The Pahara Institute, together with the Aspen Institute, announced today the Fall 2019 cohort of the highly-selective Pahara-Aspen Education Fellowship. These 25 individuals join the Pahara community of leaders, which is designed to support and challenge diverse and innovative leaders who are reimagining America’s public schools.
“To live up to our aspiration that all of our young people attain the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in college, work, and beyond, we need bold and diverse education leaders committed to this work for the long haul,” said Kim Smith, Pahara Institute Founder and CEO. “We are delighted to welcome a new cohort of these courageous and inspiring leaders into our Pahara-Aspen community.”
The Pahara-Aspen Education Fellowship is a two-year, cohort-based program that identifies exceptional leaders in the educational excellence and equity movement, facilitates their dynamic growth, and strengthens their collective efforts to dramatically improve public schools, especially those serving low-income children and communities. The Fellowship provides these leaders with the unusual opportunity to step back from their demanding daily work to reflect with peers on their collective and individual impact as leaders and change agents. Fellows challenge each other to think beyond traditional silos and sector boundaries to develop strategies that enhance their effectiveness as leaders, address leadership challenges in public education, and accelerate the improvements needed to provide high-quality learning opportunities for all of our nation’s children.
The Fellowship is a partnership between the Pahara and Aspen Institutes. The Aspen Institute has created a leadership development model through its renowned Henry Crown Fellowship program, which focuses on inspiring Fellows to make a lasting difference in their spheres of influence through the application of effective and enlightened leadership. Pahara-Aspen Fellows become part of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, which currently includes more than 2,800 Fellows from over 60 countries who are collectively making tremendous positive change in the world.
The Fall 2019 Pahara-Aspen Education Fellows are:
Emary Aronson, Chief Program Officer, Robin Hood
Rochelle Benning, Co-Founder & Board Chair, East Bay Innovation Academy
Patricia Brantley, Chief Executive Officer, Friendship Public Charter School
Kerri Briggs, Principal, Cicero Social Impact & Ed Direction, Cicero Group
Eric Chan, Partner, Charter School Growth Fund
Tina Chekan, Chief Executive Officer & Superintendent, Propel Schools
Veronica Crespin-Palmer, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, RISE Colorado
Todd Dickson, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Valor Collegiate Academies
David Flink, Founder & Chief Empowerment Officer, Eye to Eye
Phillip Garza, Chief College & Diversity Officer, IDEA Public Schools
Joshua Griggs, Executive Vice President – Talent & Operations & Chief Finance Officer, Teach For America
Nancy Gutiérrez, President & Chief Executive Officer, NYC Leadership Academy
Bridget Hamre, Co-Founder & Chief Impact Officer, Teachstone
Nancy Hanks, Chief of Schools – Elementary, Madison Metropolitan School District
Pamela Inbasekaran, Executive Vice President, Relay Graduate School of Education
Cary Matsuoka, Superintendent, Santa Barbara Unified School District
Jamar McKneely, Chief Executive Officer, InspireNOLA Charter Schools
Erin McMahon, Chief Academic Officer, KIPP Foundation
Eileen Murphy Buckley, Founder, ThinkCERCA
Brian Neal, Chief Executive Officer, Accelerate Great Schools
Emilio Pack, Chief Executive Officer, STEM Preparatory Schools
Chris Stewart, Chief Executive Officer, Education Post
Jane Swift, President & Executive Director, LearnLaunch
Glen Tripp, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Galileo Learning
Doug Tuthill, President, Step Up for Students
“The work of Pahara-Aspen Fellows in the field of public education is imperative as we rebuild trust in our democracy, and learn to engage in constructive, civil dialogue. We’re thrilled to welcome this new class to the Aspen Global Leadership Network and thank them for their commitment to this increasingly critical work,” said David Langstaff, Interim Executive Vice President for the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
To access bios and photos of the Pahara-Aspen Fellows, click here.