Dallas, Texas, United States
Experienced social impact leader who likes to solve problems and build things from the ground-up. Track record of imagining and launching new ideas (+ helping others to do the same), building community in pursuit of a collective vision, and managing teams to tackle issues that matter for kids and their families. Curious about people, their stories, and their ideas and how to harness the power of all three to make the world a better place.
Leading the design and implementation of a multifaceted housing strategy focused on housing quality, affordability, stability and location to significantly reduce poverty in Dallas and improve upward economic mobility. Achievements to-date include: > Developed and published Housing in Dallas: A Framework for Action; > Managed development of the Community Resource Explorer, a place-based diagnostic tool that visualizes assets and inequities in neighborhoods across Dallas; > Collaborated with Dallas ISD’s Racial Equity Office on Equity in Bond Planning, an unprecedented effort to invest in historically redlined neighborhoods in Dallas.
Collaborated with teams of architects and educators as a subject matter expert to elevate the student experience through school design in K-12 (public and charter schools) and higher education (two- and four-year institutions). Expanded business development efforts, supported strategic planning within the Education Studio, and regularly spoke and wrote about the role of the built environment in education. Catalyzed a spirit of innovation within the Education Studio by launching quarterly design challenges, retooling the earliest stages of client engagement to be more user-centered, and leading the Studio’s first ever appearance at SXSW EDU’s Playground in 2019.
Responsible for leadership, strategy, and project management of high-priority, cross-functional initiatives in 14th-largest school district in the United States. See below for sample project. Personalized Learning│@PersonalizeDISD│www.thepltoolbox.com Built and managed first-ever personalized learning department from scratch: team grew from one to eight full-time staff, and annual operating budget grew from $0 to $1.3M (with additional $2.7M awarded in grant funding from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) in four years. Led strategic planning, invested stakeholders, brokered partnerships, and activated the systemic conditions necessary to advance personalized learning at scale. Seeded innovation at the classroom, campus, and central levels through human-centered design and introduction of Next Generation models of teaching and learning, reaching 60+ campuses to-date.
Served as founding team member in fast-growing nonprofit operating as a collective impact backbone organization for cradle-to-career education efforts in Dallas County. Assumed leadership of 150-member Texas College Access Network and launched Commit!’s initiative to improve college access and persistence for historically underrepresented students. Co-led project management of Dallas ISD’s 2012 Race to the Top-District application; named one of 61 finalists from among 372 applicants.
Delivered high-impact training sessions and coaching daily to 75 corps members (i.e., new teachers) at Stevenson Middle School in Houston ISD as part of Teach For America's summer on-boarding program. Sessions addressed instructional planning and execution, classroom culture and management, and cultural responsiveness in the classroom.
Launched the first-ever Spanish program at Raul Quintanilla, Sr. Middle School in the Dallas Independent School District and taught 7th and 8th grade Spanish to predominantly native speakers. Led 150+ students annually to significantly outpace their peers districtwide on all Spanish benchmarks in 2009 through 2011. Also served as team leader for the Electives Department, member of the Site-Based Decision-Making Committee, membership chair for the PTA, and cheerleading coach.
Built confidence and capacity in 15 new teachers at Hartman Middle School in Houston ISD. Supported teachers through execution of the observation/debrief cycle, facilitation of professional development sessions, and personalized coaching.