Susan has been a nationally recognized expert for more than four decades. Her transformational work in public schools has centered on the development of comprehensive technical assistance for system wide change, training on educational equity and culturally responsive pedagogy and practice, school climate and culture, family, school, and community engagement, and multicultural gender-related issues. Currently, Ms. Shaffer is representing MAEC as a partner with the Chief State School Officers to create a State Consortium on Family Engagement, developing a CoP among seven state teams to develop a Birth to Grade 12 Family Engagement Framework. Ms. Shaffer has published extensively on gender equity, family engagement, civil rights, multicultural education, and disability. Her publications include a co-edited journal, Equity-Centered Capacity Building: Essential Approaches for Excellence & Sustainable School System Transformation, and co-authored book, How to Connect with your iTeen: A Parenting Road Map. Ms. Shaffer serves on several boards, including the National Association of Family, School and Community Engagement (co-founder), School of Education, Bowie State University, MD, the MD Women’s Heritage Center, and Harmony through Education, an international NGO serving the needs of children with disabilities. She is the recipient of numerous awards for her service, leadership, and significant contribution to curricular materials on women. She holds a B.A. in History and M.A. in education from the University of California, Berkeley.

Charo is an educational psychologist with over 30 years of experience on issues related to educational evaluation, English Learners, family engagement, multicultural education, and early childhood education. At MAEC, Ms. Basterra provides day to day supervision of MAEC’s programmatic and evaluation activities. She also assists the President in overseeing fiscal affairs. In addition, she provides technical assistance to SEAs, LEAs, and schools to promote the academic achievement of English Learners, K-12. Ms. Basterra has edited several books, including Cultural Validity in Assessment: Addressing Linguistic and Cultural Diversity published by Routledge. Previously, she worked at the Smithsonian Institution as Manager of Multicultural Programs and at the Organization of American States where she conducted studies on Preschool Education in Latin America. Ms. Basterra holds a B.A. from Catholic University in Lima, Peru and a M.A. in Education from Temple University. She was a recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship.

As MAEC’s Senior Education Equity Specialist, Nyla provides technical assistance and professional development to school districts seeking to advance racial, gender, cultural, and socioeconomic equity in their schools. Before joining MAEC, Nyla spent 10 years working in education, beginning with her first job in high school as a grassroots youth organizer at the Philadelphia Student Union (PSU) and continuing into adulthood as an English teacher. She also worked as a teacher consultant with the Philadelphia Writing Project, graduate school instructor on race and critical pedagogy at the University of Pennsylvania, and technical assistance trainer at The Metro Center at NYU. Nyla holds a Masters of Science in Education from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Philosophy degree with honors and an interdisciplinary focus on social inequality from Pennsylvania State University.

Mira received her Bachelor’s of Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2018 and her Master’s of Arts in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago in 2019. Throughout her undergraduate education, she worked as an intern at three nonprofits, and realized a strong commonality among all three—the impactful role data had on their service provision and on the clients they served. This realization led her to the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration, where she gained further experience working with data to inform practice. Before coming to MAEC, she evaluated an array of social services delivered by a large Chicago-based nonprofit, with an emphasis on early childhood programs. She believes strongly in using a data-driven, evidence-based approach to address social issues, gaps in service delivery, and systemic inequities. She is also very fond of hazelnut coffee, her dog, and the Oxford comma.

Leah is the Director of Development at MAEC, focusing her efforts on fundraising and marketing. Prior to joining MAEC, Leah served as the National Development Director for a pro-bono consulting firm, where she focused on major gifts and grant writing. Leah has more than 14 years of experience in business development, major gift fundraising and building high-functioning development departments. Leah holds a B.A. in International Economics & French from the University of Kentucky and an M.P.H. from The George Washington University, where she specialized in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of global health programs. She lives in upper Northwest Washington D.C. with her husband, mini-schnauzer, and her two spunky daughters.

Kate has over 15 years of experience working in digital communications for non-profit organizations. In her current role, she develops and executes MAEC’s communication strategy and manages dissemination channels, including the websites, newsletters, and social media. With a focus on maximizing engagement and user experience, Kate has a background in both front and back-end website development, print publication design, and email outreach. Prior to joining MAEC, Kate served as the website and outreach specialist with a national nonprofit and as an independent consultant developing websites and communication strategies. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Writing from the University of Evansville, IN.

Originally from Pensacola, FL, Dannele is passionate about narrowing the research-to-practice gap and collaborating with stakeholders in education to use, interpret, and apply evaluation methods and findings in order to continuously improve the quality of and equitable access to education for children and youth. Dannele has over 7 years of experience in the education, youth development, and child welfare fields. She began her career in education at the University of Alabama, serving as a research technician for the Alabama Quality STARS QRIS pilot project for early childhood programs. She then served as a program and grants manager for Chain Reaction, an afterschool-based service-learning and leadership development non-profit for high school students based in her hometown. Following graduate study, Dannele spent three years at ICF where she served as an evaluation and research analyst for various projects in child welfare and education. Dannele holds a B.S. in Psychology from Birmingham-Southern College and a M.Ed. in Educational Psychology: Applied Developmental Science from the University of Virginia.

Carol works as a part of the Together Juntos team in providing Technical Assistance and Training to assist the state of Maryland Department of Education in their efforts to improve early childhood services and outcomes. Carol has over 20 years’ experience in the field of early childhood special education. After starting her career as an early childhood special education teacher, Carol went on to serve as the Early Head Start and Head Start Special Education Program Coordinator for Johns Hopkins Hospital/ Department of Pediatrics and Educare of Washington DC. She later joined Bowie State University as Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Special Education and Bethany College as Assistant Professor of Special Education.

Carol joined The National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning (NCQTL) in 2013 where she served as a Regional Field Specialist in the Migrant and Seasonal Program Branch of the Federal Office of Head Start Head and transitioned to the same position at the National Center for Early Childhood Development, Teaching and Learning (NCECDTL) in 2015 when the contract shifted from the University of Washington to Zero to Three. Carol’s primary responsibilities were to support the Office of Head Start (OHS) staff in improving their efforts to put research-based concepts into everyday practice in Head Start programs, to deliver  training and technical assistance,  provide consultation on using data collection and analysis to make changes that improve child outcomes in support of school readiness and to provide oversight of grantees to assess program performance to ensure federal school readiness requirements were met.

Carol holds a BS Interpersonal Communication from Ohio University and a Masters of Education from Bowie State University with a concentration in Special Education. Carol completed her doctoral coursework in Early Childhood Special Education at the University of Maryland and is ABD.

In her capacity as the International Student and Family Engagement Specialist at the Howard County Public School System, Young-chan was instrumental in building a sustainable structure of support for immigrant families including the creation of the Interpreting and Translation Office and the International Parent Leadership Program.  As a Family Involvement/Title I and English Learner/Title III Specialist at the Maryland State Department of Education, she continued to provide leadership, coordination and technical assistance to programs and projects that promote family engagement to ensure that all families, especially economically disadvantaged minority families are meaningfully engaged in education.  In 2020, Young-chan spearheaded the State’s publication, A Guide to School for Families of English Learners.

At MAEC, as a Collaborative Action for Family Engagement (CAFÉ) Senior Family Engagement Specialist, Young-chan coordinates the delivery of high quality Family, School and Community Engagement programs and provides technical assistance to local educational agencies and partner organizations to support underserved communities across Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Jessica has a background in Economics and quantitative research, with working experience in bookkeeping and financial planning. As a Finance and Bookkeeping Assistant, she reports expenditures and incomes, assists in generating documents for financial planning, and works to incorporate quantitative and statistical methods into creating effective budgets and predictions. She was first introduced to MAEC as the Program and Administrative Assistant, and other prior work experience includes being the lead research assistant in composing a research article about the legislative and economic impact of airline ancillary fees, and founding a charity project in her hometown in Malaysia. Jessica holds a B.S. in Economics from American University.

Michelle has over 25 years of experience as a teacher, Civil Rights Investigator, and trainer specializing in the reduction of hate crimes, school-based harassment, bullying, racial tension, prejudice, and gangs. As MAEC’s Pennsylvania State Equity Coordinator and the Center’s Safe Schools Manager, Michelle is responsible for multiple statewide initiatives aimed at improving school safety and reducing youth violence. She is a certified trainer for: Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, Partners Against Hate, Lifelines, and Nonviolent Crisis Intervention. She has a B.A. in English Education from Messiah College and an M.S. in Education Law from Nova Southeastern University. Michelle is a graduate of the National Institute Against Hate Crimes and Terrorism, the Anti-Defamation League’s Advanced Training School course on Extremist and Terrorist Threats, and the FBI’s Citizen Academy.

As equity intern for MAEC, Jenny is working on projects to support English-Learners and their families with deeper learning activities at home. Jenny is currently an Ed. M. candidate in the School Leadership Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Previously, Jenny worked as an elementary school educator and instructional coach in Texas and New York for ten years.  Jenny holds a BA in English and History from Fordham University and an MA in Curriculum and Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Mariela serves as the State Family Engagement Center Program Associate for Maryland and Pennsylvania. She has been working in education both at schools and in nonprofits since 2012. Prior to joining MAEC, Mariela held several roles at a public charter school in Washington, D.C., which involved hiring teachers and staff, directing the school’s summer program, and providing training on behavior intervention strategies. Before then, she managed a middle school enrichment program for an educational nonprofit in New York City. Mariela holds a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from the Lynch School of Education at Boston College, where she was also a Donovan Scholar with a focus on urban education, and a B.A. in Educational Psychology from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania.

Kathleen has over 10 years of experience working with communications in both the profit and non-profit sectors. Kathleen currently is MAEC’s communications and administrative coordinator and assists the CEO and works with the Associate Director of Communications in managing the websites, social media, e-newsletters, and designs layouts for print publications. Prior to joining MAEC, she worked in the travel industry and as a communications consultant. She earned her degree in Communications at Marymount University, VA and graduate degree in Public Communications at American University, DC.

Kasia Razynska was born in Gdansk, Poland. She graduated from The Harvard Graduate School Of Education with a degree in International Education Policy with a focus on quantitative research methods. She has 18 years of experience in the education sector and 7 years of continuous experience working on projects requiring evaluation, research design, statistical programming and data management. Prior to joining MAEC she worked for ICF where she served on the internal evaluation team for the Capacity Building Center for States funded through the Children’s Bureau. She is also played an integral role with the Regional Education Laboratory Mid-Atlantic (REL MA). As the REL MA Maryland State Coordinator, she used her understanding education policy and knowledge of the state to ensure that Maryland’s needs are well represented in REL activities. In her role as Coordinator of the REL Mid-Atlantic Longitudinal Data Use Research Alliance (LDURA), she advised stakeholders on implementing new data processes. She has also worked with the Puerto Rico Department of Education on numerous research and technical assistance projects and is fluent in Spanish.  In her spare time Kasia teaches English to kids in China through an internet platform.  Having moved to the U.S. from Poland at the age of 14, she is deeply passionate about ensuring access to education for all children, especially English Learners and immigrants.

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Karmen Rouland oversees CEE’s technical assistance portfolio. Prior to joining CEE, Karmen worked at the intersection of education policy and data at the District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) providing various approaches to problem-solving educational and policy issues facing DC educators and youth. Karmen has over 10 years of experience conducting research on education equity and serving as a youth mentor. Since 2006, Karmen continues to teach undergraduate and graduate-level education courses for pre-service and in-service teachers.  Karmen holds a B.S. in Psychology from Howard University and her M.S. and Ph.D. from the Combined Program in Education and Psychology at the University of Michigan. Karmen is a proud board member of Girls Prep, Inc. and is a Commissioner with the Montgomery County Maryland Commission for Women.

Phoebe has over 20 years experience as a lawyer, writer, editor, and budget manager. At MAEC, she divides her time between finance and editing. Under finance, she manages contracts, grants, budgets, A/P and A/R. She writes and edits publications, including grant proposals. Prior to joining MAEC, she was an attorney and a managing editor. Phoebe has served on several non-profit boards, and is currently the President of the Board of the non-profit Kids’ Corner Day Care Center in Washington, D.C. Phoebe has a B.A. in English and Philosophy from the University of Rochester and a J.D. from American University Washington College of Law.

Paul manages the fee-for-service portfolio at MAEC. For the past ten years, he has operated a consulting practice focused on dropout prevention and youth development initiatives for national and local clients including Reading is Fundamental and the Maryland Business
Roundtable for Education. In addition, Paul provided technical assistance for the US Department of Education’s High School Graduation Initiative and the Department of Labor’s Persistently Dangerous Schools grant, each of which significantly increased the graduation rates of at-risk youth. Paul also leads the Reconnecting Youth Campaign for Baltimore, which advocates for pathways to education, training, national service and employment opportunities for 16 to 24-year-olds. Paul earned a MA in Teaching from Trinity University and a Masters of Liberal Arts from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He currently resides in Baltimore with his wife and two children.

As MAEC’s Program & Communications Associate, Marianna develops cohesive organizational messaging for MAEC and provides technical assistance to educator leaders. Prior to joining MAEC, Marianna served as an AmeriCorps Member in a 2nd/3rd grade classroom with City Year Sacramento, and as chief of staff for a gubernatorial campaign in Maryland. These experiences sparked her decision to address systemic inequities in the US education system, pursuing work at the intersection of education, politics, and social justice. Marianna earned her Ed.M in Education Policy & Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education ’20, and her B.A. in English and Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies from the College of William & Mary ’17.

Nikevia manages MAEC’s ALIVE after-school program. For 15 years, she’s been dedicated to enriching the lives of children and families. Prior to joining MAEC, she’s served as the program director or coordinator of enrichment and educational programs in non-profits throughout Washington, DC and Long Beach, California. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education from Western Governors University and Master of Business Administration from Trinity Washington University.

Heather Tomlinson has more than two decades of experience in research, policy, non-profit and international development work focusing on education, young children and families. She has published extensively, with a particular focus on low-income and marginalized populations: She is co-author of two books, including The Early Years Matter: Education, Care and the Well-Being of Young Children, Birth to 8, an invited editorial board member of the SAGE Encyclopedia of Contemporary Early Childhood Education, author of several chapters in NAEYC’s flagship series on developmentally appropriate practice and numerous policy reports and scholarly journal articles. She has worked for The World Bank, UNICEF, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the office of Senator Edward Kennedy, NIH and Research Triangle Institute, and most recently served as Co-founder and Executive Director for Roshan Learning Center and YICF, a non-profit serving refugees and Indonesians living in poverty. She has PhD and Master’s degrees from The University of Georgia and a Bachelor’s degree from Pomona College.  Heather recently moved back to her hometown near Washington, DC, where she lives with her family and loves having renewed access to public libraries, sidewalks, bike and walking trails and extended family.

Daryl returns to MAEC as Senior Education Equity Specialist, providing technical assistance and professional development training to schools and school districts to ensure that students are given access to an equitable education regardless of race, gender, national origin (English Learners), sexual orientation, socioeconomic status or religious beliefs. Daryl has an extensive background in education working with special populations and students most at risk of academic failure.  His years of educational service included roles as a classroom teacher, school administrator, director of Title I federal programs, state specialist with the Maryland State Department of Education, and as education coordinator with the department of social services. Previously, he served as Director of Race at MAEC. Prior to retiring from public education, he served as Associate Superintendent of Student Services. He continues to serve as faculty supervisor in teacher education for online master’s degree students with the University of Phoenix. Daryl holds a B.A. in Music Education from Shaw University; a M.Ed. in Administration and Supervision from Virginia Commonwealth University; and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Phoenix.