Heather (Gage) Murray Email & Phone Number

Merrimack, Nh, Us

Exeter, New Hampshire, United States

Concord, Nh

Experience includes:• Overseeing the Division of Learner Support (Per RSA 21-N:6), including five Bureaus with over 90 employees;• Managing over 45 federal grants and state funding sources totaling over $200M;• Providing Division coordination for government relations with the New Hampshire General Court and other policymakers by attending and testifying at legislative hearings, gathering and preparing necessary information for legislators and analyzing bills relevant to education; • Managing the coordination and collaboration for leadership team and advisory group meetings, including planning for and facilitating regular team meetings and briefings;• Presenting at various stakeholder meetings on the priorities of the Department and updates on implementation efforts;• Collaborating with the Department’s Office of Human Resource and Office of Business Management to ensure quality personnel recruitment and development, and fiscal planning and management;• Developing policies and procedures to ensure the Department complies with federal and state laws and regulations;• Providing thought partnership and strategic guidance with the NH DOE’s leadership team and Bureau Administrators to increase efficiencies and ensure alignment to priorities and goals; • Serving as the federal liaison for the NH DOE with the Council of Chief State School Officers (2014 Chair);• Preparing communication material and information regarding NH DOE initiatives and reform efforts in collaboration with the Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner and other Division Directors;• Coordinating the development of state waivers and plans, applications and reports for the U.S. Department of Education, the Governor’s Office, the New Hampshire General Court and philanthropy organizations; and• Managing employee challenges, processing grievances and making personnel decisions.

National

Responsible for managing client relationships, project development and implementation, and coordinating with Education First’s consulting team to guide the overall engagement of the firm in the national education landscape. Clients included entities such as, Achieve, Inc., the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Educate Texas, the Data Quality Campaign and the U.S. Department of Education. Experience includes:• Providing technical assistance to clients in the areas of strategic planning, analysis of policy and program options and landscapes, organizational purpose and design, collection and analysis of data and project management;• Providing clients advice on education reform issues, especially in the area of educator effectiveness and evaluations, standards and assessments, and options for strategic directions;• Producing client-ready deliverables such as meeting presentations, landscape and data analysis, federal applications, interview analysis, and other memos and reports;• Monitoring work plans and budgets for projects and ensuring quality communication to the management team and clients about the status for each project;• Organizing and facilitating large scale meetings and state visits to collect and analyze information for client use; and• Working with internal practice teams for teacher and leader effectiveness and college and career readiness by collecting research and determining effective ways to help grow the firm’s position as a national education policy, communication and strategy expert in these areas.

Little Rock, Arkansas

Responsible for direct and indirect policy work for the ADE: establishing and maintaining strategic relationships with policymakers and other stakeholders, coordinating state and federal policy analysis for the various units of the department, and facilitating other special projects. Experience includes:• Managing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for K-12 education in the state, including its Race to the Top application process;• Coordinating and assisting in the development and promotion of ADE’s policy agenda by working in partnership with other senior staff to facilitate cross-division discussions on short- and long-term initiatives;• Assisting in the department’s legislative activities by supporting testimony preparation, drafting talking points, and conducting outreach to key policymakers and stakeholders;• Analyzing current and proposed education policy at the state and federal levels to anticipate policy changes, new demographic trends, or proposed program changes and their possible effects;• Interacting with and responding to requests from the Commissioner, Governor’s office, legislators and ADE staff on policy interpretation and impact on services;• Serving as the ADE’s federal liaison with the Council of Chief State School Officers (2010 vice-chair) as well as the liaison to the Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE) to ensure a two-way communication link between ADE and ADHE; and • Preparing applications for projects to national organizations and the U.S. Department of Education.

Little Rock, Arkansas

Responsible for planning, implementing, evaluating and overall management of the Arkansas Study Circles Project (community engagement model) and other public engagement strategies. Also, served as a member of the ASBA legislative and training teams. Experience includes:• Developing and administering yearly strategic plans for the Arkansas Study Circles Project, and monitored its budget and staff;• Training organizers and providing technical assistance to communities across the state using the study circles’ model for extended and short term conversations;• Designing discussion materials for study circles and other community meetings on topics such as student achievement, early care and education, tax structure, school reconfiguration and consolidation, family involvement, and race and diversity;• Serving on the ASBA legislative team by tracking legislation, developing ASBA position statements, testifying on bills during committee hearings, building coalitions with educational stakeholders and policymakers on legislative priority areas, and monitoring and conducting research; • Designing and facilitating workshops and academies to help school district leadership teams gain the tools to be more effective in their responsibilities; and• Serving as a member of the ASBA training team by representing ASBA with the NSBA FedTrain network, designing and implementing training modules, and working with local school boards to customize desired training.

Mpa, Public Administration

Masters Degree in Public Administration

Bsw, Social Work

Bachelors Degree in Social Work