She is also a proud graduate of the Boston Latin School, the first public school in the United States. Saamra lives in San Antonio, TX with her husband, Brandon, and their two sons.

Karen Nussle is a veteran communications strategist with experience in the private, public, political, and non-profit sectors. Her work has included running high-profile national advocacy and marketing campaigns, forming and advising CEOs and national boards, and founding her own successful marketing firm. Her skills include executive leadership, business strategy and development, strategic communications, marketing, public relations, corporate communications, government relations, advocacy, and compliance. Karen started Ripple Communications in 2005 to serve clients with her own particular blend of integrity and insight, in service to helping senior executives succeed. She currently advises the Aspen Institute’s Education and Society Program on a variety of education policy topics. Karen also served as President of Conservative Leaders for Education (CL4E), a startup non-profit that she conceived and founded with former Education Secretary William J. Bennett, that networked and supported state-based education policy leaders. Prior to CL4E, Karen led the Collaborative for Student Success, a communications advocacy effort to promote and defend high academic standards and associated high-quality state tests. Karen received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communications from the University of Maryland. She currently resides outside of Madison, Wisconsin with her husband Jim.

Kira serves as the CEO of Teach Plus as well as an elected member on the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Kira was a 2000 corps member in Baton Rouge, where she taught fourth grade at Eden Park Elementary. She went on to serve as school director for Teach For America summer institute and, as vice president of new site development, led the organization’s efforts to expand to three new regions. Kira is also a moderator for the Pahara fellowship, a 2010 fellow of the Aspen-New Schools cohort, and a member of the Aspen Global Network. In 2015 Kira was named to TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. She holds a B.A. from Wesleyan University, an M.Ed. in school leadership from Harvard University.

Dr. Tanji Reed Marshall, CEO of Liaison Educational Partners (LEP), brings more than two decades of expertise in educational equity. She collaborates with states, districts, and schools to enhance educational leadership, teacher development, and curriculum equity. A nationally recognized consultant, Dr. Reed Marshall’s work spans the US and abroad, focusing on systemic equity, instructional practice, and student outcomes. Most recently, Dr. Marshall served as the director of P12 practice at The Education Trust where she led their work on assignment analysis work, performing educational equity audits and designing a way to analyze curriculum to ensure representationally balanced depictions of people, cultures, and topics. Dr. Reed Marshall earned her doctorate at Virginia Tech, her master’s in English education at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, and her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Boston College.

Nick Rodriguez is the CEO at Delivery Associates, an organization whose mission is to improve the effectiveness and accountability of government worldwide. In this role, he partners with governments, nonprofits, and philanthropies to deliver better results through better implementation across sectors, including education, workforce, economic mobility, climate, and health. Prior to his work at Delivery Associates, Nick was a co-founder and K–12 director at the Education Delivery Institute (EDI), a nonprofit that focused on helping education leaders to improve the implementation of their reforms. Before that, he was an engagement manager with McKinsey & Company’s education practice. Nick is a member of the DC Public Charter School Board and the author of two books on implementation in government: Deliverology 101 and Deliverology in Practice. Nick holds a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Stanford University, a master’s degree in economics from the London School of Economics, and a master’s degree in Latin American studies from Oxford University, where he was a British Marshall Scholar.

Mary K. Wells is a co-founder and managing partner at Bellwether. As a first-generation college graduate, Mary is passionate about the power of public education. Mary splits her time between leading the day-to-day operations of Bellwether and working with organizations to provide strategic advising support. Prior to launching Bellwether, Mary led STEM and new school investments for the Texas High School Project (now Educate Texas), where she was a founding team member overseeing STEM education and new school models. Prior to this, Mary spent eight years at Bain & Company as an analyst, consultant, and manager, where she advised Fortune 500 companies on growth strategy, new business development, and post-merger integration issues. Mary holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a master’s from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Anne Wicks, The Ann Kimball Johnson Director of Education Reform at the Bush Institute, develops and oversees the policy, research, and engagement work of the Education Reform team. Before joining the Bush Institute, Ms. Wicks served as an Associate Dean at the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education where she led a team with revenue, communications, and engagement goals. Additionally, she supported Dean Karen Symms Gallagher on a variety of special projects including the launch and early growth of Ednovate Charter Schools. She currently serves as a board member for Dallas Afterschool and is the vice-chair of the Education Opens Doors board. She is on the advisory board of Best In Class and the Educator Collective, and she serves as the chair of the Texas Ed Leadership Community of Practice. Over her career, she has held management roles at Teach for America, the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health, and Stanford University. Ms. Wicks holds a B.A in American Studies and a M.A. in Education from Stanford University (during which she taught 8th grade social studies), as well as a M.B.A. from the University of Southern California. Ms. Wicks is an alumni volunteer for Stanford University, and is a member of the Stanford Associates. She is the parent of a public school student.