Staff

William J. Slotnik, Founder and Executive Director, has overseen the growth of CTAC into one of the nation’s foremost providers of technical assistance, evaluation services, and policy support in the fields of education and community development. CTAC annually assists more than 90 organizations, school districts, and state departments of education. Slotnik provides extensive assistance to state education agency leaders, superintendents, state and local boards of education, unions, and leadership teams throughout the United States. He leads capacity building assistance and evaluation initiatives nationally which address such issues as systemic reform, instructional improvement, human capital recruitment and development, teacher and administrator evaluation, compensation reform, preK-12 STEM, state-to-school and state-to-district initiatives, and transforming underperforming schools, as well as comprehensive community revitalization. He has been the lead or co-lead author of numerous evaluations (including the first comprehensive, longitudinal evaluative studies of the impact of performance-based compensation on student achievement, teacher effectiveness, and systems change) and articles, and provides briefings to members of the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Department of Education, state legislatures and departments of education, and the media.

Barbara W. Brown, Instructional Specialist, guides the implementation of successful turnaround strategies at school and district levels. Brown specializes in mentoring and coaching, providing professional development on instruction, and assisting districts and schools to use data to improve student academic performance. She has extensive expertise in instructional technology and learning, emotional, and intellectual disabilities. Brown previously served as educational specialist for staff development in Henrico County Public Schools, Virginia. In that capacity, she organized and facilitated district-wide trainings, coordinated the district’s teacher mentoring program, and designed a specialized mentoring program to support year two teachers. She also served as the exceptional education department chair and as the division coordinator for positive behavior interventions and supports. Brown taught at the elementary, middle and high school levels and was recognized as Teacher of the Year and Phi Delta Kappa Outstanding Educator.

Peggie Brown, Senior Associate, National School Reform, builds the capacity of districts and schools to develop and implement academic strategies that improve student performance. She has extensive national experience in district and school improvement, including developing principal, teacher, and parent leadership, implementing personalized learning, and improving community engagement. Brown also leads CTAC interview teams in projects focused on school improvement, dropout prevention, and college readiness and access. She previously served as an award-winning principal and vice president of the Administrators Association in the Cleveland Public Schools. Her areas of expertise include school improvement planning and implementation, curriculum development, union-management relations, reading theory and practice, and the alignment of standards, instruction, and assessments.

Judith Clary, Ph.D., Senior Associate, National School Reform, provides program evaluation services and supports districts in developing effective restructuring and accountability frameworks. Clary also assists districts to cultivate relationships with community organizations, businesses, and universities. She previously served as the assistant superintendent for human resources and as assistant superintendent for research, development, and accountability in Albuquerque Public Schools. She also serves as a mediator for Alternative Dispute Resolution and as an educational diagnostician. Her areas of expertise include human resource systems, program evaluation, compensation and evaluation systems, and state and federal regulations and laws.

Jeffrey Edmison, Senior Director, National Field Operations, provides management oversight for CTAC’s education initiatives with states, districts, and schools around the nation. Edmison previously served as chief operating officer for the Christina School District in Delaware, where he provided leadership for the New Directions in Christina systemic reform effort. Through a methodical implementation of the Standard Bearer Schools process, the district significantly increased student achievement and created foundational changes in the organization. In addition, he has served as the associate superintendent for the West Contra Costa Unified School District in Richmond, California, and as the regional general manager for EdisonLearning. In these roles, Edmison has led multiple system-wide efforts which have improved organizational effectiveness and increased student achievement. His areas of expertise include school turnaround, state-to-district collaboration, teacher and principal evaluation, charter schools, STEM, and fiscal accountability systems.

William M. Eglinton, Director, Management, Finance and Policy, serves on CTAC’s research and evaluation team and focuses on local, state, and federal public policy. He previously served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM: a Fortune 200 company), and chairman of the board for all corporate subsidiaries. Eglinton served as CTAC’s co-project director for the TIF-supported Leadership for Educators’ Advanced Performance Initiative (LEAP) with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, directed CTAC’s National Urban Reform Network, led site research and evaluations teams in Christina (DE), Denver (CO), and Newark (NJ), and trained district leadership teams, community collaboratives, corporate leadership groups, and policymaking bodies at local, state, and national levels. His areas of expertise include school/corporate collaboration, performance-based compensation, executive assistance to superintendents and boards of education, and education policy.

Benjamin Feit, J.D., Senior Associate, Program and Policy, provides technical assistance to states and districts and guides policy initiatives to support CTAC’s education reform efforts. He also directs the CTAC Charter Center. Previously, Feit served in senior leadership positions for six years at Democracy Prep Public Schools, a nonprofit organization that operates a national network of public charter schools. At Democracy Prep, he managed large, diverse teams responsible for furnishing accountability, governance, policy, data management and analysis, information systems, and operational support services to a network of more than 1,100 employees. Feit administered federal grants programming in five states and served as project director on a $12.7 million federal grant that supported the network’s expansion. In addition, he served as the executive director of a turnaround school in Washington, D.C., taught a college-style civics seminar to seniors at Democracy Prep’s flagship Harlem high school, and served as a principal network representative to all federal and state regulatory agencies, charter school authorizers, elected officials, boards of trustees, funders, and researchers. His areas of expertise include charter schools, federal and state policy, school improvement, and inter-sector collaboration.

Judy Finkel, Ed.D., Senior Associate, National School Reform, guides the implementation of CTAC’s turnaround services at school and district levels nationwide. She also provides counsel to school principals and evaluates school-based programs. Finkel’s experience in urban education includes having served as a principal and school psychologist for Worcester Public Schools in Massachusetts. In addition, she served as project director at Worcester Community Action Council, where she developed and implemented a federal ARRA-funded program that provided employability skills, job development, and academic preparation for low-income, out-of-school 16-24 year olds. Her areas of expertise include school improvement, professional development programs for principals and assistant principals, and teacher licensure programs.

Joseph P. Frey, Senior Associate, National School Reform, is responsible for key CTAC education initiatives relating to teacher evaluation, teacher licensure and certification, performance-based compensation, state-to-district and state-to-school assistance, and college readiness. He also coordinates CTAC’s higher education initiatives. Frey previously served as the deputy commissioner, New York State Education Department (NYSED), Office of Higher Education. In this capacity, he oversaw 271 colleges and universities and over 450 non-degree-granting proprietary schools. His prior positions included the associate commissioner, NYSED, Office of Higher Education, and assistant commissioner, NYSED, Office of Quality Assurance. He developed the Smart Scholars Early College High School Program and a data-driven Statewide Plan for Higher Education that engaged all four sectors of higher education (SUNY, CUNY, independent and for-profit colleges). Frey was a lead collaborator on the development of the Regents’ Teaching Policy; he was also responsible for implementing the policy and developing the first alternative teacher preparation program in New York State’s history.

Ricci Hall, Senior Associate, National School Reform, builds the capacity of teachers and administrators to strengthen instructional practices, improve school climate and culture, and engage community partners. Hall served Worcester Public Schools as principal, assistant principal, and teacher. As principal of Claremont Academy, he developed strong relationships with colleges and community partners and helped change the atmosphere of the school to a college-going, career-minded culture. In his capacity as principal of University Park Campus School, he guided the school’s senior year program redesign to strengthen the bridge to college by implementing college-like high school experiences. University Park’s successful model and Hall’s leadership was recognized by President Barak Obama at a White House event. Hall has designed and delivered professional development workshops to educators around the country with a specific focus on improving teaching and learning in underperforming schools.

Geraldine Harge, Ed.D., Senior Associate, National School Reform, provides on-site assistance to superintendents, district and school leadership teams, principals, and teachers. She has extensive expertise and experience in project coordination, special education reform, and performance management. Harge also provides training on teacher and principal evaluation systems. She served in a leadership role for the federally-funded TIF-LEAP partnership with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. She previously served as superintendent of schools in Berryessa Union School District (CA) and Nye County School District (NV); as director of special education in San Mateo Foster City School District (CA); and as regional superintendent, principal, counselor and classroom teacher in Albuquerque Public Schools. Harge has nationally recognized expertise in rural education, special education, and systemic reform. She was honored as Nevada Superintendent of the Year.

Barbara J. Helms, Ph.D., Senior Associate, Evaluation and Accountability, has guided CTAC’s landmark work in the area of data-driven decision-making and the impact of performance management. She is an expert on the instruments and methodologies that CTAC uses to gauge student achievement and other indicators of school progress, and provides professional development to districts using CTAC’s data analysis instruments. She previously served as coordinator of demographics and assessment for the East Hartford Public Schools in Connecticut. She has also served as president of the Northeastern Educational Research Association. Helms has conducted multi-year evaluations of state and federally-funded grants awarded to urban school districts, and was a Switzer Distinguished Research Fellow. She has extensive experience in student achievement data analysis, design and implementation of district data systems, statistical methodologies, and the creation and use of relational databases in teacher evaluation and performance-based compensation reforms.

Eric L. Johnson, Ph.D., Senior Associate, School Turnaround, leads school improvement efforts in multiple districts. He previously served as chief of research publications for the United States Air Force Academy and as director of the Urban Education Program in the School of Education at Drake University. Johnson served Columbus Public Schools (OH) in the capacities of curriculum coordinator, professional development facilitator, and middle and high school teacher. Johnson has facilitated national and international workshops on a variety of topics, including using difference as an organizational asset, professional learning communities, and data-driven decision-making. In addition, he has authored three inspirational books: Beyond Self Help: A Journey to be Better, 10 Deadly Aspects of Pride, and Livin’ in the Shade: Implications of Father and Son Relationships Explored. His areas of expertise include curriculum development, culturally relevant pedagogy, urban education, and global and multicultural education.

Susan E. Kirkendol, Ph.D., Senior Associate, National School Reform, builds the capacity of teachers and administrators to improve instructional practices and implement data-informed decision-making in low-performing schools. She informs educator evaluation initiatives at state and district levels throughout the United States, including conducting statewide Network Team Institute trainings and providing BOCES-level support across New York State. Kirkendol also assists research and evaluation teams with developing research questions, determining appropriate analytic methodologies, and designing project plans and strategies. She previously served as a senior research program analyst for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ Leadership for Educators’ Advanced Performance initiative. In that capacity, she guided teachers and administrators in low-performing schools in improving the planning and delivery of instruction. Additionally, Kirkendol has served as a professor and dean at Pfeiffer University and an assistant professor at Clemson University.

Richard Larrabee, Senior Associate, National School Reform, guides the implementation of CTAC’s turnaround services at state, district, and school levels nationwide and serves as a trainer for projects focusing on instructional leadership and improvement. He provided technical counsel and evaluation services as a senior member of CTAC’s team for the federally-funded TIF-LEAP partnership with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. He also led CTAC’s field services team that conducted the groundbreaking professional development audit of the Schultz Center for Teaching and Leadership and the Duval County Public Schools. Larrabee previously served as supervising superintendent (overseeing all district regional superintendents), principal of a distinguished school (one of the nation’s first CTAC-assisted Standard Bearer Schools and the largest elementary school in Ohio), and as director of information services at the Cleveland Public Schools.

Cathi R. Leone, Director, Finance and Management Systems, oversees all financial and human resource functions, including financial reporting, grant and contract administration, risk management, and equal employment opportunity. She provides quality assurance to ensure that all project tasks are accomplished on time and at a standard of excellence. Leone supervises all facets of the performance management system, including onboarding and integrating project and contracted personnel. Prior to joining CTAC, Leone supervised and managed the finances, human resources, non-academic student services, facilities, and data security functions of a private school.

Guodong Liang, Ph.D., Research Specialist, focuses on analyzing and interpreting data to help practitioners and policymakers make informed data-driven decisions. Liang conducts research and evaluation to gauge the fidelity of implementation and impact of federally-funded programs within districts and states, district reform initiatives, and statewide educator evaluation systems. He was co-lead of CTAC’s four pivotal reviews of Maryland’s landmark teacher and principal evaluation system. Liang’s areas of research include the relationship of professional development to teacher practice and student achievement, the implementation of statewide principal leadership development initiatives, and human capital development in charter schools. He previously served as a researcher at University of Missouri where he examined the impact of teacher quality and the opportunity gap in students’ access to qualified teachers on national achievement across 50 countries. Liang is an Editorial Board member of Educational Researcher, one of the most distinguished journals in the field of education. His work has been published in such journals as Educational Policy, Journal of Educational Administration, Journal of Educational Research, Journal of School Leadership, and the International Journal of Educational Research.

Eléna Mason, Senior Associate, Human Capital Management, has more than 20 years of experience in domestic and international human resources, process design, policy development, best practices research, project management, compensation analysis, and executive/leadership training. She is the developer of the Statistical Job Evaluation and Classification System, an automated job evaluation and classification system combining compensation and business metrics with cognitive levels of work performance. Mason holds QMS Auditor (ISO 9001:2000), Certified Compensation Professional, and Senior Professional in Human Resources certifications. She is trained by Watson Wyatt and certified by the State of Montana for compensation and classification using the Benchmark Factoring Method. She speaks 4 languages—Mandarin, Cantonese, Tagalog (Philippines), and English—and has worked in international companies in the United States, Canada, and Hong Kong.

Joan McRobbie, Senior Associate, National School Reform, manages projects on instructional improvement, teacher evaluation, and compensation reform in multiple states. Previously, she served as chief of staff and ethics officer in the San Diego Unified School District. She has also held senior policy and communications positions that focus on issues of urban school systems and their leadership. In addition, she has conducted studies of student achievement within and across states and analyses of the contexts, policies, structures, and practices affecting achievement. McRobbie has published numerous policy studies and briefs and convened multi-state policy seminars to provide policymakers with the best research and thinking on issues of urgent concern. She was a Lucius N. Littauer Fellow at Harvard University, and she won numerous national, state, and regional awards as a journalist.

Natalie Nier, Manager, Communications and Technology, designs and implements communications strategies and technology solutions, and organizes and provides project management support. She serves as lead editor and quality assurance manager for research reports, policy briefs, and communications with constituents and policymakers. Nier oversees the production and dissemination of key publications, presentations, and articles. She manages national symposia and coordinates leadership and networking summits. Additionally, she provides technology support to national headquarters and field staff, and senior district staff. Nier also assists state education agencies to develop final products for distribution, creates and maintains websites, and disseminates project updates and best practices to the field through social media.

Deborah Norris, Instructional Specialist, provides coaching and demonstrates best instructional practices to school leaders and teachers to increase professional learning and student achievement. She also assists school-based educators to interpret student achievement data and determine related instructional needs of students. In several districts, Norris previously served as mentor coordinator, staff development planner, exceptional education department chair, gifted education coordinator, and after-school enrichment coordinator. Norris has been recognized as Teacher of the Year by Henrico County Public Schools, VA. Her areas of expertise include learning disabilities, behavior disorders, and mental retardation.

Donna Ogden, Administration Manager, provides program and administrative support to the CTAC team. She organizes and disseminates training and presentation materials, as well as assists the research and evaluation team with data organization. Ogden assists with accounts payable, payroll, and benefits administration, and manages national and international databases. In addition, she coordinates Board of Directors’ communications, meeting planning, and logistics. Ogden has extensive experience providing executive level support.

Martin Orland, Ph.D., Senior Scholar, Research and Evaluation, focuses on research design, data analysis, and the use of evidence in state and district policy development. Previously he served as senior program director for evaluation and policy research at WestEd. As director of the Center for Education at the National Research Council, part of the National Academies, he developed and disseminated influential research reports covering such topics as student cognition; scientific research in education, STEM teaching, learning, and curriculum; and technology applications in schools. Orland also served as special assistant to the director of the Institute of Education Sciences, where his responsibilities included the creation of the What Works Clearinghouse. As associate commissioner with the National Center for Education Statistics, he directed the publication and dissemination of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Orland is a former president of the Association for Education Finance and Policy and currently serves on the Editorial Board for Education Finance and Policy. He has authored several dozen publications for academic journals, policy and practitioner audiences, and government agencies, and he regularly presents at international, national, and regional conferences.

Zhaogang Qiao, Ph.D., Senior Associate, Research and Evaluation, leads CTAC’s research and evaluation unit. He evaluates program and policy impacts on student achievement and educator performance at school, district, and state levels. Qiao manages and guides the research process, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, and conducts advanced statistical analyses, including value added modeling, hierarchical linear modeling, and difference-in-difference modeling. He also conducts financial modeling to assist school districts to project and assess the financial stability and sustainability of their reform initiatives. Qiao has authored or co-authored numerous evaluations and research reports which focus on systemic reform, school turnaround, performance-based compensation, and professional development. He previously served as research associate at the International Monetary Fund, where he evaluated macroeconomic performance of member countries and analyzed policy effectiveness. He also consulted at the World Bank.

Scott Reynolds, Senior Associate, National School Reform, leads district and school improvement initiatives throughout the nation, guides district level educator effectiveness projects, and builds the capacity of regional service agencies in multiple states. He has trained leaders from more than 30 states on high-quality teaching practices, principal leadership development, and evaluation systems. Further, Reynolds co-directs CTAC’s EIR initiative in California and has won several awards in STEM education. He previously served Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools as curriculum specialist, professional developer, and award-winning teacher. He also spearheaded the Leadership for Educators’ Advanced Performance initiative, funded by the Teacher Incentive Fund. In addition, Reynolds served as Vice President of the Classroom Teachers Association of North Carolina. His areas of expertise include school and district improvement, preK-12 STEM initiatives, evaluation and compensation reform, science and mathematics assessments, union-management collaboration, standards-based curricula, and constructivist pedagogy.

Lee J. Rutledge, Senior Associate, National School Reform, provides leadership coaching to state teams to strengthen school turnaround and teacher effectiveness initiatives, increase the use of evidence-based instructional practices, and facilitate cross-agency collaboration. He also leads numerous school and district improvement initiatives throughout the United States. Previously, Rutledge was appointed by Gov. O’Malley to the Maryland Council on Educator Effectiveness. In addition, he served on the executive board of the Baltimore Teachers’ Union and on the Joint Oversight Committee responsible for implementing landmark performance pay and peer review systems. Rutledge taught at the elementary, middle and high school levels and was recognized as a model teacher. His areas of expertise include leadership development, using data to drive instructional improvements, curriculum design, student growth measures, and compensation reform.

Sylvia Saavedra-Keber, Senior Associate, Community Capacity Building, trains community-based organizations in multiple states, coordinates CTAC’s leadership and networking summits, and managed the intermediary support for organizing communities program. Saavedra-Keber has led successful community efforts in the areas of immigrant voting rights and accessibility to quality education, housing, and health care. She previously served as executive director of Concilio Hispano, the largest multi-service center for Latinos in Cambridge, MA. She also served as assistant director of the immigrant unit at the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants, and as the equal employment opportunity director for the Massachusetts Department of Employment and Training. Her areas of expertise include community building, organizing, nonprofit leadership, advocacy for and by communities of color, school/community collaboration, and private sector philanthropy.

Margaret V. Sharp, Ed.D., Senior Associate, Leadership Development, guides district-wide reform efforts in rural, urban and suburban districts. She designed and leads CTAC’s Quality Leadership Practices initiative. Sharp assists states, districts, and schools to implement successful turnaround strategies as well as use data to improve instruction and student academic performance. Prior to joining CTAC, she was the assistant superintendent at the Avon Grove School District (PA) and was responsible for curriculum and instruction, professional development, strategic planning, leadership development, grant writing and oversight, and supervision of elementary and secondary education programs. Sharp previously served as executive director of curriculum and instruction (K 12), director of elementary education, and principal in the largest school district in Delaware. She also served as an adjunct faculty member for the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program at the University of Delaware. Her areas of expertise include district-wide strategic planning, curriculum development and audits, assessment systems, leadership development, and professional development.

Maribeth D. Smith, Senior Project Director, Professional Development, Curriculum and Instruction, serves as lead technical assistance provider and evaluator within CTAC initiatives in systemic reform, educator evaluation systems, and performance-based compensation. Smith has provided assistance at the state, district, school, union, and board levels throughout the country. She has been the co-lead author of numerous evaluations, including It’s More Than Money; Tying Earning to Learning; Focus on Literacy: Professional Development Audit; and Catalyst for Change (the summative Denver report on performance-based compensation). She previously served as associate superintendent for educational planning and development in Fremont Union High School District (CA). She was honored as Curriculum and Instruction Administrator of the Year in California. She is one of the nation’s leading experts on school reform and redesign, pedagogy and evaluation, and instructional strategies to improve the student achievement of high needs learners.

Eduardo B. Soto, Senior Associate, National School Reform, focuses on district and school turnaround efforts, principal mentoring, special education reform, and professional development on new district and state accountability systems. Soto held many educator positions within the Albuquerque Public Schools in New Mexico. He served as associate superintendent for secondary education. As principal of Rio Grande High School, Soto was instrumental in issuing some of the first bilingual/biliteracy state seals in New Mexico. He also served as assistant principal, and as ESL, bilingual social studies, and special education teacher. Soto has been recognized as Special Education Administrator of the Year by Albuquerque Public Schools, Outstanding Educator of the Year by the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS), and recently by ALAS with its Lifetime Achievement Award.

Lynn Stinnette-Barbour, Senior Associate, National School Reform, has led numerous initiatives at CTAC including the implementation of the Standard Bearer Schools process in multiple districts throughout the nation. She also served as the director of urban education and director for school and community development for the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, and senior associate for the National Center on Education and the Economy. Previously, she served as an award-winning school principal in the Chicago Public Schools. She is a leading expert in urban education, curriculum alignment, standards-based instruction, and data-informed decision-making.

Daniel Ulibarri, Ph.D., Senior Associate, Human Capital Management, specializes in research methods and analysis, employee transitions and change management, performance management, compensation, and classification analysis. Ulibarri uses cognitive models of adult learning to evaluate performance and training needs based on a cognitive complexity hierarchy. Trained in cognitive development and statistics, he also is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources. He has held senior positions with the U.S. Department of Education, and with Fortune 100 and 500 companies as director of human resources and vice president of international human resources in EMEA, Asia Pacific, Africa and Latin America.

Deborah Zych, Ed.D, Senior Associate, National School Reform, builds state and district leadership capacity and provides specialized coaching and mentoring to principals in underperforming schools. Drawing on her expertise in literacy, she guides districts and schools in developing and implementing comprehensive literacy plans that engage and accelerate learners. She previously served as superintendent of POLYTECH School District (DE), and as assistant superintendent of New Castle County VoTech School District (DE). Zych also served as director of curriculum and professional development at the Delaware Department of Education. Her areas of expertise include career and technical education, curriculum development, literacy, school redesign, and strategic planning.