Speaker Biographies
Beth Anderson
CEO and founder, Phoenix Charter Academy Network
Beth Anderson is CEO and founder of the Phoenix Charter Academy Network, which she created in
2006 in response to a severely underserved and untapped cohort of Massachusetts urban adolescents
that rarely had a “seat at the table,” even at reform-minded public schools. Since its founding, Phoenix
has grown into a network of more than 100 talented educators serving more than 300 students across
two schools in Chelsea and Lawrence, Massachusetts. Ms. Anderson had experience leading schools
prior to this, as senior program director of Roca Inc. in Chelsea and as deputy executive director of
Boston’s Match Charter High School. Her career in education began in 1991 as a Teach For America
corps member in Los Angeles, where she taught bilingual kindergarteners. She is a board member of
the Massachusetts Public Charter School Association, and has served on several advisory boards. Ms.
Anderson is an alumna of Brandeis University, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Teach For
America.
Josh Biber
Executive director, Teach For America Massachusetts
Josh Biber is executive director of Teach For America Massachusetts, which he established himself as
director of new site development in 2008. Mr. Biber joined Teach For America in 2004 as a Phoenix,
Arizona, corps member, where he led his fifth grade students to substantial academic gains. Following
this, he served as recruitment director for Teach For America at Brown and Harvard. Mr. Biber is on the
local advisory boards of the Orchard Gardens Pilot School in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood, Kingsley
Montessori School, and is on the board of trustees of the Salem Academy Charter School. He
graduated with honors from Brown University and earned a master’s degree in education from Arizona
State University.
Campbell Brown
Journalist and education advocate
Campbell Brown is an award-winning journalist who has written for publications such as the New York
Times and the Wall Street Journal, and who has covered stories around the globe for CNN and NBC
News. Through writing and reporting on education issues, Ms. Brown has become a passionate
advocate for school choice and education reform. Last year, she founded the Parents’ Transparency
Project, a nonprofit watchdog group that seeks information and accountability from the education
establishment on actions impacting children in New York City’s public schools. Ms. Brown is a board
member of New York’s Success Academies and of the Jewish Community Project, a preschool and
community center in Lower Manhattan.
Linda Brown
Founder and CEO, Building Excellent Schools
Linda Brown is the founder and CEO of Building Excellent Schools, where she has continually
conceptualized, solidified, and executed the organization’s strategic vision since 1993. Building
Excellent Schools fellows operate more than 50 high-performing schools across the country and have
served nearly 20,000 students since inception. Ms. Brown works with Building Excellent Schools’
development and board governance teams to guide school leaders on issues related to governance
and fund development. She also is an inductee to the Charter Schools Hall of Fame. Ms. Brown holds
a B.A. in English from Boston University.
Thomas Carroll
President, Foundation for Opportunity in Education
Thomas Carroll is president of the Foundation for Opportunity in Education, which, along with its
associated advocacy organization, is focused on the adoption of an education tax credit to encourage
charitable giving toward education in New York. Previously Mr. Carroll played a lead role in the
adoption of New York State’s charter school law. He also founded the Brighter Choice Foundation,
which created a set of urban charter schools in Albany that now serve nearly one third of the city’s
public school students.
Kathleen deLaski
President, deLaski Family Foundation
Kathleen deLaski is president of the deLaski Family Foundation, a Washington D.C. area grantmaker in
education and the arts. She also is the founder of two education organizations; the Education Design
Lab, a nonprofit that works with universities, entrepreneurs, and employers to prototype new education
models that prepare students for the knowledge economy, and EdFuel, which is developing the talent
pipeline for the K-12 “edu-preneur sector.” Previously, Ms. deLaski was on the senior founding team for
StudentsFirst, a 1.8 million member national advocacy movement to create better school options,
particularly for low-income families. Ms. deLaski also was senior program officer for education at the
Walton Family Foundation, where she managed a $130 million portfolio of grants and loans to grow
advocacy capacity for education reform and quality charter school seats across the U.S. Earlier in her
career, she was named by President Clinton as chief spokesman for the Pentagon, where she oversaw
the military’s worldwide public information team. She holds a bachelor’s in English and political science
from Duke University and a master’s in public administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of
Government.
Dan Fishman
Director of K-12 Education Programs, The Philanthropy Roundtable
Dan Fishman is director of K–12 education programs at The Philanthropy Roundtable. Prior to joining
the Roundtable in 2011, he served as a Teach For America corps member on the Zuni Indian
Reservation in northwest New Mexico, where he taught high school history, coached football, chaired
the social studies department, and helped to pilot his school’s Advanced Placement program. Mr.
Fishman then lived in China, where he studied the Chinese education system and taught English and
Western culture at Qingdao University of Science and Technology in Shandong Province. He received
his bachelor’s degree in international relations from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service,
where he graduated cum laude and served as chairman of his class.
Scott Given
Founder and CEO, UP Education Network
Scott Given is the founder and CEO of UP Education Network, an organization created to rapidly
transform chronically underperforming schools into extraordinary schools that sustain high achievement
over time. Prior to this, he was principal of Excel Academy Charter School, where he was part of a
comprehensive school improvement effort for three years and a high school history teacher at Boston
Collegiate Charter School. Mr. Given has also worked as an independent consultant for charter schools
in nine states, as an entrepreneur in residence for the Newark Charter School Fund, and as
Entrepreneur in Residence at the NewSchools Venture Fund. He graduated summa cum laude from
Dartmouth College and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Ethan Gray
Founder and CEO, Cities for Education Entrepreneurship Trust (CEE-Trust)
Ethan Gray is founder and CEO of the Cities for Education Entrepreneurship Trust (CEE-Trust), a
national network that includes 34 city-based education nonprofits, foundations, and mayors’ offices
around the country leading efforts to dramatically improve public education in their respective cities.
Prior to leading CEE-Trust, Mr. Gray was vice president of the Mind Trust, where he helped develop the
“Opportunity Schools” plan for transforming Indianapolis Public Schools. He also previously worked as
policy director at Be the Change, where he helped craft a policy agenda to expand national and
community service opportunities that strongly influenced the introduction of the Edward M. Kennedy
“Serve America Act.” He is a board member of the Strive Prep network of charter schools, and a
national advisory board member for Families for Excellent Schools, EdFuel, and Innovative Schools in
Wilmington, Delaware. An accomplished cellist, Mr. Gray serves on the board of trustees for the
Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra. He is an honors graduate of Harvard College and holds a master’s degree
from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in education policy and management.
Brian Greenberg
CEO, Silicon Schools Fund
Brian Greenberg is CEO of the Silicon Schools Fund, a nonprofit investment fund that seeks to
accelerate the next generation of blended-learning schools in California’s Bay Area. Before this, Mr.
Greenberg had served as the chief academic officer of Envision Schools, a Bay Area charter
management organization, and as principal and founder of Leadership Public Schools Hayward, one of
California’s top charter schools. In his past, he has worked as a teacher in Los Angeles Unified School
District, in politics on statewide and national campaigns, and in higher education at Carnegie Mellon
University. He is a Stanford University Principal Fellow, was a mentor principal for New Leaders for new
schools, created the Blend My Learning website, which focuses on innovations in the education
technology sector, and co-created the Coursera Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) and Khan
Academy course on blended learning. Mr. Greenberg is a graduate of Dartmouth College and holds a
master’s in education from Harvard University.
Matt Greenfield
Managing partner, Rethink Education
Matt Greenfield is managing partner of Rethink Education, a venture capital partnership that focuses on
educational technology. Before this, he helped start the technology businesses Rethink Autism, DB
Software, and Synernetics, and worked as an associate at ABS Ventures. Mr. Greenfield has also
successfully invested in several businesses. These include Engrade, which was acquired by McGraw
Hill Education, Wireless Generation, which was acquired by News Corp., Analog Analytics, which was
acquired by Barclays, and Wellfleet, which merged with Synoptics to form Bay Networks and then was
acquired by Nortel.
Paul Grogan
President and CEO, The Boston Foundation
Paul Grogan is president and CEO of the Boston Foundation, which distributed more than $98 million to
nonprofits throughout the Boston community in 2013. Before joining the foundation, Mr. Grogan was
vice president for government, community, and public affairs at Harvard University. He also co-founded
“CEOs for Cities” in 2001, a civic innovation lab and network of urban leaders and change agents from
diverse sectors, foundations, and the government. He is a founder and director of the Community
Development Trust, a director of New Profit Inc., a trustee of Brandeis University, and co-author with
Tony Proscio of the book, Comeback Cities. Mr. Grogan graduated with honors from Williams College,
and earned a master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Jimmy Henderson
CEO, EdFuel
Jimmy Henderson is CEO of EdFuel, an organization whose mission is to help charter and autonomous
public schools and the organizations that support them attract, develop, and retain the most talented
and innovative leaders in the country. Prior to this, he was the COO and CFO at E. L. Haynes Public
Charter School for three years, during which the school doubled in size. He was also vice president of
operations and finance at American Honors, an education startup that is creating a new undergraduate
degree pathway for college students. Before his career in education, Mr. Henderson spent four years at
the Boston Consulting Group. Mr. Henderson holds a B.S. in industrial engineering from the Georgia
Institute of Technology, as well as an MBA and master’s in education from Stanford University.
Michael Horn
Co-founder and education program executive director, Clayton Christensen Institute
Michael Horn is co-founder and education program executive director of the Clayton Christensen
Institute, where he leads a team that educates policymakers and community leaders on the power of
disruptive innovation in the K-12 and higher education spheres. He is co-author of Disrupting Class:
How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns with Clayton M. Christensen and
Curtis W. Johnson, is co-editor of Private Enterprise and Public Education with Fredrick Hess, and has
written several white papers about blended learning. Mr. Horn is executive editor at Education Next, a
journal of opinion and research about education policy, is a member of the Education Innovation
Advisory Board at Arizona State University, and is a member of the advisory committee for the
Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media at Teachers College, Columbia University. He holds a
B.A. in history from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Barbara Hyde
President, Hyde Family Foundations
Barbara Hyde is president of the Hyde Family Foundations, which have been dedicated to building a
better Memphis through active, engaged philanthropy for the past 50 years. Mrs. Hyde has championed
numerous efforts to reform and strengthen public education in Memphis in pursuit of closing the city’s
achievement gap. This work has brought innovative education organizations to Memphis, such as
KIPP, TNTP, New Leaders, and Teach For America. Prior to this, Mrs. Hyde was executive director at
the Arts and Sciences Foundation and associate dean of the college of arts and sciences at the
University of North Carolina. Additionally, she is board chair and a founding member of the Shelby
Farms Park Conservancy, a founding chair of the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis, and
serves on the boards of the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Ballet Memphis, and the Yale University
Art Gallery Governing Board. Mrs. Hyde holds a B.A. in English and religion from the University of
North Carolina, where she was a Morehead Scholar.
Joanna Jacobson
Founder and managing partner, Strategic Grant Partners
Joanna Jacobson is founder and managing partner for Strategic Grant Partners, a foundation and probono consulting firm, as well as president of the Jacobson Family Foundation. Prior to this, Ms.
Jacobson had a significant career in private industry, holding senior management and marketing
positions in turnaround businesses, including her role as president of Keds Corporation and senior vice
president of marketing and product development at Converse Corporation. She serves on the boards of
Youth Villages, Edward Brooke Charter Schools, HBS Social Enterprise Initiative, and the Boston Plan
for Excellence. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from
Harvard University.
Kristi Kimball
Executive director, Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation
Kristi Kimball is executive director of the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation. Before joining the
foundation, she worked as an independent consultant for a number of education funders and NGOs on
a wide variety of projects, including strategic planning, grantmaking support, advocacy, and monitoring
and evaluation. Prior to her work as an independent consultant, Ms. Kimball served for eight years as a
program officer for the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, where she managed more than $85
million in grants to improve K-12 education in California and nationwide. Earlier in her career, Ms.
Kimball served in the U.S. Department of Education, in the Education Policy Research Center at the
Urban Institute, and in the Education Office of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Committee. She currently serves on the board of Grantmakers for Education and Envision Education.
Ms. Kimball holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an MPA from the Woodrow Wilson School at
Princeton University.
Stig Leschly
CEO, Match Education
Stig Leschly is the CEO of Match Education, a national education nonprofit based in Boston,
Massachusetts. Match Education operates college preparatory charter schools for low-income
students, runs a stand-alone graduate school of education that trains teachers for careers in highpoverty schools, and pursues other innovative work related to urban school reform. Before his work at
Match Education, Mr. Leschly was founder and CEO of the Newark Charter School Fund, a foundation
focused on school reform in Newark, New Jersey. Mr. Leschly was also a lecturer at Harvard Business
School, where his teaching and research focused on entrepreneurship and education reform. He holds
a B.A. in comparative literature from Princeton University, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and an
MBA from Harvard Business School.
Jack McCarthy
President and CEO, AppleTree Institute for Education Innovation
Jack McCarthy is president and CEO of AppleTree Institute for Education Innovation. Mr. McCarthy cofounded AppleTree Institute in 1996, creating a charter school incubator that supported the creation of
Washington Mathematics Science Technology Public Charter School, Cesar Chavez Public Policy
Public Charter School, and Paul Public Charter School. In 2001 he co-founded a tuition-free, privately
funded laboratory preschool to attempt erasing the achievement gap before students enter
kindergarten. Four years later, this preschool successfully applied for a charter, creating AppleTree
Early Learning Public Charter School. These two organizations work together to serve 640 children at
seven locations throughout Washington, D.C. while also impacting education policy and practice. Mr.
McCarthy is a graduate of American University and holds a certificate in strategic management and
governance of charter schools from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Adam Meyerson
President, The Philanthropy Roundtable
Adam Meyerson has served as president of The Philanthropy Roundtable since 2001. The Roundtable
is America’s largest association of foundations and charitable givers committed to the protection of
donor intent, the preservation of philanthropic freedom, and the advancement of liberty, opportunity,
and personal responsibility through philanthropic giving. From 1993 to 2001, Mr. Meyerson was vice
president for educational affairs at the Heritage Foundation, where he coordinated civil society projects,
publications on the Founding Fathers, and “No Excuses” work on high-performing, high-poverty
schools. Mr. Meyerson was editor-in-chief of Heritage’s magazine, Policy Review, from 1983 to 1998.
From 1979 to 1983, he was an editorial writer for the Wall Street Journal and editor of its “Manager’s
Journal” and “Asia” columns and its book reviews. He is co-editor of The Wall Street Journal on
Management. From 1974 to 1977, he was managing editor of the American Spectator. Mr. Meyerson
graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Yale University and completed all the
requirements but the dissertation for a doctorate in international business at Harvard Business School.
Julie Mikuta
Senior director of education, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation
Julie Mikuta is the senior director of education at the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family
Foundation. Before joining the Schusterman Foundation, Ms. Mikuta was a partner at NewSchools
Venture Fund, where she focused on teacher preparation. Earlier in her career, she led trainings for
school board and superintendent teams of large urban districts at the Center for Reform of School
Systems. Ms. Mikuta also served as an elected member of the D.C. Board of Education, where she
was vice president of alumni affairs for Teach For America. She began her career teaching high school
science in New Orleans through Teach For America. Ms. Mikuta is on the boards of Stand for Children,
Urban Teacher Center, New Teacher Center, and Relay Graduate School of Education, and is on the
advisory board of Teaching Works at the University of Michigan. She is a graduate of Georgetown
University and completed her doctorate at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar.
Eva Moskowitz
Founder and CEO, Success Academy Charter Schools
Eva Moskowitz is the founder and CEO of Success Academy Charter Schools, which opens and
manages the highest-performing charter schools in New York City. In the six years since opening its
first school, Success Academy Charter Schools has grown to 14 schools serving nearly 5,000 students
in Harlem, the South Bronx, the Upper West Side, and Brooklyn. Despite serving a high-poverty
population, Success Academy schools have consistently outperformed more affluent school districts.
Prior to creating Success Academy, Ms. Moskowitz was chairwoman of the education committee of the
New York City Council, where she visited hundreds of New York City schools and began to draw ideas
for Success Academy’s school design, teaching, and curriculum. She holds a B.A. from the University
of Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in American history from Johns Hopkins University.
Jim Peyser
Partner, NewSchools Venture Fund
Jim Peyser is a partner at NewSchools Venture Fund (NSVF) and is managing director of NewSchools
City Funds at the NSVF Boston office, where he leads NewSchools’ city-focused investments. Prior to
joining NSVF, Mr. Peyser was education adviser to two Massachusetts governors, where he helped
shape state policy regarding standards and assessments, school accountability, and charter schools.
Before this, he was chairman of the Massachusetts Board of Education. In his role with NSVF, Mr.
Peyser serves on the board of directors for Achievement First, Success Charter Network, and
Uncommon Schools. He also is a board member of the National Association of Charter School
Authorizers and the Massachusetts Center for Charter Public School Excellence. Mr. Peyser holds a
B.A. from Colgate University and a M.A. in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts
University.
Jeff Raikes
Former CEO, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Jeff Raikes is the former CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he sets strategic priorities,
monitors results, and facilitates relationships with key partners for all four of the foundation’s program
groups. Before joining the foundation, Mr. Raikes was president of the Microsoft Business Division
where he oversaw the Information Worker, Server & Tools Business and Microsoft Business Solutions
groups. He has held multiple positions within Microsoft, including vice president of the Worldwide Sales
and Support Group, and senior vice president of Microsoft North America. Mr. Raikes is also chairman
of the Microsoft Alumni Foundation and serves on the board of Costco Wholesale Corp. He and his wife
Tricia are founders of the Raikes Foundation and active members of the United Way of King County.
Mr. Raikes holds a B.S. in engineering-economic systems from Stanford University.
Jeffrey Riley
Superintendent and receiver, Lawrence Public School District
Jeffrey Riley is superintendent and operates as receiver for the Lawrence Public School District. Before
this role, Mr. Riley was the chief innovation officer at Boston Public Schools, where he oversaw creative
approaches to accelerate student achievement and strengthen outside partnerships with schools. He
has served a number of education roles, including principal, counselor, and teacher, at various urban
school systems across the country.
Candice Santomauro
Vice president of local engagement, GreatSchools
Candice Santomauro is vice president of local engagement at GreatSchools, where she oversees the
GreatSchools Local program. Prior to this, Ms. Santomauro was director of operations and outreach at
the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, where she oversaw their information technology, fundraising, and
human capital efforts. She also was director of development at Cornerstone Schools of Washington,
D.C., a private school that provides an academically rigorous education to 200 low-income, at-risk
students. Ms. Santomauro is a trustee for BASIS DC and volunteers in support of local education
reform efforts as well. She served in the Air Force, and holds a B.S. in computer information systems
from Strayer University.
Mora Segal
CEO, The Achievement Network (ANet)
Mora Segal is CEO of The Achievement Network (ANet), a national nonprofit that partners with schools
in underserved communities to ensure that all teachers are tailoring instruction for their students by
using Common Core State Standards and regular cycles of achievement data. During the past several
years, ANet partner schools have consistently achieved two times the rate of student achievement
growth as their peers, and ANet has nearly doubled in size under Mrs. Segal’s tenure to serve over 470
schools. Before this, Mrs. Segal was chief strategy officer at College Summit, an organization focused
on raising the college-going rate of low-income students nationwide. She also serves on the boards of
uAspire and the Eli J. Segal Citizen Leadership Program. Mrs. Segal holds degrees from both Yale
University and Harvard Business School.
Greg Shell
Former chair, Roxbury Prep Charter School and Campus Working Capital
Greg Shell is engaged in portfolio management at GMO (Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo), where he
shares responsibility for the management of the U.S. equity portion of the team’s Global portfolios. Prior
to joining GMO in 2009, he was a senior analyst at Columbia Management. Previously, Mr. Shell was a
consultant in the private equity group at Bain & Company. He is chair of the Boston Foundation’s
program committee. He earned his B.S. in Political Science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
and his MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was a Bert King and Robert Toigo Foundation
Fellow.
Jesse Solomon
Founder and executive director, Boston Plan for Excellence
Jesse Solomon is the founder and executive director of the Boston Plan for Excellence, a master’s
program in education that attracts talented individuals and gives them the tools necessary to make an
immediate impact in Boston Public Schools. Before this, he taught middle- and high school math for 10
years at three Boston-area schools, and was a founding faculty member, lead teacher, and member of
the board at City on a Hill Public Charter School. While at City on a Hill, he began and directed the
Teachers’ Institute, a school-based teacher preparation program. Mr. Solomon is a Pahara-Aspen
Institute Education Fellow, was a Barr Foundation Fellow, and has been an instructor at the Harvard
Graduate School of Education. He holds a B.S. in Mathematics from MIT and a master’s in education
from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Jim Stergios
Executive director, Pioneer Institute
Jim Stergios is executive director of the Pioneer Institute, a Boston-based think tank founded in 1988.
Before joining Pioneer Institute, Mr. Stergios was chief of staff and undersecretary for policy in the
Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, where he drove efforts on water policy,
regulatory and permit reform, and urban revitalization. Prior to this, he also was the founder and
manager of a business, taught at the university level, and served as headmaster at a preparatory
school. Additionally, Mr. Stergios has been interviewed by the BBC, FOX News, MSNBC, and his
opinion pieces have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, and the Washington Times.
He holds a doctoral degree in political science from Boston University.
Sol Stern
Senior fellow, Manhattan Institute
Sol Stern is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, is a contributing editor for City Journal, and is an
accomplished author. Aside from his work in City Journal, his articles have appeared in publications
such as the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times Magazine, and New York Magazine. He also is
the author of Breaking Free: Public School Lessons and the Imperative of School Choice. Outside of
the field of journalism, Mr. Stern served as executive director of a New York State commission on
juvenile justice reform, and was director of issues, press secretary, and senior policy adviser in the
Office of the City Council President of New York. Mr. Stern is a graduate of City College of New York,
and holds a M.A. in political science from the State University of Iowa.
Marc Sternberg
Director of K-12 education reform, Walton Family Foundation
Marc Sternberg is director of K-12 education reform at the Walton Family Foundation, where he leads
the foundation’s initiatives to improve K-12 education for all of the nation’s children by empowering
parents with quality options. Prior to this, Mr. Sternberg was senior deputy chancellor at the New York
City Department of Education, where he directed the citywide portfolio planning efforts including new
school development and placement, the school phase-out process, and the enrollment process for all
students. He also served as senior adviser to the chancellor and the mayor’s office on K-12 education
policy and strategy. Prior to his role as deputy chancellor, Mr. Sternberg was founder and principal of
the Bronx Lab School, which quadrupled the graduation rate of the high school it had replaced in 2004.
Mr. Sternberg is also a White House Fellow and Teach For America alumnus. He holds a B.A. from
Princeton University, and a joint MBA and master’s in education from Harvard University.
Susan Stevenson
Executive director, Flamboyan Foundation
Susan Stevenson is executive director of the Flamboyan Foundation’s Washington, D.C. office, where
she shapes, implements and oversees all aspects of Flamboyan Foundation strategy and manages the
Washington team. Prior to this, Ms. Stevenson was a strategic planning and organizational
development consultant with a D.C.-based education nonprofit. Before this, she spent several years
with McKinsey and Company as a management consultant in their New York and Buenos Aires offices,
and co-founded and served as president of En Route Entertainment, a startup company providing
movie and hardware rentals to Amtrak train travelers. She also co-directed Success By 6, United Way
America’s national network of 350 early childhood initiatives. Ms. Stevenson holds a B.A. in political
science and Spanish from Indiana University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of
Business.
Peg Tyre
Director of strategy, Edwin Gould Foundation
Peg Tyre is the director of strategy at the Edwin Gould Foundation, which invests in organizations that
get low-income children to and through college. Prior to joining the foundation, Ms. Tyre spent two
decades in journalism, writing about education in Newsweek, the New York Times, and TIME. She has
authored two books on education, The Good School: How Smart Parents Get Their Kid the Education
They Deserve and The Trouble with Boys. She was the recipient of a Spencer Fellowship at the
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2009.
Marina Ballantyne Walne
CEO, EduStart
Dr. Walne is CEO of EduStart, a consulting practice specializing in startup education and philanthropy
ventures. Before joining EduStart, Dr. Walne was vice president for education at the Laura and John
Arnold Foundation, where she was responsible for the development of the foundation investment
strategy related to education reform, grantmaking in this area, and hiring the initial staff members.
Earlier in her career, she was executive director of the Institute for Public School Initiatives at the
University of Texas System, a startup organization dedicated to improving college readiness, access,
and success. Dr. Walne has more than 36 years of education experience and has served in a variety of
roles, including director of admissions at Rice University and athletic director and coach at St. John’s
School in Houston. She is a board member of the Learning Accelerator, an organization committed to
scaling up blended learning in school districts in the United States, and she has served on the boards
of the Woodlands Symphony Orchestra, Houston YMCA, Houston Chapter American Red Cross,
Education for Tomorrow Alliance, Making Main Street Happen Foundation, Society for the Performing
Arts, the TPFA Charter School Finance Corporation, Edvance, and the Bayou Preservation
Association. She holds a B.A. with distinction from Stanford University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in
education administration with a concentration in business from Stanford University.
Mike Wang
Managing director, Philadelphia School Partnership
Mike Wang is managing director of the Philadelphia School Partnership, where he guides the
organization’s outreach and growth strategy, including development, partner relations, and parent and
community engagement. He leads the effort to raise $100 million for the organization’s “Great Schools
Fund,” which will be invested as growth capital to support the transformation, expansion, and startup of
high-performing schools across sectors. Before joining the Philadelphia School Partnership, Mr. Wang
worked with Teach For America for more than five years, serving as both senior vice president for
growth strategy and development, and as executive director for the mid-Atlantic region. He also has
served as an education policy advisor to Louisiana’s former Governor, Mike Foster. He holds a degree
from Tufts University and studied at University of Pennsylvania Law School.