Max Altman

Max Altman is the Director of Research and Policy at the Southern Education Foundation, where he oversees SEF’s research agenda and its research-informed policy positions and advocacy initiatives. He previously served as the technical assistance lead for the Pacific Regional Educational Laboratory at McREL International in Honolulu, where he designed and facilitated ongoing support projects to meet the needs of educators in Pacific jurisdictions. Max has also served as a teacher and curriculum writer.

Tanisha Brandon-Felder

Tanisha Brandon-Felder is the director of PreK and Elementary Success in the Highline School District.  Her work involves supporting and implementing all curriculum and instruction for Ready K and Kindergarten through Fifth Grade. She was the Director of Equitable Leadership, Pedagogy and Family Engagement in the Shoreline School District for 8 years as well as a classroom teacher in the Seattle Public Schools for 16 years in one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the country. Dr. Brandon-Felder specializes in race and equity, culturally responsive practices and, primarily the opportunity gap occurring with Black and Brown students.

DeShawn Chapman

DeShawn Chapman is a community engagement and educational leader and strategist at University of Central Florida. She has learned from students, families, and communities while serving in various roles at secondary and postsecondary institutions. Dr. Chapman is passionate about collaborating with organizational leaders across multiple sectors to build strategic partnerships and manage initiatives that enrich learning experiences and lead to equitable life outcomes, especially for historically disenfranchised learners. She is both driven and grounded by a love for family and enjoys cultivating those relationships through fun experiences, serving on community boards, and growing her small business, Equity Learning Bridge, LLC.

Lenay Dunn

Lenay Dunn is a Research Director at WestEd and serves as Deputy Director of the Regional Educational Laboratory West. She leads work that bridges research and practice and helps partners use evidence to ensure equitable access and outcomes. Dunn has over 25 years of experience in education as a teacher, leader, and researcher. She earned her MA in education from Stanford University and her PhD in education policy from Arizona State University.

Lachanda Garrison

Lachanda Garrison is a consultant who believes a learner’s mindset is necessary to grow as an educator, essential to staying current with the most effective instructional and pedagogical practices, and important in building confidence and self-efficacy among students and teachers. A few of Lachanda's passions include her faith, tasty food, and collaborating. Family is very important to her. She refers to her family as a mirror - showing her how to love, the importance of selflessness, and true courage.

Jessica Jackson

Jessica Jackson is director of professional learning for the Learner Variability Project at Digital Promise where she designs professional learning for educators that helps them address the needs of the whole learner through research-based practices. Jessica has over 20 years of experience in education that reflects her passion for creativity, curiosity, leadership, and social justice. As a New Leader alum, she founded an integrated arts elementary school in Memphis, TN where she designed a pathways program that helped students explore their own curiosity and creativity. As Director of Academics, she designed instructional systems, coached leaders, and organized full-scale professional development for a network of schools at Capstone Education Group. She has her Masters in Education from Pace University and her undergraduate degree from the University of Richmond.

Sarah Oberle

Sarah Oberle is an elementary school teacher at Red Clay Consolidated School District (DE) and a doctoral candidate studying educational leadership and cognitive sciences at the University of Delaware. As a veteran primary teacher, she has served as a team leader and is currently a professional standards committee member for the Delaware Department of Education, as well as an advisory board member for the Learner Variability Project at Digital Promise. Her doctoral research focuses on the translation and dissemination of Science of Learning evidence for teachers. Through her work, she strives to broker educational research with practice by mobilizing and translating evidence to disseminate for educators.  Sarah is the Chair of the researchED United States: Delaware conference.  She lives in Chester County, Pennsylvania with her husband and two daughters.

Katherine Philp

Katherine Philp is the Senior Director of Research and Evaluation at the Polis Institute, an applied research and community engagement nonprofit. She has diverse, cross-sector experience in education, public health, and nonprofit leadership. Dr. Philp’s scholarly work focuses on after school programs and community-based learning. She is particularly interested in participatory research approaches and in translational efforts that bridge theory and practice. For over a decade, she has supported community-based organizations in Orlando, FL, securing millions in funding for local youth organizations and serving as an advisor for grassroots coalitions promoting positive youth and family development.

Dr. Lisa Thomas

Dr. Lisa Thomas is the Senior Associate Director at the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). With a passion for bridging the gap between research and educators, she is dedicated to capturing how practitioners fill knowledge gaps for researchers. A lifelong advocate for literacy, she loves getting books into everyone's hands. When not working, Lisa enjoys baking, reading, and visiting pristine beaches. She is the proud mother of three young adults and has been married for 30 years.

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