Conference Attendees

Angelica Cruz

Angelica is a seasoned education leader with over 20 years of experience advancing equity and transformative change in public education. Her career spans roles as a teacher, instructional coach, principal, and district administrator. She currently serves as Director of Literacy at the Oregon Department of Education. Angelica’s work centers on creating culturally responsive, student- and family-centered systems that support all learners—especially in early learning, multilingual education, and services for students with disabilities. Angelica holds a BA from Tufts University and two Master’s degrees in Education from Arizona State University.

Linda Darling-Hammond

Linda Darling-Hammond is Chief Knowledge Officer at LPI, having served as its founding President and CEO from 2015 to 2025. She is also the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education Emeritus at Stanford University where she founded the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education and served as the faculty sponsor of the Stanford Teacher Education Program, which she helped to redesign.

LaTonya Davis

LaTonya Davis is a seasoned educational leader with extensive experience in grant and budget compliance, professional development, and building relationships to achieve outcomes. Currently serving as the Coordinator of Innovative Curriculum and Design at Fulton County Schools, she has significantly improved the programmatic structure of the district's tutoring program. Her previous roles include Secondary Science Program Specialist, Title III State Director at the South Carolina Department of Education, and Founding Director of Operations at Beacon College Prep. LaTonya holds certifications in Educational Leadership and a Specialist of Education degree from Georgia State University.

Jennie Dougherty

Jennie Dougherty is Director of Initiatives at KIPP NorCal. She began her career as an English teacher at a school east of the Mississippi. While teaching, she founded a network to beta test ed tech, leading to roles as the first teacher on the EdSurge newsroom team and the teacher in residence at ImagineK12, an incubator part of Y Combinator. Over a decade ago, she became KIPP NorCal’s Innovation Manager, overseeing the 1:1 Chromebook rollout and innovation grants to support blended and personalized learning models. She leads the organization’s AI vision and strategy, focusing on managing risks and seizing opportunities.

Richard Drilling

I'm an accomplished educator and leader with 14 years of experience across the academic spectrum. Throughout my career, I have served as a Teacher, Administrative Designee, and Peer Coach, building a deep understanding of both classroom instruction and staff development.

Currently, I serve as an Instructional Specialist, leading the Tutoring Department for a 12-school region. In this capacity, I oversee academic intervention strategies for a diverse population of 6,000 students, ensuring high-quality support and measurable growth across our district.

I balance my professional commitments with a vibrant family life. Living in Fresno, CA with my wife and two daughters.

Michael Thomas Duffy

Michael Thomas Duffy is the president of the GO Tutor Corps, which has a mission to partner with schools to provide students with access to a quality education through high dosage tutoring. Michael’s efforts in education grew out of his work in the civil rights movement, having served as the Chairman and Commissioner of Massachusetts' civil rights enforcement agency. His familiarity with high dosage tutoring comes from serving as a founding board member of the MATCH school in Boston where he learned at the knee of that school's founder, education guru Mike Goldstein.

Shaunté Duggins

Shaunté Duggins, Ph.D., is a dynamic leader with a deep commitment to advancing learning outcomes for students and family engagement through impactful initiatives at the intersection of research, policy, and practice. As Director for State Initiatives at the UF Lastinger Center for Learning, she oversees the strategic development and research efforts for both the New Worlds Reading Initiative and the Florida Tutoring Advantage. Dr. Duggins is responsible for streamlined operations and managing partnerships across policy, business, and philanthropy to foster positive impacts for children, families, and educators statewide.

Noemi Esquer

Noemi Esquer serves as the Secondary English Learner Coordinator for Calexico Unified School District, where she works alongside teachers, families, and students in grades 7–12. Her work focuses on building intentional systems and pathways that support English Learners, including the after-school language labs that bring students together for targeted, relationship-centered language development. A bilingual educator rooted in the border community she serves, Noemi is committed to targeting language and academic development intentionally and comprehensively, believing that the most meaningful support for students grows from genuine relationships and a deep sense of belonging.

Karla Estrada

Dr. Karla V. Estrada has dedicated over 25 years to advancing educational excellence and opportunity. As Deputy Superintendent of Instruction, she supports more than 390,000 students. Previously, she served as Chief Academic Officer for the Council of the Great City Schools and held leadership roles with the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence and Boston Public Schools. A proud Los Angeles Unified School District graduate, she firmly believes in education’s transformative power. A champion of equity and access, Dr. Estrada leads with resilience, purpose, and an unwavering commitment to student success.

Karla Estrada

Dr. Karla V. Estrada has dedicated over 25 years to advancing educational excellence and opportunity. As Deputy Superintendent of Instruction, she supports more than 390,000 students. Previously, she served as Chief Academic Officer for the Council of the Great City Schools and held leadership roles with the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence and Boston Public Schools. A proud Los Angeles Unified School District graduate, she firmly believes in education’s transformative power. A champion of equity and access, Dr. Estrada leads with resilience, purpose, and an unwavering commitment to student success.

John Failla

John Failla is the CEO and Founder of Pearl, a research-based, tutoring ecosystem. Inspired by his experience as a struggling student and the positive impact created by his high-school tutor, John built the proprietary Pearl platform in 2019 to help his tutoring company scale, while keeping relationships at the core. Pearl prioritizes relationships by uniting teaching with technology, helping relationship-based educators and students achieve meaningful and measurable success. Pearl is the platform provider behind many community-based, tutoring initiatives including Arkansas, New Jersey, Illinois, and Virginia.

Mingyu Feng

Mingyu Feng, Ph.D., is a Research Director of Learning and Technology from WestEd. She has conducted extensive research focusing on using computing technologies to improve student learning. Dr. Feng has 20 years of experience in research and has led multiple complex, multi-institutional projects. She currently serves as PI/co-PI on several large-scale grants that investigate the implementation and efficacy of digital interventions in elementary and middle schools, including a study that examines the effects of high dosage human tutoring. Feng has a PhD in Computer Science.

Lily Fesler

Lily Fesler is a Senior Research Associate at the AI Hub for Education within the SCALE Initiative. Her research uses natural language processing to analyze text data produced in educational settings, and causal inference techniques to understand how educational programs and policies affect student learning. She previously worked at Mathematica, where much of her research focused on studying high-dosage tutoring programs. She has a Ph.D. in Economics of Education and a MA in economics from Stanford University and a BA in Economics from Wesleyan University.

Claire Fisher Moffett

Education Strategist for AI Hub for Education, SCALE Initiative,

Meredith Fortner

Meredith Fortner, NBCT, is the Executive Director of EduTutorVA, a high-impact tutoring nonprofit using college tutors from Virginia universities.

Meredith has served as a teacher, instructional coach, professional learning facilitator, and education advocate for over twenty years. She is committed to nurturing the teacher pipeline with diverse and passionate college tutors who support Virginia's students with high-impact virtual tutoring.

Kristine Gaffaney

Kristine currently serves as the Director of Operations & Finance of the SCALE Initiative, which encompasses the National Student Support Accelerator (NSSA) at Stanford University's Graduate School of Education. Before rejoining Stanford, she held the position of Chief of Staff and was an assistant to Dr. Susanna Loeb at the Annenberg Institute at Brown University. Throughout her career, Kristine has dedicated herself to the field of Early Childhood Education, including a seven-year tenure at the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development.

Perla Galindo

Perla serves as a Math Instructional Coach for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, bringing a decade of experience to her work in elevating classroom instruction. Her career began in 2016 as a City Year AmeriCorps Member shortly after graduating from the University of Georgia.

After serving as a City Year Team Leader and mentoring new AmeriCorps members, Perla became a middle school math teacher through Teach for America. Now, she trains teachers to refine their instructional strategies through data-driven instruction. Perla remains dedicated to fostering the high-impact partnerships necessary for all students to thrive.

Claudia Ganser

Research Assistant Scientist

Alicia Garcia

Alicia Garcia has dedicated over 25 years to the field of education. After 16 years as classroom teacher, she transitioned to roles supporting student success, including English instructional coach, UIL academic coordinator, and district secondary ELAR curriculum coordinator. Currently, Alicia serves as a Texas Tutoring Content and Partnership Manager with the Texas Education Agency, providing guidance on HB 1416, the HB 1416 Ratio Waiver List, high-impact tutoring, accelerated instruction, and supplemental content review. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Texas A&M University–Victoria and a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Texas A&M University–College Station.

Shavonne Garner-Price

Executive Director of Teaching & Learning

Shavonne Garner-Price

Shavonne Garner-Price, Ed.D., is the current Executive Director of Teaching and Learning in Jefferson Parish Schools in Louisiana. The largest and most diverse districts in the state. Shavonne has a proven record of improving student outcomes through systemic instructional reform. Specializing in developing transformation strategies, managing large-scale budgets, growing leaders, and building robust professional development ecosystems.
Shavonne bridges the gap between policy and classroom practice. Her work is informed by a career-long focus on instructional coherence. Shavonne believes in the power of education and the opportunities it affords.

Christine Gerber

As the MTSS Coordinator for Cambridge Public Schools, I bring over two decades of educational expertise to support equitable outcomes for every student. For the past 18 years, I was an elementary school principal primarily serving in Title 1 schools. My approach to district-wide systems is grounded in a comprehensive instructional foundation. Before moving into administration, I spent 14 years as a classroom teacher spanning grades 1 through 5 in both public and private schools. I am driven by a deep-seated commitment to closing opportunity gaps for historically marginalized demographic groups.

Jennifer Geyer

Jennifer Geyer is an Instructional Services Administrator for Literacy and Language with the Riverside County Office of Education, partnering with districts to strengthen coherent, structured literacy and language systems. With 27 years in education, she has served as a principal, instructional coach, and classroom teacher, with deep expertise in structured literacy and comprehensive ELD. Her work focuses on building leadership capacity and advancing evidence-based practices in teaching and learning, including high-impact tutoring support. Jennifer is committed to ensuring equitable access to high-quality literacy and language instruction for all students to thrive as lifelong readers, writers, and effective communicators.

Olivia Giaccia

Strategic Initiatives Lead, Education Team

Alejandro Gibes de Gac

Alejandro Gibes de Gac, a Harvard graduate and founder of Springboard Collaborative, aims to close the literacy gap. He co-founded Paloma, an AI-driven edtech startup empowering parents as educators. Paloma's web app fosters daily 15-minute tutoring sessions at home, boosting students' learning. With a decade of experience, Alejandro advocates for parent-teacher collaboration to bridge educational disparities.

Ev Gilbert

Ev Gilbert (they/he) is a Research Associate at the National Student Support Accelerator. They use qualitative and mixed methods research to center the lived experiences of multiply marginalized youth in education policy, driving transformative systems change. Ev is passionate about advancing equitable access and opportunity for all students. Ev holds an M.A. in Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership Studies from Stanford University and a B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Public Health from Boston University. Their background as an LGBTQ youth worker and educator in Massachusetts guides their work and scholarly interests.

Raquel Gonzalez

Raquel Gonzalez, PhD, is Director of Portfolio Management at MC² Education. She brings 25+ years of experience in education research, evaluation, and organizational leadership. Dr. Gonzalez has directed large-scale RCTs evaluation projects focused on improving teaching, learning, and program effectiveness across early childhood, K–12, and postsecondary settings. She is skilled in mixed-methods research and translating findings into actionable strategies. Prior to joining MC² Education, Dr. Gonzalez held leadership roles at Abt Global, Social Policy Research Associates, and the American Institutes for Research, where she served as project director, managed multi-million dollar portfolios, and guided strategic growth initiatives.

David Gormley

David Gormley is a student studying data science and social policy at Northwestern University and a proud member of the NSSA team. He is passionate about bringing ethical AI methods to education research and hopes to be a teacher in the future. With the NSSA, David uses natural language processing methods to analyze transcriptions of online high-impact tutoring data. Outside of the lab, he loves learning languages, cooking, and swimming.

Steve Gornstein

Steve Gornstein serves as the Strategic Initiatives Specialist in the Office of Teaching and Learning at District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), where he supports planning, project management, and communications for the district’s High‑Impact Tutoring program. He began his career as a high-impact tutor at Match Charter School in Boston, taught middle school math in Washington, DC through Teacher for America, and later returned to Match to serve as the Match Corps Director. Steve holds an Ed.M. in Education Policy and Management from Harvard University and a BA in History and Political Science from the University of Michigan.

Karyn Grace

Dr. Karyn Grace serves as the Assistant Superintendent of the Office of Student Services for Cambridge Public Schools in Massachusetts, overseeing Multilingual Education, Special Education, and Social-Emotional Learning. Dr. Grace promotes continuous improvement, high professional standards, and strategic investment in educators and caregivers/families. She is deeply committed to literacy equity and to developing the first high-impact tutoring program, Excel, for Cambridge Public Schools in March 2023, when she was hired into her current position.

Leiah Groom-Thomas

Leiah Groom-Thomas is a Social Science Researcher III at Stanford University. Her interests include early childhood education, implementing and scaling interventions in complex systems, and conducting translational research to enact change in practice and policy. Her recent research employs mixed methods to inform national efforts on implementing and sustaining high-impact tutoring to accelerate student learning.

Jesse Gubb

Jesse Gubb is a Senior Research Manager at J-PAL North America, where he designs and manages randomized evaluations and supports a team of research associates who collect, clean, and analyze data. Jesse also develops research resources, where he led the development of J-PAL's Health Care Evaluation Toolkit and resources on null results, and he frequently contributes to training courses, such as J-PAL's Evaluating Social Programs and Research Staff Training. Jesse holds a PhD in government from Harvard University and a BA in political science from Middlebury College.

Melissa Gude

Melissa Gude serves as the CAO in the Little Rock School District. Her diverse experiences contribute to her passion for developing strong instructional leadership grounded in student-centered learning. Before becoming CAO and making Arkansas home, Melissa dedicated seven years to leadership development in Philly and four Southwest states. Her education journey began in Chicago where she taught for seven years and was a school leader for four. Students taught her how reading could transport them to different worlds and enrich their lives. This fueled Melissa’s commitment to ensure all students become readers and acquire the essential skills to do so.

Dennis Guikema

Dennis Guikema is a dedicated East Bay educator whose teaching and school leadership spans early childhood through high school. With deep expertise in school design and alternative education, he champions collaborative leadership and community-centered learning environments.

Dennis serves as Director of Community Schools at the Alameda County Office of Education, leading efforts to transform schools into vibrant, whole-child ecosystems that support students, families, and communities.

Shivang Gupta

Shivang (Shiv) Gupta is the Managing Director of PLUS, an award-winning tutoring program, at Carnegie Mellon University, where he leads strategic direction and oversees day-to-day operations. With more than a decade of international experience in education technology, spanning Hong Kong, India, and the United States, he has guided cross-functional teams to apply cutting-edge learning science research to real-world practice. His work has been published in leading academic venues, including the International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education and the ACM Conference on Learning@Scale. Shivang holds a Master’s in Education Technology from CMU and a Bachelor’s in CS Engineering from HKUST

Kara Hall

Kara Hall is Senior Director of Customer Success at Tutor.com, where she leads implementation strategy and end-to-end execution for K–12 tutoring programs. She oversees operations, data alignment, and issue resolution to ensure consistent, high-impact delivery. Kara partners with clients and cross-functional teams to drive performance, optimize outcomes, and align programs with strategic goals. Passionate about measurable student success, she focuses on continuous improvement and program impact. Since joining Tutor.com in 2007, she has held multiple leadership roles, including managing military and federal programs in complex, large-scale environments.

Jaleesa Hall

Jaleesa Hall is a nonprofit leader, and doctoral candidate pursuing a PhD in Public Administration & Public Policy, with research focused on nonprofit sustainability and social impact. She holds a BA from Clark Atlanta University, an MPA from American University, and an MDiv from Wesley Theological Seminary. Jaleesa is the Founder of Raising A Village, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit serving underserved children and families, rooted in her college initiative, Driven, which has reached over 10,000 students nationwide. A recipient of numerous fellowships and humanitarian awards, she is committed to building innovative, sustainable programs that cultivate safe and whole communities.

Jamie Halper

Jamie Halper is an IC member of Blue Owl Strategic Equity and a Senior Advisor to Blue Owl Capital. He's a former Partner at Leonard Green & Partners and has worked in private equity/credit for 34 yrs. He is a Co-founder/Chair of Step Up Tutoring, a Stanford Institute for HAI Advisory Council member, served on Stanford's Board of Trustees, chaired the Finance Committee, and served on the Board of Stanford Management Company and the Haas Advisory Board. He has an AB in Economics from Stanford and an MBA from Harvard. He and Priscilla have four children and live in LA.

Kara Hamilton

Kara Hamilton serves as the Director of Tutorial Programming for Guilford County Schools, where she leads the implementation of the district’s homegrown high-dosage tutoring program. In this role, she oversees program design and operations and collaborates on research partnerships that strengthen evidence-based practices and improve student outcomes.
Prior to joining GCS, Kara worked in the education nonprofit sector, supporting statewide advocacy efforts, strategic communications, and professional learning for educational leaders across North Carolina.

Jared Harless

Jared has spent more than two decades in the EdTech space and currently serves as the Chief Product and Technology Officer at BookNook - a virtual high impact tutoring provider. Building, implementing, and evolving products and services that drive tangible student outcomes and results get Jared out of bed every morning. He values the opportunity to engage deeply with district and school partners, and is eagerly engaging in the outcome based contracting model. Outside of work, Jared enjoys time with his family, fly fishing, and cooking.

Ayesha Hashim

Dr. Ayesha Hashim studies policies that shape educational opportunity and achievement, including the integration of technology with instruction, school choice and accountability, teacher professional development, and COVID recovery. She draws on interdisciplinary frameworks and mixed methods to study policy impacts in school systems and to surface the organizational and implementation conditions that explain observed outcomes. As part of her work, Dr. Hashim is committed to developing reciprocal partnerships with researchers, policymakers, and education leaders. Her work has been published in Education Finance and Policy, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Computers and Education, and American Journal of Education.

Erin Hashimoto-Martell

Erin A. Hashimoto-Martell, Ph.D. is the Senior Associate Commissioner of Teaching and Learning at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education where she oversees state policies and programs of curriculum and instruction, multilingual education, educator preparation, and educator development to increase equitable access to affirming and effective teaching and learning, while improving learning outcomes for all.​ Previously, Dr. Hashimoto-Martell spent over a decade in the Boston Public Schools as a science teacher, coach, and director of instruction. She is particularly committed to racial equity, identity, and belonging in schools; and the ability of education to facilitate social justice.

Bryan Hassel

Bryan Hassel is Co-President of Public Impact. He co-leads the national Opportunity Culture® initiative, reaching 200,000 students in 2024-25 with new school designs in which excellent teachers earn higher pay to lead small teams toward instructional excellence, including abundant small group tutoring. Hassel is a recognized expert on charter school excellence, school choice, and teacher and principal effectiveness. His work has appeared in Education Next, Education Week, and numerous other publications. He authored The Charter School Challenge: Avoiding the Pitfalls, Fulfilling the Promise, published by Brookings Institution Press. Hassel received his Ph.D. in public policy from Harvard University.

Isabelle Hau

Isabelle Hau is a visionary leader dedicated to transforming the way we nurture and educate children. As the Executive Director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, she spearheads initiatives that leverage brain science and technology to develop innovative, inclusive learning solutions for learners worldwide. Prior, Isabelle led the U.S. education practice at Omidyar Network and Imaginable Futures, where she invested in mission-driven organizations. Her investments have empowered millions of learners, educators, and communities with the tools to thrive in an evolving world. Isabelle has received prestigious recognitions, including being named one of the 100 Most Inspiring Harvard Business School Women.

Adelfa Hegarty

Adelfa Maria Hegarty is a systems-level literacy leader with deep experience supporting schools, districts, and nonprofits to strengthen instruction, educator development, and implementation. She currently serves as Director of MTSS Literacy in Oakland Unified. Originally from the East Coast, she has lived in California for the past 20 years. She is also a proud mother of two boys and brings both heart and systems thinking to her work in education.

Manuella Henein

Manuella Henein (she/her/hers) is passionate about education and has experience in a variety of school settings. Before joining the SF Ed Fund, Manuella worked with students who needed academic accommodations and volunteered as a literacy tutor. She also spent six months in Egypt studying Arabic as a Second Language, which provided her with a deeper understanding and appreciation for students learning another language and guides her work in literacy tutoring. Additionally, her background in business operations has given her a foundation in data analytics and campus operations. She is excited to bring these skills together as a High-Impact Tutoring Coordinator.

Yanitza Herrera

Yanitza brings 24 years of experience in education and serves as an Instructional Supervisor with Miami-Dade County Public Schools. In this role, she supports the implementation of a targeted tutoring initiative across middle schools.
She specializes in data-driven instruction and standards-based planning, working closely with teachers and school leaders to improve student outcomes in mathematics. Her work focuses on strengthening instructional practices through strategic planning, structured small-group learning, and the implementation of a high-impact tutoring model aligned to the Florida B.E.S.T. standards.

Phyllis Hillwig

Chief Executive Officer at Eurekii.

Hiep Ho

Hiep Ho is the Web and Multimedia Technology Manager. He’s responsible for the implementation, development and maintenance of SCALE websites. He creates, produces and disseminates NSSA content to all media platforms. He also provides information technology support to SCALE Initiative faculty, students and staff.

Jim Hollis

Jim Hollis is the founder and Executive Director of The Calculus Roundtable; a nonprofit organization for raising math and science scores for students of color. Jim has overseen the organization’s work in over 80 schools in California, Washington state in New York. Jim is also a founding board member of The Community School for creative education the first public Waldorf school in California serving predominantly black and Latino students in Oakland’s inner city. Jim and Calculus Roundtable are the recipients of many awards including the New Profit Foundation’s top 24 social entrepreneurs creating a more equitable education system.