Our Staff
Michelle Arader
Project Coordinator
Michelle supports the School Turnaround Group’s engagement with the Connecticut State Department of Education, in her home state. She also supports the STG’s district-level engagement with Providence Public School District and internal functions. Previously, she had the privilege of working with Uncommon Schools, managing the enrichment program and supporting operations at Brownsville Collegiate Charter School in Brooklyn, NY. Michelle received a B.A. from Princeton University and won a Project 55 Fellowship through Princeton AlumniCorps upon graduation.
Davin Auble
Engagement Manager
Davin manages STG’s ongoing engagements with the Syracuse City School District and the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, and also leads internal professional development to support the continual capacity-deepening of STG staff. Prior to joining Mass Insight, Davin served as Director of Turnaround Coaching for the educational management organization AUSL (Academy for Urban School Leadership), lead turnaround partner for Chicago Public Schools. She holds a B.S. from Northwestern University, an M.A. from the University of Chicago, and earned her teaching credentials at Concordia as part of the alternative-certification "Teachers for Chicago" program. Davin is grateful and proud to have spent seven years teaching middle school students in high-poverty schools on the south and west sides of Chicago.
Matthew Bachand
Director of Growth Strategy
As the Director of Growth Strategy, Matt is responsible for creating and executing plans for the growth of the Partnership Zone Initiative, the College Success Clusters Initiative, and other new initiatives. Prior to joining Mass Insight, Matt was the Deputy Director of the Department on Disability Services in Washington, DC and the Chief of Staff for the Office of Special Education in the District of Columbia Public Schools. Prior to his tenure in DC, Matt spent seven rewarding years teaching secondary English in the Baltimore City, MD and New Haven, CT School systems. He has a BA in English and Japanese from the University of Kansas, an MAT from Johns Hopkins University, and an MPA from The Maxwell School at Syracuse University.
Justin Cohen
President of the 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.
Michael Contompasis
Senior Field Consultant
Michael Contompasis recently retired after two years as Superintendent of the Boston Public Schools. Previously he served as the district's Chief Operating Officer from 1998 through 2005. Before moving to a district leadership role, Mr. Contompasis was the Head Master of Boston Latin School, the state's top performing 7-12 secondary school, where he was honored as a Milken Educator in 1997. From 1996 to 1998, he also served as a cluster leader overseeing and mentoring the principals of ten K-12 schools in the district. He began his career in education as a Biology teacher in 1966. He was presented with a Distinguished Service Award by the Council of Great City Schools in 2006. Mr. Contompasis currently serves as an unpaid advisor to the Mayor of the City of Boston in addition to his role as Senior Field Consultant for the School Turnaround Group.
Peter Cook
Engagement Manager
Pete manages STG's turnaround work in the Jefferson Parish Public School System in Louisiana. Prior to joining Mass Insight, Pete developed and implemented teacher performance management systems for The New Teacher Project. Pete began his career as a Teach For America corps member in New Orleans Public Schools and has been a math and science teacher and middle school administrator. He is a graduate of Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.
Jennifer Cunningham
Program Associate
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.
Vanessa DeMarco
Senior Program Manager
As a program manager, Vanessa supports STG’s district-level fieldwork in the Syracuse City School District as an Education Pioneer Fellow. Prior to joining Mass Insight, Vanessa held multiple roles in business and program management in the defense industry. Vanessa is currently completing a M.S. in Engineering Management from Tufts University, holds a Certificate in Supply Chain Management from Northeastern University, a B.A. in Business Economics from Providence College, and is a graduate of a Fortune 500 Company Financial Leadership Development Program.
Karen Daniels
Engagement Manager
Karen Daniels manages the development of the Grove Hall Community Schools into a College Success Cluster as well as the supports the development of further Boston clusters. Prior to joining Mass Insight, Karen served as Executive Director for Step UP, a multi-university collaboration with Boston Public Schools and the mayor’s office. Prior to this in 2004, she worked in Chicago as Mid-South Regional Director for Ren2010. She has served as a school principal for grades K-12 in Boston and Brookline, Ma. She counts her proudest moments as an English teacher in Boston where she taught middle and high school students. Karen holds a B.A. in English from Boston College, a M.A. in English, and is presently pursuing her doctorate degree in Education Leadership from UMass/Boston.
Dipa Desai
Project Coordinator
Dipa serves as a Project Coordinator at the STG, supporting ou fieldwork in Connecticut. Dipa also plays an integral role supporting our research and internal functions. Prior to joining the STG, Dipa interned in the Guidance and Counseling Office at Classical High School in Providence, RI. Dipa also served as a Research Assistant at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Dipa recently earned her M.Ed. in School Counseling from Providence College.
Marissa Friedman
Program Manager
Marissa serves as a Program Manager for STG supporting our work directly in Syracuse and Cleveland. In her previous role, Marissa had the privilege to work with the External Relations team at Achievement First, maximizing program efficiency for the Brooklyn, New York school network's student recruitment cycle. Marissa was a 2011 Education Pioneers Fellow. During her fellowship, she managed an internal communications project for the Houston Independent School District that resulted in the implementation of improved organizational processes and behavior. Marissa began her career managing social marketing campaigns working with clients ranging from the U.S. Department of Education to a community language academy in Madrid, Spain. Marissa has a M.S. in Urban Policy Analysis and Management from The New School for Public Engagement and received her B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies (Communications, Law, Economics, and Government) from American University.
William H. Guenther
CEO and Founder of Mass Insight Education
Bill is CEO and Founder of Mass Insight Education, an independent not-for-profit organization based in Boston, MA. Founded in 1997, Mass Insight Education has been a statewide leader in Massachusetts’ education reform drive and national leader for school turnaround strategy. Mass Insight Education organizes partnerships of states, districts, schools, business, and universities and has two divisions: the Massachusetts Math & Science Initiative implementing a $30m program using Advanced Placement as a lever to attain excellence in math and science and to transform school culture, and the School Turnaround Group organized to support state and district strategies to successfully turnaround failing schools. Bill is a graduate of Harvard College and the New York University Law School.
Nora Guyer
Program Manager
Nora serves as a Program Manager for STG, directly supporting our field work in the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation and other school districts. She has been working in schools since 2003 in a variety of positions including English teacher at St. Andrew’s School, a boarding school in Delaware; middle and high school admissions at a Quaker School in Philadelphia; guidance counseling at Cherry Hill High School East in New Jersey; and college counseling at Harlem Village Academy High School. Nora recently completed a M.S. in Statistics, Measurement, Assessment and Research Technologies from the University of Pennsylvania. She also has a M.S.Ed. in School and Mental Health Counseling from the University of Pennsylvania and an A.B. in English and American Literature and Languages from Harvard College.
Ryan Hartnett
Program Manager
As Program Manager, Ryan supports district-level fieldwork with one of STG’s engagements. Prior to joining Mass Insight, Ryan served as Program Manager at The New Teacher Project on a talent management engagement with New Visions for Public Schools in New York City. In his role on the talent management team, Ryan led a teacher recruitment initiative for 80 NYC public schools and supported administrators in teacher recruitment, retention and development. Ryan has a B.A. from Yale University.
MaryAnn Holland
Program Manager
As Program Manager, MaryAnn supports district-level fieldwork with one of STG’s engagements. Prior to joining Mass Insight, MaryAnn served as College Office Director at Achievement First Amistad High School in New Haven, Connecticut. In her role in the College Office, MaryAnn developed and imlpemented College Readiness curricula for grades 9-12 and coached classroom teachers. Additionally, MaryAnn created and managed the school's Summer Program initiative, which helped approximately 75% of students attend pre-college university programs and high level internships. MaryAnn has a B.A. from Colorado College and will complete her M.A. in Organizational Leadership at Columbia University in July 2013.
Jenny Janovitz
Project Coordinator
Prior to joining the STG, Jenny was a fifth grade special education teacher at a turnaround school in the Boston Public School District through the Teach For America program. Serving on a variety of school leadership teams, she developed initiatives for school improvement, trained colleagues on analysis of student achievement data, and planned professional development activities. Jenny received a B.A. summa cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis with a double major in urban studies and education policy and an Ed.M. from Boston University with a concentration in curriculum and teaching.
Hilary Kopp
Senior Program Manager
Hilary serves as a Senior Program Manager for STG, directly supporting our work in Evansville, Indiana. Prior to joining Mass Insight, Hilary was the Senior Project Manager at BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life), a nonprofit that partners with schools and districts to provide extended learning time for low income, academically challenged students. She went to BELL from the classroom, as she was a mid-career changer who sought firsthand experience as an elementary teacher. Prior to teaching, Hilary worked on the development and evaluation of education and youth workforce development initiatives for less advantaged youth with MDRC, Jobs for the Future, and the Commonwealth Corporation. Hilary holds a M.P.A. from Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, a M.A. of Education from Salem State University, and a B.A. in Political Science from Colgate University.
Ami Magunia
Engagement Manager
Ami serves as an Engagement Manager, directly responsible for managing fieldwork with one of STG’s engagements. Ami began her career in education as a Teach for America corps member in Baltimore, MD. After teaching elementary students for 4 years, Ami broadened her education reform efforts in Baltimore City by working for The New Teacher Project to manage the district’s alternative teaching program. She later joined the district leadership team serving as both the Special Assistant to the Chief Human Capital Officer and Manager of School-Based Recruitment and Staffing in 2010. Ami received her B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh in business administration and later received her M.A.T. from Johns Hopkins University in Teaching.
Chris Maher
Vice President of Field Engagements
Chris Maher is the Vice President of Field Engagements for the School Turnaround Group at Mass Insight Education. In addition to experience as a nonprofit and school district executive, Chris has served as a principal, teacher and public school advocate. Prior to joining the STG, Chris was the Deputy Chief Academic Officer of Friendship Schools in Baltimore, Maryland. Chris has a M.P.A from New York University, and a Graduate Certificate in Supervision and Administration from the Johns Hopkins University School of Education. He received his B.A. from the College of Wooster.
Emily Pallin
Engagement Manager
Emily manages STG's district fieldwork with Providence Public School District to establish a Partnership Zone and launch a joint labor-management Lead Partner organization. She also supports key internal functions for the STG, and leads the Connecticut team. Prior to joining the STG, Emily was a research associate at New Visions for Public Schools, an exemplary provider of school support and turnaround services in New York City. Emily holds a M.P.A./P.N.P. from NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and a B.A. in Public Policy from Hamilton College.
Anupama Pattabiraman
Project Coordinator
Anu supports STG’s district-level fieldwork at Jefferson Parish Public Schools. Prior to joining STG, Anu was a tutor with Revolution Prep, a provider of SAT test prep and other academic services. She also served as a regional manager for Revolution Prep’s Ivy Program, managing the development of summer branches in Northern Virginia. In addition, she supported a coalition of local healthcare coalitions and foundations serving low-income populations in the Washington, DC area, with a particular focus on research around patient engagement in healthcare. Anu holds a BSE in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University.
Alison Segal
Project Coordinator
Alison supports STG's communications and the State Development Network. Prior to joining STG, Alison worked as a preschool teacher while earning a B.A. in Human Development & Family Studies from UConn. She then continued her education at Brown University where she received a Master's of Public Policy with a focus on education policy. While at Brown, she interned with Rhode Island Kids Count, helping to develop their 2012 FactBook. She also collaborated with other Master's students to create a business plan to spur social and entrepreneurial development in Appalachian Kentucky, examined the feasibility of introducing Social Impact Bonds in Rhode Island, and worked as a Graduate Research Assistant to Dr. Kenneth Wong.
Stephen Simpson
Project Coordinator
Stephen joins the School Turnaround Group as a Project Coordinator staffed on the Evansville engagement. Prior to joining Mass Insight, he worked as a Field Organizer for Organizing For America in Aurora, CO during the 2012 Presidential Election. Before working on the campaign, he completed internships with the District of Columbia Public Schools, the U.S. Department of Education, and KIPP: DC. He holds a B.A. in Communication and Culture from Howard University.
Larry Stanton
Senior Field Consultant
Larry leads our State Development Network and supports strategic planning efforts in our Partnership Zone districts. Larry served as Strategy and Planning Officer for the Chicago Public Schools from 2003-2008 with responsibility for developing, managing and communicating the district improvement strategy. Since 2008 he has been an independent consultant helping clients in education and workforce development to develop and implement strategies for change. His clients included school districts, state departments of education, charter school networks, teachers unions, nonprofit organizations and foundations. From 2010 to 2012 Larry co-chaired the Illinois committee charged with developing new teacher and principal evaluation systems. He has also served as vice chancellor for administrative services of the City Colleges of Chicago. He began his career as a high school English teacher and tennis coach. Larry has a M.P.A. from the Harvard Kennedy School, a J.D. from Loyola University Chicago and a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.
Rebecca Weinberg
Senior Program Manager
Becca currently supports STG's district-level work in Jefferson Parish Public Schools, and previously supported work with the Louisiana State Department of Education. Becca recently earned a Master’s in Education Policy from Brown University and also holds a B.A. in Urban Studies from Vassar College. She stayed on at Vassar after graduating to manage a variety of community and academic support programs, and then most recently has worked at both local and state educational agencies. At the STG, Becca plays an integral role in shaping our collective bargaining function as well as supporting a variety of other research and materials development needs.
Anthony Wilson
Project Coordinator
Anthony will join the STG as a Project Coordinator staffed on the Syracuse engagement. In addition to supporting the development of an Innovation Zone in Syracuse and the rollout of the district’s strategic plan, Anthony will support the STG’s internal professional development strategy. Before coming to Mass Insight, Anthony served as a Teach For America Corps Member and high school English teacher in Houston, TX. Anthony most recently served as a Recruitment Manager with TFA’s partner colleges and universities in Connecticut. He is a graduate of Xavier University. As a former educator, Anthony offers a unique lens and perspective, one that will surely strengthen the Syracuse Team!
Andrea Wolfe
Program Manager
Andrea joins the School Turnaround Group playing an integral role supporting district-level work in Providence, Rhode Island. Prior to joining the STG, Andrea taught bilingual 4th grade at some of the most under-performing schools in Austin, Texas--she received AISD’s Teacher of Promise award for an outstanding first year teacher, and ensured 100% of her students met or exceeded grade level expectations on state tests. After three years in the classroom, Andrea joined TNTP as the Training & Resource Manager for the Chicago Teaching Fellows program managing new teacher training and support in Chicago Public Schools . Most recently, Andrea worked with several TNTP programs across the country to improve recruitment strategies, coaching and new teacher effectiveness. Andrea received her BA from the University of Notre Dame.
Lilly Wu
Special Assistant
Lilly serves as the Special Assistant to STG President Justin Cohen. Lilly manages Justin’s calendar and play a logistical role within MIE while also helping to broaden field operations by supporting the unique writing and research priorities. Most recently Lilly served as a Program Assistant at Education Pioneers, a national non-profit that identifies, trains, connects, and inspires leaders to transform the education sector. During her time at Education Pioneers, Lilly supported the Graduate School Fellowship and Analyst Fellowship workshops focusing on issues in education at the national and local levels. She has a B.A. in International Development and Social Change with a specialization in Education from Clark University.