Luis Ceja Abrica serves as a Data and Evaluation Intern at MAEC, where he combines his analytical skills and commitment to equitable education to support impactful data initiatives. In previous roles, Luis worked at STEM Center USA, where he designed and implemented STEM-focused curricula for K-12 migrant students, enhancing their skills in English Language Arts and STEM through engaging, hands-on learning experiences. As a Language Assistant with Spain’s Ministry of Education, he helped over 350 students improve their English conversational skills, creating a welcoming classroom environment that encouraged participation and language practice. At EVITARUS, Luis served as a Data Analyst Assistant, analyzing data to support policy projects, including the successful election of Los Angeles’ first Black female mayor.

Luis holds a B.S. in Statistics and a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA, where he earned Dean’s Honors and was recognized as a Hispanic Scholarship Fund National Scholar. While at UCLA, he also supervised peer learning initiatives, trained tutors, and developed strategies to support diverse student populations. Driven by his experience as a first-generation Latino from Coachella Valley, Luis is passionate about leveraging data to open educational and STEM opportunities for underserved communities.

Outside of his professional life, Luis is a dedicated traveler who loves exploring different cultures and cuisines. He enjoys hiking, drawing, staying active, and indulging his passion for anime, manga, and streaming shows. Having lived in Spain, he has a special appreciation for global perspectives and often draws inspiration from his time abroad. Whether he’s trying new foods, hiking new trails, or sketching, Luis values opportunities to connect with the world around him.

As a Data and Evaluation Specialist, Mira’s primary responsibilities include: leading qualitative research at MAEC, including focus group and interview recruitment, data collection, and analysis; writing reports on qualitative and quantitative data analyses; and working with the Evaluation Team to develop and implement MAEC’s evaluations and reporting. She works across projects at MAEC including the Center for Education Equity (CEE), and has played an integral role in other projects including the statewide needs assessment of Maryland’s Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program (MIECHV), an antiracist audit of one of the largest school districts in the United States, and an evaluation of Girls on the Run through the lens of equity.

Mira received her Bachelor of Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2018 and her Master of Arts in Social Service Administration (equivalent to a Master of Social Work) from the University of Chicago in 2019. Throughout her undergraduate education, she worked as an intern at three nonprofits and observed the impactful role data had on their service provision and the clients they served. This led her to the University of Chicago’s School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, where she gained further experience working with data to inform practice. Before coming to MAEC Mira evaluated an array of social services delivered by a large Chicago-based nonprofit, with an emphasis on early childhood programs.

Mira is immensely fond of her dog Lukka, hazelnut coffee, and the serial comma. In her spare time, she enjoys doing puzzles while listening to podcasts and making expansive cities in the city-building simulator Cities: Skylines.

As a Senior Education Equity Specialist, Kailanya Brailey develops and delivers professional development to state departments of education, school districts, and schools on civil rights and educational equity issues. In addition to addressing educational equity, she provides technical assistance and customized trainings related to school improvement and/or teaching and learning that are relevant to State Education Agencies (SEAs) and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) in an effort to ensure equitable access to instruction, resources, and opportunities for all learners.

Kailanya has over seventeen years of experience as a secondary educator in public school settings in South Carolina, including eight years as an English Language Arts teacher, five years as a middle school assistant principal, and four years as a middle school principal. She received National Board Certification in English Language Arts Early Adolescence in 2009 and was selected as a school-level Teacher of the Year in 2011. Kailanya holds a Master’s in Educational Administration from the University of South Carolina, a Master’s in Education from Walden University (with a specialization in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment), and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Secondary Education from Winthrop University. She has consistently held memberships with the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the South Carolina Association of School Administrators, and the Palmetto State Teachers Association. Through her work as a school leader, she has had the privilege and responsibility of ensuring that students have equitable access to high-level coursework, advocacy, social and emotional supports, and resources.

In addition to her service as an educator, Kailanya is also a children’s book author (Mia Learns to Soar and Mia Finds Her Voice) and speaker. She has presented at local, district, and state-level conferences and professional learning events on a variety of topics including bias, building community, empowering students, leadership, and the power of one’s story.

As the Director of Communications and Engagement, Kate develops and executes MAEC’s communication strategy. She is the Project Manager for the Continuous Improvement for Equity (CI4E) Resource website and serves on both the leadership and strategic planning teams. In recent history, Kate spearheaded the development of MAEC’s universal services in response to COVID-19, supporting the production of a series of webinars, newsletters, and web-based resources to assist educators and families as they transitioned to at-home learning.

With a focus on maximizing engagement and user experience design, Kate’s background is in front and back-end website development and branding, print publication production, and email outreach. She has over 20 years of experience working in digital communications for non-profit organizations, understanding the multifaceted needs of diverse audiences with varying capabilities and access. Prior to joining MAEC, Kate served as the Website and Outreach Specialist for a national advocacy nonprofit and as an independent consultant developing websites and marketing materials. She holds a B.A. in Writing from the University of Evansville, IN. 

Kate enjoys long commutes where she can catch up on missed podcasts and pints of iced coffee. She also spends time taking art classes that highlight her inability to draw.

As Senior Finance Specialist, Hebest Jemberu holds various roles and responsibilities ranging from daily accounting tasks to the financial management of MAEC, alongside the Director of Finance and Administration.

Originally from Ethiopia, Hebest currently lives with her two teenage children in Alexandria, Virginia. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Education form Addis Ababa University and has 20 years of work experience in the field of accounting.

Prior to joining MAEC, Hebest worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Ethiopia in different capacities in the finance unit before taking the position of Finance and Administration Manager. She worked more than 20 years providing support to ICRC projects that focused on the protection and assistance of conflict victims with food and essential items, helped to establish livelihoods and incomes, built and maintained water-supply systems, provided health structures with medical supplies, visited detainees, reunited separated families due to conflict, provided physical rehabilitation and promoted International Humanitarian Law.

Her experience includes the preparation and implementation of annual budget for projects, ensuring proper financial management comprising cash flow and bank management, accounting, monthly and yearly closing, producing financial reports, analyzing expenses, and ensuring the compliance of financial rules in line with internal policy and local regulation.

In her spare time, Hebest enjoys walking and hiking with family and friends. She also likes reading and sharing thoughts with her book club mates.

In her role as Senior Communications Associate, Allegra serves as the communications liaison for the Collaborative Action for Family Engagement (CAFE) division at MAEC. She leads the promotion of webinars, events, and podcasts by creating compelling written copy, designing all event-related graphics, and maintaining content on both the MAEC and CAFE websites. Allegra also collaborates closely with program staff to ensure consistent and impactful messaging that supports MAEC’s mission.

Allegra earned her M.E.d in Educational Leadership from Winthrop University, and her BA in English with a minor in Gender and Sexuality Studies as a QuestBridge Scholar from Davidson College. After her undergraduate studies, Allegra became a middle grades English Language Arts teacher through Teach for America in Charlotte, North Carolina. Allegra believes that every child deserves equitable opportunities for educational and social-emotional growth and strives to ensure that the work she does aligns with this goal.

In her free time, Allegra enjoys spending time with family and friends, working out, and reading historical and science fiction.

As Senior Administration and Program Associate, Jenny assists with the preparation of documents, welcomes new employees, and facilitates communication with partners and clients, along with managing other organizational and administrative tasks.

Prior to joining MAEC, Jenny was an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Teacher in Virginia public schools. While teaching in Stafford County Public Schools, she also served as an assistant to the Director of Equity. She brings her love of language and engaging families with her to MAEC, as well as her commitment to promoting equity in all aspects of education. Jenny graduated from the College of William and Mary in 2019 with her B.A. in Latin American Studies and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. During her time at William and Mary, she captained the Division I Women’s Field Hockey team and facilitated various service learning opportunities through the Office of Community Engagement, including one with the East Coast Migrant Head Start Project in central Florida, and one at a community learning center in Jinotega, Nicaragua.

In her free time, Jenny enjoys going for long walks with her dog, Bernie, doing crossword puzzles, caring for her many house plants, and spending time with family and friends. Jenny’s pronouns are she/her/hers.

Rita is a Project Director with the Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium’s Collaborative Action for Family Engagement (CAFE) and Senior Educational Equity Specialist Center for Education Equity (CEE).  In her role as the Project Director for CAFE, she provides staff management, budget oversight, and liaisons with the Maryland State Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Her work with CEE includes providing technical assistance and training for state departments of education, districts, and schools to improve educational opportunities for all learners. Rita’s lifelong commitment to educational equity focuses on the areas of systemic school improvement, professional development, teacher and principal effectiveness, instructional and school climate practices, and teacher leadership. She has served diverse learners, families, and communities throughout her career.

Rita has almost three decades of experience in Pennsylvania public education as a teacher, elementary and secondary school principal, and district office cabinet member. She has experience working in large and medium-sized school districts of various contexts including urban, urban characteristic, and suburban. Rita had the honor and privilege of serving in cabinet-level positions at the Pennsylvania Department of Education, including as Acting Deputy Secretary of the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and Director of the Bureau of Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction. She holds an Ed.D. from Immaculata University in Education Administration, an M.Ed. from Lehigh University in Educational Leadership, and a B.A. in Psychology from Cedar Crest College.

Rita balances her life by cooking, gardening, traveling, and spending time with her husband watching movies.

As a Senior Data and Evaluation Consultant, Vo assists the Evaluation team with data collection, quantitative and qualitative analysis, literature reviews, and communication of findings to stakeholders. Vo played a key role in the process and equity evaluation of the Baltimore Summer Funding Collaborative by analyzing data sets, interviews, and focus groups to develop recommendations on how philanthropy could be more equitable in expanding high quality summer learning opportunities for youths in the Baltimore area.

Vo has been passionate about education at various levels of practice from driving systems-wide reform through policy to developing the potential of marginalized youths in classrooms. His first job after college was in curriculum development and college admissions consulting in Tokyo, Japan, where he learned how to implement effective and inclusive learning strategies for youths of all ages while deepening his knowledge of international education policy. In that role, he researched evidence-based practices to inform his pedagogy and appreciated how data could drive improvement in education, which led him to graduate school to pivot to analyst roles. In graduate school, he consulted for the Ministry of Education in Costa Rica in the area of student mental health and published his findings as a chapter in the book: An educational calamity: Learning and teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic. Vo holds a B.A. in Public Policy Studies with general and departmental honors from the University of Chicago and an Ed.M. in Education Policy and Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he was recognized as the 2020 Class Marshal for his program.

Having lived and worked in Bolivia, the United States, South Korea, and Japan, Vo consumes media in multiple languages, from podcasts in Spanish to J-Pop and the occasional Korean drama. He also has a penchant for reading poetry and drinking green tea.

As a Senior Data and Evaluation Associate on the MAEC Evaluation Team, Ian supports qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis, report writing, and program evaluation. He currently co-leads evaluation for the Consortium for Engaging Families Across Maine (CEFAM), and assists with evaluation projects for the Early Childhood Education and Center for Education Equity (CEE) teams. While at MAEC, Ian has also been involved in several successful grant-writing processes, an antiracist audit of one of the largest districts in the country, and maintenance of the CEE survey database.

With a degree in Biology from Bates College, Ian leverages research and data analysis skills to support MAEC’s mission to provide access to high quality education to culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse learners. Prior to his time at MAEC, Ian worked as a multilingual early childhood and youth outdoor educator, tutor, and oyster farmer.

Off the clock, Ian can be found frequenting local farmers markets, experimenting in the kitchen, and identifying birds and trees on local woodland walks.

As Director of Finance and Administration, Phoebe is responsible for overseeing operations at MAEC. She serves on the leadership team and reports as necessary to the Board of Directors. Phoebe successfully upgraded MAEC’s financial procedures as MAEC grew both in number of staff and in revenue.  

Phoebe earned a J.D. at the American University Washington College of Law and a B.A. in English and Philosophy at the University of Rochester. She has been admitted to the bars of New York, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Prior to joining MAEC, Phoebe was an editor, lawyer, and policy analyst. She served on several non-profit boards as president, treasurer, and secretary, including a nonprofit bilingual daycare.  

Phoebe loves words, puzzles, and baking sourdough bread. She occasionally lets her alter ego Julie the Cruise Director sit in on staff meetings. 

Jessica serves as a Senior Family Engagement Specialist working primarily for Collaborative Action for Family Engagement (CAFE). She works with families and educators in building and sustaining effective partnerships focused on student learning and growth.

Jessica is a Pennsylvania native with over twenty years of classroom and leadership experience in both public and private education. In addition to classroom teaching, Jessica has served as a District Inclusion Specialist, supporting family engagement practices and providing technical assistance and training to district staff. During her tenure as an Assistant Middle School Principal, she focused her leadership on equitable disciplinary practices, mental health programming, STEAM, and student engagement practices. Prior to joining the MAEC team, Jessica led a university laboratory school through a strategic plan and realignment focused on literacy, culturally responsive and equitable practices, staff and student diversification, student supports, family engagement, and community partnerships. Throughout her career, Jessica has served on local, regional, and state task forces, as well as committees focused on equity in education. She has taught literacy, principal certification, and special education courses as an adjunct professor.

Jessica completed her Ed.D in Educational Leadership at the University of Pittsburgh. Her dissertation focused on engaging families through the transition to middle school. She earned an M.Ed in Educational Leadership with K-12 Principal Certification from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, and an M.Ed in Literacy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Jessica is a proud mom of three who loves Harry Potter, music and theater, yoga, reading, and cooking.

Dr. Daryl V. Williams serves as the Associate Director of the Center for Education Equity (CEE), the Region I Equity Assistance Center. Daryl is responsible for CEE’s managerial day-to-day operations and monitors program alignment with CEE’s goals and objectives. He provides 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 recently led the development and implementation of an Anti-Racism and Equity Project in one of the largest school districts in the US.