William H. Guenther
President and Founder
Bill Guenther is a respected expert in organizing initiatives to support the implementation of complex education reform issues in Massachusetts, with a particular emphasis on standards-based reform. Bill brings over 25 years of experience with public policy issues and communications to his work.  He has worked on the management side of Newsweek Magazine in New York, and he has participated on or managed six political campaigns. Bill is a graduate of Harvard College and received a JD from New York University Law School. 

Morton Orlov II
President, Mass Math & Science Initiative
Mort Orlov is the President of the Mass Math & Science Initiative, which is implementing the Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program in the Commonwealth.  Mort was formerly the Principal of Chelsea High School. During his tenure at Chelsea, he expanded the AP program and implemented an attendance incentive program. He previously served as Chairman of the Department of Military Science at Boston University. In addition to his academic background, Mort served for 23 years as an infantry officer in the United States Army in a variety of command and staff positions. Mort holds a B.A. from Tufts University, and a Masters of Military Arts from the School of Advanced Military Studies in Fort Leavenworth, KS.

Justin Cohen
President, School Turnaround Group
Justin leads the School Turnaround Group and the launch of the Partnership Zone Initiative. Prior to joining Mass Insight, he was Director of the Office of Portfolio Management and senior advisor to Chancellor Michelle Rhee at the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). Before that Justin was director of industry support and development for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Justin also spent time at Edison Schools, where he at various times served as director business development, acting director of school operations, and a new school application writer. Justin has a B.A. from Yale University.

Melanie S. Winklosky
Vice President, Development and Operations
Melanie Winklosky is responsible for strategic planning and development for the two major Mass Insight initiatives: the AP Training and Incentive Program, and the national school turnaround initiative.  Formerly the Chief of Staff for the Massachusetts Department of Education, she spent thirteen years working on state policies and programs to support and improve public education.  She received her B.A. in psychology from St. Vincent College and her M.A. from Boston College.

Deborah J. Abbott, CPA
Business Manager
Deb Abbott is responsible for all financial aspects of the organizations including budgeting, reporting, and projecting cash flows.  She has nearly 13 years of experience in accounting, the majority of it with not-for-profit organizations.  Prior to joining Mass Insight, she was the Controller for a privately-held rare coins and collectibles business for almost 2 years.  Before that, she was the Controller for BWH Anesthesia Foundation, Inc. for 6 years.  Deb has her B.S. in accounting from Bryant College and an M.B.A. with a concentration in finance from Clark University.

Charlotte Carlisle
Math Content Director
Charlotte is the Math Content Director for the Mass Math & Science Initiative.  Most recently an AP Calculus and Algebra II teacher at China Spring High School in Texas, Charlotte brings over 20 years of mathematics teaching experience to MMSI.  Charlotte trained hundreds of math teachers across the nation in curriculum development and student recruitment during her ten year tenure as a College Board consultant/presenter.  Charlotte holds a B.S. Education and an MBA from Baylor University.

Julie Corbett
Program Manager, School Turnaround Group
Julie focuses on the continued outreach and dissemination of The Turnaround Challenge framework and strategies; researches, writes and edits a variety of resources for the Meeting the Turnaround Initiative; assists in strategic planning for the organization; and, works with states and districts to develop the changes necessary for school turnaround and district re-design. Before joining Mass Insight, she worked as a Research Assistant with The Rodel Foundation of Delaware. Julie has an M.P.A from the University of Delaware, where she specialized in state and local government and education policy. She earned her B.A. at Denison University.

Jennifer Cunningham
Program Associate, School Turnaround  Group
Jennifer Cunningham is responsible for research and outreach relating to both the Great Schools Network and the Turnaround Challenge initiatives, and has previously been a lead investigator and writer for Mass Insight's Building Blocks project. Prior to joining Mass Insight, she was the Site Director at the Project for School Innovation, where she coauthored nine publications helping Boston-area teachers share effective practices. Jennifer is a graduate of Yale University and of the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development at Tufts University.

Elise Frangos
English Content Director
Elise is the English Content Director for the Mass Math & Science Initiative.  Elise brings 20 years of teaching experience, and 8 years in administration to MMSI. Most recently the K-12 English Language Arts Director for the Arlington Public Schools, Elise has also been a long-standing member of the MCAS test development committee.  Elise holds a B.A. in English from Simmons College, an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and she is a Ph.D. candidate in Language and Literacy from the University of Massachusetts.

Jeffrey Goodwin
Science Content Director
Jeff is the Science Content Director for the Mass Math & Science Initiative.  Jeff brings 35 years of science teaching experience at Longmeadow High School to MMSI.  Jeff taught AP Chemistry for the past 10 years, and was active in coaching students for the National Chemistry Olympiad, sponsored by the American Chemical Society.  Jeff holds a B.A. in Biology from Westfield State College.

Dalia Hochman
Field Director, School Turnaround Group
Dalia Hochman manages consulting contracts with states to help support school turnaround policy and practice. Before coming to Mass Insight, Hochman served as an administrator at the Los Angeles Unified School District, managing the implementation of a new performance management and accountability system and developing partnerships between schools and non-profit organizations. Hochman began her career as a high school history teacher in New York City and co-founded the  Bronx Lab School, as part of the Gates Foundation’ small high school transformation project. She holds a BA from Yale University and a PhD in educational policy from Columbia University.

Naseem Jaffer
Manager, Math Coaching Program
Naseem Jaffer manages the math coaching program providing support and training for site based mathematics coaches/teacher leaders in grades K- 12 across Massachusetts. This includes, but is not limited to grade level collaboration, state standard based curriculum mapping and sequencing of cohesive content units, monitoring the implementation and impact of curriculum in schools, professional development of teachers in the context of revised and new curricula, facilitating standards based formative and summative assessment based on curricula, data analysis and classroom observations. Naseem taught mathematics in the middle and high schools in California for 15 years and also taught mathematics content courses to elementary and middle school teachers working towards their math certification. She has a B.S. in Architectural Engineering from the University of Nairobi, Kenya and a M.S. in Education (Math Curriculum) from California State University, Hayward.

Martha King
Vice President, Strategic Partner Development
Martha King is responsible for managing the principal and major gifts development program, focusing on individual and corporate partners, and board development for the Massachusetts Math and Science Initiative.  Her most recent development work includes her positions as Senior Major Gifts Officer at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Director of Development at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, and Director of External Affairs and Public/Private Partnerships at the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.  Her experience also includes more than twenty years in public affairs, communications and government, where she worked for two United States senators, two governors and two mayors.  She is an active member of a number of non-profit organizations and serves on the board of the New England Alumni Association at the Harvard Kennedy School.  Martha earned a B.A. from the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, and a Masters in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Meredith Liu
Managing Director, School Turnaround Group
Meredith oversees the day-to-day management of the School Turnaround Strategy Group. She designs and oversees a variety of strategic projects, facilitates partnerships with national organizations, and implements internal operational practices. Meredith began her career at Bain and Company, a leading management consulting firm, where she worked with corporate clients in a diverse group of industries. She left Bain to join the staff at Codman Academy, a high performing charter high school in Boston. Most recently, she worked in the Office of Portfolio Management at the District of Columbia Public Schools. After earning honors in her first year at Harvard Business School, Meredith chose to defer her second year indefinitely to join the team at Mass Insight. She earned her B.A. in Economics from Dartmouth College.

Joanna Manikas
Director, Business and Information Systems
Joanna Manikas is responsible for information and office systems as well as graphic design and production, including publications, collateral, and websites. She has over 20 years of experience in project management, information technology, print and electronic design, and operations. Prior to joining Mass Insight, Joanna was a business integration project manager at CMGI where she developed toolkits and cross-functional systems to assimilate newly acquired companies into the corporate organization. She has a B.S. from Babson College.

Patrick Schultz
Director of School Services
Pat is the Director of School Services for the Mass Math & Science Initiative.  Most recently the Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Instruction at Chelsea High School, Pat brings over seven years of teaching experience, including AP US History, to his work at MMSI.  Prior to administration and teaching, Pat did non-profit advocacy work.  Pat holds a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology and an M.A. in American Studies from the University of New Mexico.

Jen Shea

Program Manager, School Turnaround Group

As a Program Manager, Jen develops toolkits for states and districts engaged in turnaround while supporting other major STG initiatives. Prior to joining Mass Insight, Jen was with the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools in Washington, D.C. where she worked on the federal policy team. She engaged directly with members of Congress and key staff members to advance legislative initiatives, while building the capacity of state charter school organizations to have an effect on state and local policy initiatives. Prior to working at the Alliance, she was a litigation legal assistant for a corporate law firm in New York. Jen holds a BA from Brown University.

John Smolenski
Director of Advising
John is the Director of Advising for the Mass Math & Science Initiative.  He comes to Mass Insight after twenty-four years of active service in the Massachusetts Army National Guard, where he held a variety of positions in operations, recruiting and most recently as an Assistant Professor of Military Science at Boston University.  John holds a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, an MBA from Anna Maria College and a Masters Degree in Education from Boston University.

Field Staff and Consultants:

Grace Belfiore

Senior Consultant, Publishing and Communications, School Turnaround Group

Dr. Grace Belfiore, co-author of The Turnaround Challenge, manages the writing, editing and web dissemination of results from many of Mass Insight's research and consultancy projects, including Meeting the Turnaround Challenge, Building Blocks, and Case-based Leadership Development. She  also directed the  School-Level Turnaround Design Team and the Keep the Promise Initiative. She has over 20 years of experience in standards-based learning, educational publishing, and leadership development, including founding and directing a self-paced learning division of a major international publishing group based in England. She has a B.A. from Harvard College and a D.Phil. in education history from the University of Oxford.

Peter Davies
Sr. Consultant, President and Director of Accountability and Leadership, Class Measures Limited     
Peter Davies serves as a Senior Management Consultant on the Math Achievement Partnership, a multi-district consortium seeking to improve district performance through integrated math reform. A former British School Inspector, Peter has worked in school and district accountability for more than ten years in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and the Middle East. He currently provides training for The Office of Educational Accountability in Massachusetts and monitors their work. He also facilitates Leadership development programs for school districts and provides 1:1 support for superintendents.  Peter was formerly an administrator with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris.  He was also a visiting professor to the Oxford University Department of Educational Studies.  He has worked within school and social services. He studied English Literature at Cambridge University and continues to maintain an active interest in teaching Literature.

Jack Flynn
Sr. Math Coach Consultant  
Jack Flynn recently retired from the Murphy School in Boston, where he served as the school’s Lead Math Specialist. He is now serving as a senior math coach consultant with Mass Insight.  Jack devoted his entire career to teaching in the Boston Public Schools, primarily as an elementary-grade teacher and then as a lead teacher in math. He is credited with helping to create a new kind of position in the Boston Public Schools – a lead math specialist position that is now being emulated by other schools in the system. 

Dr. Michael R. Klugerman
Consultant and Manager, MERI Math Content Training Programs
Mike Klugerman is the manager of math content training programs and a senior instructor within those programs, which are designed to provide elementary and middle school teachers with a deeper understanding of mathematics so they are better able to provide mathematics instruction to their students. He has a B.S. from Yale University and a PhD in Applied Mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Linda Neri Watts
Consultant, Mass Insight
Linda Neri Watts provides research, writing, and web assistance to Mass Insight and various other non-profit organizations. Previously, Linda was Publications Manager and Communications Manager for Mass Insight. She also served as Writer/Editor at the Title I Dissemination Project, a non-profit focused on strengthening education for at-risk students. She earned her B.A. at Ithaca College and her M.A. at Northeastern University.

Kiki Papagiotis
Consultant and Project Manager
Kiki Papagiotis retired recently as principal of Salem High School in Salem, MA. A former math and science teacher, Kiki served as principal of North Reading High School, which was named a Vanguard model by Mass Insight in 2003. She has consulted widely with a number of schools and school districts and has become one of Mass Insight’s principal consultants in the areas of leadership and school transformation.