What if every youth was a self-directed, independent learner? The Institute equips leaders and teachers to unleash the next generation. We bring together leaders, teachers, and researchers to design learning environments that inspire and empower youth to take charge of their learning. Read more at www.selfdirect.school

Leading change in education is challenging yet rewarding. The Penn GSE Leading School Transformation Certificate Program prepares leaders to cast vision, build staff capacity, and manage the changes required to catalyze improvement and innovation in public and independent K12 schools and systems, higher education, and other educational systems. The program virtually convenes school principals, superintendents, headmasters, school founders, CEOs, instructional leaders, central office staff, and those interested in education innovation for an intensive, accelerated, 5-week certificate program that explores school transformation. The program includes case studies, highlights real world examples, and guides leaders to clarify vision and make actual plans that they can use in their school or system to build the capacity of educators.In addition, the Leadership Track of Penn GSE's Project-Based Learning Certificate program is designed for current system level leaders who strive to create rich, meaningful, and rigorous learning experiences through student-centered approaches to teaching and learning. Developed in collaboration with the Science Leadership Academy, the Workshop School, Inquiry Schools, and EL Education, the program provides an innovative professional learning experience that allows currently practicing leaders to leverage the educational expertise of Penn GSE’s faculty and some of the most skilled and experienced student-centered learning practitioners from across the country.

Storytelling Is Essential To The Human Experience. Through 'ready-to-teach' curriculum, experts in the Story Arts, and professional development, we enable educators from Kindergarten to Graduate School to teach the fundamentals of Story in the classroom.

A nonprofit micro-school in south metro Atlanta (Trilith) helping prek4-12 learners flourish through learner-driven technology, Socratic discussions, hands-on projects and real-world apprenticeships in an intentionally diverse, character forging community.

The Georgia Mentoring Partnership—incubated at the J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development at the University of Georgia—envisions a world where every Georgia youth is supported by multiple caring adults. The Partnership is guided by leaders of mentoring and youth development organizations across Georgia who collaborate to elevate mentoring statewide.

Transcend—a national nonprofit—supports communities to create and spread extraordinary, equitable learning environments. Transcend does this by playing two roles:1. Supporting communities to ignite and advance design journeys so that more and more of them are eager and ready to pursue extraordinary, equitable learning environments.2. Partnering with schools and other entities to build and spread “catalytic models,” so communities have a diverse range of outstanding, relevant options to adapt into their unique contexts.Served as a founding partner at Transcend and worked closely on innovative school projects such as nXu, Whittle, The Academy Group, Washington Leadership Academy, Art in Motion, Hebrew Public, Teton Science's Place Network, EL Education, and the Brooklyn STEAM Center.

Chattahoochee Hills Charter School (CHCS) opened in Fall 2014 with grades K-5 and grew to a K-8 school over three years. The mission of CHCS is to inspire all our children to the highest levels of academic achievement through a rigorous curriculum that integrates the wonders of the natural world. Collaborated with CHCS team to plan and articulate to the Fulton County School District and Georgia Department of Education an innovative educational approach featuring a hands-on, thematic instructional methodology that uses the school’s unique rural surroundings as a framework in which students learn and positions agricultural, environmental, and artistic themes as lenses through which the Common-Core Standards can be explored. Charter approved by GA Charter Commission Dec 2010 and Fulton County Schools May 2012. Currently CHCS is one of the highest performing elementary and middle schools in south Fulton, and was featured on CBS This Morning.

Harvard's Doctor of Education Leadership (Ed.L.D.) is an innovative, three-year, practice-based program that integrates the fields of education, business, and public policy. The program offers students access to the intellectual and professional resources of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the Harvard Business School, the Harvard Kennedy School, and the other schools at Harvard. The Ed.L.D. curriculum is meant to harness students' passion for education with the sophisticated professional, organizational, and political skills and experiences necessary to achieve systemic, transformational change in education.

Mount Vernon Presbyterian School (MVPS) prepares its students to be college ready, globally competitive, and engaged citizen leaders. Provided leadership for high school operations, including increasing enrollment, integrating design thinking with an innovative transdisciplinary curriculum, expanding academic and extracurricular offerings for students, launching an Innovation Diploma, and transitioning the school to 21st century teaching and learning. One hundred percent college acceptance for graduates; 82% increase in student enrollment in three years amidst competitive independent school market. Oversaw increase in student performance on standardized tests, the number of college acceptances per senior, and the number of students enrolled in Honors and AP courses.Superior institutional value-added success evidenced by students scoring in 96th, 97th, and 99th percentile against 260+ high schools and colleges over the last three years on the College Work and Readiness Assessment (CWRA). Facilitated robust professional development as evidenced by enhanced student achievement and increasingly positive student feedback captured via semestral student surveys. Successful integration of 21st century teaching strategies, including design thinking, flip instruction, gamification, performance tasks, and a transdisciplinary instructional approach.

Taught Spanish and coached varsity volleyball at Mill Creek High School (MCHS), Georgia's largest public school and, for the 7th consecutive year, one of the Top 5% schools in the country according to Newsweek Magazine. MCHS finds its home in Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS), the largest school system in Georgia, the 14th largest in the nation, and winner of the 2010 and 2014 Broad Prizes for Urban Education. Taught 180 students/semester, including honors classes and trailer classes of students who previously failed and were given a second chance to pass. Modeled evidenced-based instructional practices as a member of TASSLE (Teacher Academy for Studying Student Learning & Engagement). Co-sponsored Key Club chapter and FCA. And coached the varsity volleyball team to two school wins records and a 2009 State Ranking #3 in AAAAAA.

Provided pastoral care for high school students, helping to cultivate mental, physical, social, spiritual, and emotional growth. Developed curriculum, planned & led national (GA, FL, & NY) & international (Peru, Lebanon, Syria & Jordan) service trips, taught biblical studies, developed strategic partnerships (Young Life, Dream House, Operation Mobilization), and recruited and trained volunteers. Oversaw growth of the high school program from 40 students and 7 volunteers in 2000, to 400 students, 80+ volunteers, and six staff in 2006.