I support a state-wide network of 15 organizations that provides critical services to Massachusetts immigrants. Our strategic priorities include:- Emergency financial assistance - Education and workforce development - Immigration legal aid- Advocacy for immigrant rights- Building the capacity of the network

As Chief Development Officer for NCDE, I am responsible for the following:Co-develop a systemic inclusion model that addresses economic and educational inequities through the strategic leveraging of community partnerships;Disrupt intergenerational poverty in communities of color through Pre-K to post-secondary partnerships with local, federal, and state financial institutions that provide pathways to prosperity;Leverage partnerships with tech companies and banks to address the digital divide in communities of colorSupport colleges and universities in re-envisioning teacher preparation in the use of technology for personalized student learning and authentic assessments;Manage the network of partners (secondary schools, colleges/universities, banking/financial sector, and for/non-profits) in developing robust and sustainable financial systems to implement systemic inclusion to address economic and educational inequities in communities of color.

Authored “Love Beyond the Vatican: A Memoir” that was published in March of 2021. The book documents my journey as a Catholic seminarian in Rome and my subsequent work as an urban public school educator. Serve as the lead writer for the development of a screenplay based upon my published memoir. The screenplay will serve as the basis for a movie and/or streaming series.Provide freelance writing support in all genres to individuals and organizations

As the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Equity Lab Charter Schools, I accomplished the following:Oversaw the planning, staff hiring, and onboarding strategy for Equity Lab Charter School;Facilitated change management and continuous improvement processesCoordinated the development and refinement of Equity Lab’s educational model;Oversaw the development, revision, and submission of Equity Lab’s Commonwealth Charter School Prospectus and Application to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education;Participated in NewSchools Venture Fund’s Invent cohort (community of practice) to learn best practices around charter school planning and launch;Led development and fundraising efforts to support the replication and scale of Equity Lab’s educational model.

As a member of EDC’s National Center on Scaling Up Effective Schools (NCSU) team, I worked to develop, implement, and test new processes to scale up effective practices in high schools that districts used within their own context. This work involved close collaboration with Vanderbilt University, Florida State University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Georgia State University. With EDC’s Nellie Mae District Level Systems Change (DLSC) team, I supported DLSC districts in building a culture of continuous quality improvement and results orientation. This project involved shifting the focus of education leaders and teachers to a paradigm and mindset of innovation, learning, research, problem solving, and effective practice adoption to be able to respond to the evolving needs of students.

Founded a non-profit education agency committed to collaborating with families, educators, and community partners to design and sustain innovative and high performing Pre-K to 12 schools and community-based youth and adult education programsProvided onsite technical assistance to school and districts to institute Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to implement and sustain innovative school practicesConducted school-based coaching and professional development to urban public and private schools in the following areas: district/network/school improvement planning, school redesign projects, leadership development, family/community partnerships, backward design and unit/lesson planning, curriculum mapping, differentiated instruction, best practices for English Learners, accelerated literacy and math instruction, and teaming practices (looking at student and teacher work).Conducted district and school reviews in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to support comprehensive or targeted improvements and to create a data warehouse of best instructional and leadership practices.Provided national and international networking support to schools to share best practices or problem-solve issues around student learning and achievement.Supported new school design projects (public charter schools): drafting charter application, design team and board recruitment and training, curriculum development, leadership recruitment and training, and budget and facilities management.

Oversaw a national network of 55 middle schools in diverse and underserved communities in New England, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, and California (Los Angeles) that had adopted the Turning Points model for adolescent learning and developmentCollaborated with school and district staffs to implement whole-school reform based upon the principles and practices of Turning Points (a research model for effective middle schooling and the Pilot School model (an education model that advances autonomy in governance, budgeting, curriculum, and teaching)Directed development and implementation of best math and literacy models for the middle gradesProvided coaching and professional development in the areas of educational equity, school leadership, teaming, literacy, curriculum mapping, second-language learning, effective partnerships with parents/communities, and best teaching/assessment practicesWorked with district and school administrators to develop and implement school improvement and district strategic plans.

Co-founded the Bridge School, first "school within a school" in Chelsea that combined a project based curriculum with integrated courses.Facilitated staff meetings dealing with curricular planning, student support services, and school policy.Developed and taught interdisciplinary courses in American Studies and Humanities that integrated Language Arts and Social Sciences.Piloted and co taught an Environmental Studies course that combined Biology, Chemistry, and Social Science.Infused into curriculum thematic units and projects that helped students understand their community and personal histories. Students coordinated: a voter registration project targeting minorities; an election forum where candidates for the 1994 Chelsea city wide elections responded to questions from the community and discussed their campaign pledges; a health fair in conjunction with Massachusetts General Hospital that educated the community about immunization schedules and preventative medicine.Collaborated with School to Work coordinator to develop curricular ties between work-¬based learning and school based learning.Organized teams of students to participate in the annual Mock Trial Competition, a program sponsored by the Massachusetts Bar Association that teaches students about the judicial system.Coordinated the Model United Nations Program, utilizing simulations to teach students about the United Nations and pressing global issues.Established a Teacher Mentoring program that provided a support network for new teachers.Co-Founded the Pathway program, a competency-based curriculum, that helped students who had dropped out of high school to earn diplomas as part of the Next Century Schools initiative.Participated in restructuring of Chelsea High School to create "schools within a school" based upon the success of the Pathway model.Directed Academy of Educators program, designed to introduce students to careers in education, bioscience, medicine, and law.