April Gariepy is the Director of Strategic Planning & Initiatives for the New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS), supporting the agency's executive leadership team by developing and implementing the agency’s strategic plan, overseeing a portfolio of strategic projects, and creating and executing cyclical activities and key initiatives critical to the achievement of the agency’s mission and strategic objectives.April has over 15 years of demonstrated success executing innovative programs, systems, partnerships, and communication strategies to strengthen organizational capacity during periods of change. Previously, April designed and led District-Charter Partnerships, a $19M NYC Department of Education (NYC DOE) initiative under the Department's Equity & Excellence for All agenda. Through this work, April created meaningful opportunities for over 300 public district and charter schools to collaborate through school-to-school, district-wide, and system-wide programming aimed at the sustained progress and overall advancement of all students in New York City. Prior to that, April focused on human capital systems, working with charter school network Achievement First in Brooklyn, NY, and for TNTP in contract with Newark Public Schools and the Louisiana State Department of Education. She also supported a major HR transformation project for the NYC DOE’s Division of Human Resources by establishing communications standards, and launching and publicizing new systems for the DOE’s 135,000 employees. April completed the Coro Leadership NY program in 2017, earned a Developing Leaders Program for Nonprofit Professionals Certificate from Columbia Business School in 2015, was a Chancellor’s Fellow at the NYC DOE in 2011, a National Urban Fellow in the Class of 2006, and holds a Master of Public Administration from Baruch’s School of Public Affairs and a BA in Communications Studies from Bridgewater State College.