Our People 
The work of Inspired Teaching would not be possible without a strong network of dedicated individuals who are committed to moving our mission forward.
Our Board of Directors
- Bill Andresen
Since July 2006, Bill has served as Associate Vice-President for Federal Relations for the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining Penn, he was Senior Vice-President at Dutko Worldwide where he worked with a variety of organizations including many non-profits corporate clients. Before that, he was Vice President for Federal Affairs to the Democratic Leadership Council, where he served as a liaison to Democratic Members of Congress.
Bill also served as Chief of Staff to Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman and during his time as Chief of Staff, he was repeatedly named one of the 50 most influential Congressional Staffers by Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper.
Bill is married with 3 kids. He has a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from the University of Southern California. He is Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Center for Excellence in Education and is a Senior Advisor to Third Way. - Susie Berenson
Susie Berenson is the founder and board member of Many Hands, Inc., a Washington, DC-based foundation dedicated to raising and donating money to local charities that focus on the needs of women and children. In addition to having served on Many Hands' Educational Committee for three years, Susie sits on Many Hands' Housing Committee and the board of Westminster School in Simsbury, CT. She has eight years of experience as an executive recruiter for Fortune 100 companies, and has lived in the DC area for almost 20 years. - Leslie Hill
Leslie Hill has been a consultant to small businesses since 2007 with particular emphasis on strategy. Prior to that she served on the Board of Directors of Dow Jones & Company, Inc. until the company was sold in 2007. She served on the board and the corporate governance committee for over ten years. In 2004, Leslie retired from American Airlines as a Captain. During her 17 year tenure there she served on the Professional Standards Committee for the in house union, the Allied Pilots Association.
Currently, Leslie is an advisory member of the Infrastructure, Safety and Environment board to the Rand Corporation. Leslie holds a BA in biology from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA in finance from The George Washington University. She lives in Maryland with her husband and two children. - Aleta Margolis, Executive Director
Aleta, Founder and Executive Director of Center for Inspired Teaching, is a former professor of education at American University, specializing in authentic assessment, science and math education, and curriculum reform. As a public school teacher, Aleta taught in both elementary and middle schools and designed and ran alternative educational programs for court-referred high school students. In 2001, Aleta was awarded a Fellowship from Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, in recognition of Inspired Teaching's work training teachers to transform the way schoolchildren are taught. Ashoka recognizes and supports social entrepreneurs worldwide who have created innovative programs with the potential to make large scale change in society.
Aleta received her undergraduate degree at Brown University and her M.S. in Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. - Ilene Weinreich
Ilene is a lifelong advocate for education whose professional and volunteer experience in classrooms spans from early childhood through high school. She started her professional career as a lawyer with Wiley, Rein & Fielding in Washington, DC. When she entered the education realm she explored every facet of the profession, starting out teaching ESL and most recently advising seniors at area high schools as they go through the college admissions process. Ilene has a bachelor’s degree from Cornell, a law degree from Duke, and her master’s in education from George Washington. She lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland with her husband David Smith, and their three children, Laura, Julia and Charlie. - Jon Zeitler, Chairman of the Board
Jon is Vice President for Corporate and Strategic Business Development at Zipcar Inc., the pioneering car sharing company, having responsibility for major partnerships and strategic initiatives. He served a similar function at Flexcar, Inc. before the merger of the two companies in 2007. Jon also has extensive experience in online media, having spent 10 years at America Online in a number of executive positions including Vice President for International Strategy and Development, Vice President for Business Development for Web Properties, and Associate General Counsel for Strategic Transactions. In addition, he has served as consultant to a number of small, high-growth new media companies. Jon holds a BA from Duke University and a JD from Duke Law School. He lives in DC with his wife and three sons.
Our Staff
- Alayna Buckner Grants & Donor Relations Advisor
Alayna Buckner has been a supporter of Inspired
Teaching since 2006, when her sister was a Research Intern here. She is
excited to join the development team's effort to raise funds for Inspired Teaching's
programs. Ms. Buckner focuses in resource development for local non-profits and
currently also works with College & Career Connections, a local non-profit
providing college awareness programming to youth in Wards 7 & 8. She
has previously served as Development Manager at the national child advocacy
nonprofit First Star, and as Development Assistant at AmericaSpeaks, a national
citizen engagement nonprofit. In her free time, Ms. Buckner serves as the
elected Chair of WIN - Women's Information Network, the premier political,
professional, and social network for young, women in Washington. She
earned her BA from Stanford University, where she double majored in philosophy
and public policy, and received honors in the Ethics in Society.
- Jenna Fournel, Director of Communications and Advocacy Programs
Jenna has dedicated her professional career to schools both as a teacher, and in the non-profit realm. She began her foray into public education as a high school English teacher in rural North Carolina and went on to support school reform in Chicago through work with parent-led Local School Councils. She holds a BA in English from Bryn Mawr College and an MS from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. In addition to providing communications support for Center for Inspired Teaching, Jenna is working to create strategies for bringing Inspired Teaching to more students and schools. - Monisha Karnani, Manager of Teaching & Learning
Monisha holds a B.S. in Industrial & Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan. Upon graduation, Monisha landed a job with the Juvenile Justice System where she developed a strong passion for working with adolescents, leading her to join the Baltimore City Teaching Residency as a high school math teacher. As primarily a geometry teacher, Monisha has taught in a large neighborhood school, and served as a founding faculty member for a small innovative public high school. Monisha earned her M.Ed in Educational Administration and Policy at Howard University before joining Center for Inspired Teaching. Her passion in the classroom is collaborative learning and developing problem solving skills. At Inspired Teaching, Monisha works primarily with the Inspired Teacher Certification Program.
Why Monisha works at Inspired Teaching:
"Witnessing teachers experience magical 'aha' moments in their work leads me to feel inspired every day and keeps me passionate about my work. Working for an organization that truly values the work of teachers and the profession itself, makes my job so much more enjoyable. I strongly believe in the philosophy of Inspired Teaching, and more importantly I am passionate about the approach we use to influence change in the educational system. I am passionate about the importance of teachers in society, and through my work at Inspired Teaching I feel that I have the opportunity to be an advocate, a resource, and a champion for teachers."
- Kate Keplinger, Deputy Director
Kate is a DC-certified teacher in secondary social studies, and holds an Masters in Teaching degree from American University. At Center for Inspired Teaching, Kate has worked with hundreds of DC teachers and students, created training programs for local community organizations, and presented at national education conferences. She created and directed Inspired Teaching's summer school program, providing support and instruction to teachers and students. Before joining Center for Inspired Teaching, Kate gained teaching experience at Deal Junior High School in Washington, DC and at Montgomery Blair High School in Montgomery County, MD. Prior to working at Inspired Teaching, she spent several years working as a legislative assistant for Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter.
Why Kate works at Inspired Teaching:
"My work at Inspired Teaching combines my passion for social justice and social change, belief in the power of people to make that change, interest in public policy, and roots and faith in public education. If we change how young people are educated, we can change the world." - Pax (Linda Linson), Teacher Education Specialist
Pax has over 30 years of experience in
the fields of early childhood education, conflict resolution, special
education, and advocacy in public schools. She specializes in helping
adults build relationships with children that nurture individuality and
uniqueness, and in creating developmentally appropriate education
environments. As Mentor-Teacher for John Tyler Elementary, Pax provides support and
feedback to every teacher in this partner school. - Aleta Margolis, Founder and Executive Director
Aleta is a former professor of education at American University, specializing in authentic assessment, science and math education, and curriculum reform. As a public school teacher, Aleta taught in both elementary and middle schools and designed and ran alternative educational programs for court-referred high school students. In 2001, Aleta was awarded a Fellowship from Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, in recognition of Inspired Teaching's work training teachers to transform the way schoolchildren are taught. Ashoka recognizes and supports social entrepreneurs worldwide who have created innovative programs with the potential to make large scale change in society. Aleta received her undergraduate degree at Brown University and her MS in Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. - Kaneia Mayo, Manager of Teaching & Learning
Kaneia taught for three years at DC's Barbara Jordan Public Charter School. She also has experience as an arts and academic instructor at the Akebulan Academy of the Anacostia Boys and Girls Club #1. Kaneia earned a BA from Sweet Briar College in English and Creative Writing. She also studied English and drama at the University of London, Royal Holloway. In the summer of 2004, Kaneia participated in Inspired Teaching's Workshop in the Art of Teaching and remained strongly connected to the organization in the following year as a member of our Teacher Advisory Board. She is now the primary program facilitator for Inspired Teaching and is responsible for the management and facilitation of our teacher training programs. - Dr. Julie Sweetland, Director of Teaching & Learning and Research
Dr. Julie Sweetland has been actively involved in improving teaching and learning for urban students for over a decade, first as a classroom teacher, and more recently as an educational researcher, teacher educator, and local activist. She is a graduate of Georgetown University and now holds an adjunct faculty position at her alma mater. Julie completed her MA and PhD at Stanford University, with her dissertation research funded by the National Science Foundation. Julie joined Center for Inspired Teaching as a researcher in 2006, and she now serves as the organization’s Director of Teaching and Learning. She is the key designer of the Inspired Teaching Fellows program and is centrally involved in the development of the Inspired Teaching Demonstration School. Julie's work has appeared in publications such as Journal of Sociolinguistics, Journal of English Linguistics, and Educational Researcher. - Tatyana Varshavsky, Strategic Planning Coordinator
Tatyana started out as a research intern for Inspired Teaching but has recently shifted gears to become a full time staff member. As the Strategic Planning Coordinator, she directly assists Aleta Margolis, and the Development, and Communications departments. Tatyana received her MA with distinction from Georgetown University's Communication, Culture, and Technology program in May 2009. She earned her BA in Sociology, with a minor in Communications and Media Studies from Tufts University in 2003. She has amassed several years of experience in health care, drug policy, and media advocacy, and is passionate about alternative civic engagement opportunities for youth.
Why Tatyana works at Inspired Teaching:
"Being a part of an extraordinary community of incredibly talented individuals that call Inspired Teaching home truly makes this work worthwhile. I may be passionate about a variety of social justice goals, but education is one that is so vital to the health and success of most (if not all) of the others. What distinguishes Center for Inspired Teaching is the commitment, passion, and brilliance of all the teachers (current and former) that come together to share, enlighten, and fight for progress within our schools, and by extension, our communities. There is simply nothing more inspiring than that." - Dr. Sabrina L. Wesley-Nero, Manager of Research and Program Quality
Sabrina is a graduate of Georgetown University and has a MEd in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Multilingual and Multicultural Education and a PhD. in Education from George Mason University. As a public school teacher, Sabrina taught in elementary general education, Spanish bilingual, and Spanish immersion classrooms. She has also worked as a field experience supervisor and an adjunct faculty member for George Mason University. Sabrina has presented at national conferences on issues related to second language learners and teacher preparation, worked as an educational consultant for Washington, DC, area schools, and designed teacher education curriculum. Her research focuses on the preparation of effective teachers for cultural and linguistically diverse students. At Center for Inspired Teaching, Sabrina helps to develop and implement research and evaluation programs that support teacher growth and student achievement.
Why Sabrina works at Inspired Teaching:
"It is a privilege to work on behalf of children and in collaboration with teachers locally here in DC. Often I find that the children, teachers, and I share similarities in our backgrounds. I can often point to parallels in our personal life histories. Propelled by those similarities, I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the creation and support of high quality, effective teaching so that children of DC can reap the benefits that are inherent in an excellent education." - Deborah Dantzler Williams, Teacher Education Specialist
Deborah Dantzler Williams has more than 25 years of progressive experience in the field of education. She has taught at the primary, elementary, intermediate, high school, undergraduate and graduate school levels, and was appointed director of a primary school and director of an intermediate school. Deborah obtained her undergraduate degree from the Honors Program of Howard University and graduate degrees from Howard University and Columbia University Teachers College. A lifelong learner, Deborah has participated in numerous professional development programs and classes including the Northeast Foundation for Children's Responsive Classroom, Lucy Caulkins Writers Workshop, and the Educational Research Bureau's Interpretation and Use of Standardized Testing Results for the Improvement of Teaching and Learning. Deborah and her husband, both Washingtonians, are the proud parents of two daughters. Deborah works with principals and teachers in DCPS through Inspired Teaching's School Partnership Program.
Why Deborah works at Inspired Teaching:
- The possibility that I can be a part of the tremendous work being done to improve teaching and learning for the children of the District of Columbia
- My belief that education opens paths, opens minds, enhances the experience of life and is a source of joy
- My wish to link my diminutive efforts with the work of others so that we might touch the future and pave the way for better tomorrows
- In short, this work is a source of optimism and delight - what a joy it is for me!
- Laurie Wingate, Senior Strategic Advisor of Development & Strategy
Laurie has been committed to social justice throughout her life, both in the political and educational spheres. She served on Hillary Clinton’s National Finance Staff as Director of the National Lawyers Committee for the duration of Clinton’s presidential campaign and then moved the organization over to the Obama campaign – raising over $5 million.
Her involvement with education began in 1992 when she joined Teach for America –teaching elementary school in Oakland, California. She stayed at her public school in Oakland for an additional four years during which time she received her teaching credential, joined a UC Berkeley/Stanford research team, and was a guest lecturer at the Stanford School of Education. In 1998 she moved to Washington DC where, in partnership with the Smithsonian, she won a Department of Education grant to form a Museum Magnet School in DCPS. Additionally, she spent two years in Moscow, Russia teaching at Moscow State University and worked with the New Teacher Project – selecting and supporting new teachers. Laurie received her BA from Dartmouth College and her teaching credential from UC Berkeley.
Our Mentors and Facilitators
- Lindsey T. Allard
Lindsey Allard is an early childhood and equity specialist who works with teachers, administrators, and policymakers on early education issues. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development and Early Childhood Education from Wheelock College and Master of Education in Education Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her interests in education involve training and development of early childhood educators, and the achievement of equitable, anti-bias, high quality early care and education environments for all children. Lindsey also works with states, districts and programs to improve the overall quality of early care and education, including working to review charter schools in the District of Columbia and serving as part of the research team for the Early Childhood Excellence In Teaching Professional Development Project in the District of Columbia, a Department of Education funded initiative. Lindsey was formerly the Head Start State Collaboration Director for the District of Columbia, and is currently the President of her local affiliate chapter of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. - Katryna Andrusik
- Christie Byers
- Elly Cole
Elly currently works as a full time Kindergarten teacher at Broad Acres Elementary School, a Title I school in Silver Spring, MD. She works in a culturally and linguistically diverse school environment. Elly formerly served as the Program Officer for Center for Inspired Teaching, managing the Reading Works! literacy program at Anthony Bowen Elementary School.
Elly received her BA at American University with a major in Public Communications and a minor in Education Studies. She then went to Columbia University where she earned her M.A. in Elementary Education. While at Columbia she was a Tess Magsaysay and Ken Boxley Scholar recipient. - Susan Coti
Susan is currently a fourth grade teacher at Eaton Elementary in Northwest DC. She is an alumna of the Inspired Teaching Institute, which she took in 1999, and a member of the Inspired Teaching Teacher Advisory Board. In addition to being an incredible educator, Susan is also a professional storyteller. - Marguerite DeLaney
Marguerite has worked in the field of education for over thirty-five years. Her experience includes working with deaf children as a Peace Corps volunteer, teaching in an inner-city Montessori school, and serving as a resource teacher for children with learning disabilities. For the past sixteen years, Marguerite ran a Job Internship Program for learning disabled high school students at The Lab School of Washington. She is trained in mediation and serves as a Court Appointed Special Advocate in the DC Family Court. - Margot de Ferranti
Margot worked as a lawyer for the Consumer Products Safety Commission and the Department of Justice, until she changed careers to become a teacher. Margot took a course from Aleta at American University and participated in the Workshop in the Art of Teaching. She taught English and Social studies for three years at Eastern High School. She taught English for four years at Cesar Chavez Public Charter High School. On behalf of Inspired Teaching, Margot has led a workshop for beginning high school English, social studies and foreign language teachers who are getting certified through AU's AQUE program. - Miriam Gonzales
Miriam Gonzales has worked in the field of Education as a researcher, policy analyst, program evaluator and teacher. She received her PhD in Education and MA in Sociology from Stanford University in 1995 where she researched the organizational support needed to teach effectively in culturally and academically diverse classrooms. After graduate school, Miriam's work as a researcher at an education policy firm in Washington, DC took her into classrooms across the country to observe and evaluate national and federal programs. She turned to classroom teaching several years later, enjoying putting theory into practice with fifth grade public school students. More recently, Miriam has integrated her interest in the arts and education by teaching playwriting to elementary and high school students. She is currently teaching playwriting to fifth graders in DC. This is Miriam's first year with Center for Inspired Teaching, where she is working as an Instruction and Leadership Coach. - Sally Herrmann
For the past ten years Sally has worked to strengthen the quality of instruction in the District of Columbia schools. She provided professional development and administrative support for the DC Public School Resource Center, trained and supervised teachers in the DC Teaching Fellows certification program, reviewed summer school programs for DCPS, Co-Founded and directed a mentoring pilot program for new charter school teachers, provided site visit evaluations of charter schools through American Academy for Liberal Education, taught mentoring techniques to DC masters teachers, and was an administrator during Sasha Bruce Public Charter School reform efforts.
In addition to her work with Center for Inspired Teaching. Sally supervises student teachers for American and Marymount Universities, mentors teachers for Alternative Quality Urban Educators, and provides teacher training and supervision for Sasha Bruce Youth Build GED adult education program. - Judy Holton
Judy is a retired DC Public School teacher (with 30 years of service in DC). During her time in this school system, her expertise was Special Education. Judy is a graduate of Inspired Teaching's 1998-1999 Workshop in the Art of Teaching. - Trish Jackman,
Trish Jackman has spent the past nine years in the field of education. She has been a middle school and elementary classroom teacher, as well as a Title I Reading teacher. Most recently she has taught education courses at Johns Hopkins University, and has written text and assessment pieces for an education company. She holds BA in English from John Carroll University and a MEd in Reading Education from the University of Virginia. This year she will be working with the staff at Orr Elementary. - Brenda G. Jenkins
Brenda was a special educator in the District of Columbia for more than 35 years. A three-time graduate of Howard University, she became a master teacher, standards specialist, curriculum writer, mentor, cooperating teacher, professional development trainer, day care founder and owner, and politician. She taught students with special needs, disabilities, and exceptionalities, and every grade level at C. Melvin Sharpe Health School. Brenda has fought for students--and teachers--rights consistently: she lobbied for education appropriations and served as vice president of special education with the Washington Teachers' Union. In 1998, Brenda was recognized as the District of Columbia's Teacher of the Year.
An avid athlete, Brenda coached Howard University cheerleaders for 14 years. In 1995, she became the only cheerleader ever inducted into the Howard University Bison Hall of Fame. She has taught aerobics for 28 years.
At Center for Inspired Teaching, Brenda is a mentor and Teacher Advisory Board member. - Valyncia (Vee) Lindsey
Vee is currently a sixth grade teacher at Anne Beers Elementary School in Southeast DC. She holds an Masters in Education in curriculum and instruction from National-Louis University and a certificate from the George Washington University's Publications Specialist Program. She has written curricula in the areas of space and earth science, some of which was published by NASA Glenn in Cleveland. From 2003 to 2005 Vee served as the Learning Team Leader for the DC Corps of Teach For America's first-year fifth and sixth grade teachers. - Pleasance Lowengard Silicki
Pleasance was a DC Public Schools classroom teacher for five years, teaching grades K-2 in NE and SE. She was a founding board member of Septima Clark Public Charter School, Washington, DC's first all boys public charter school, and then served as director of curriculum and instruction during the 2006-2007 school year.
Pleasance participated in the Inspired Teaching Institute in 2001 and is a member of the Teacher Advisory Board. Pleasance holds a BA. in Sociology from The George Washington University and an MS Ed from the University of Pennsylvania. She currently is a yoga teacher in the Washington, DC area. - Rebecca (Reb) McCoyer,
Reb is a licensed bilingual elementary teacher with over 12 years of experience in elementary and teacher education, which began at Thompson Elementary School in DC. She completed her BA at Valparaiso University as a Christ College Scholar, and her MEd at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she gained experience as a mentor of teacher candidates. At the Univ of IL, Reb coordinated Project F.L.A.M.E., a bilingual family literacy program, at several public schools on Chicago's south and west sides working closely with Mexican-American families, school personnel and developing teachers. At Inspired Teaching, Reb has served as a teacher mentor and workshop facilitator at DC Bilingual Public Charter School and Tyler Elementary. She is a PTA board and LSRT member at her son's DC public school, and a school board member at a parochial school in Maryland. - Linda Nunes-Schrag
Linda has over 30 years experience in the field of education, specializing in conflict resolution and mediation. Most recently, she served as the executive director of Creative Response to Conflict (CRC). - Oran Sandel
Oran has worked with Inspired Teaching since the organization's inception in 1995 and served for many years as the co-facilitator of the Inspired Teaching Institute. Oran formerly served as Artistic Director of the Living Stage Theatre, an educational outreach company of Arena Stage, and has received national recognition for working with at-risk youth and disenfranchised adults. In addition to providing training for our courses and school partnerships Oran works as a freelance consultant and facilitator for several other organizations including The Shakespeare Theater, Horizons Theater, The Washington Revels and the Library of Congress. - Kalpana Kumar Sharma
Kumar is in her sixth year teaching Head Start at Brightwood Elementary school in DC. She holds a master's degree in Business Management from India and Bachelors degree in Early Childhood from Trinity college USA. - Sarah Shellow
- Laurie Siegel
Laurie is a native Washingtonian who has been an art educator since 1970. She has taught on the elementary, middle, high school and college levels. Most recently she taught for 25 years for DCPS at Watkins Elementary School on Capitol Hill. She has retired from full-time teaching and is currently serving as an artist-in-residence at 6 schools, consulting and devoting more time to creating fused glass art in her home studio.She considers herself a global educator. Teaching art through the lens of other cultures has become a passion in recent years since receiving fellowships to travel and study in West Africa, Japan, China and Canada. Her style of teaching is to integrate all aspects of the curriculum in the art room. She believes that art experiences are meaningful to all students and can be designed in a way that can accommodate the abilities of all children.
- Dr. Edie Tatel
Edie has been teaching and working in education for almost 40 years, including in the Chicago Public Schools, at the University of Maryland, for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, at Teach For America, and at American University. She received her PhD from the University of Maryland, College Park in Education Policy, Planning, and Administration, with her dissertation focusing on supervising and mentoring student teachers. She has been published and presented papers on peer coaching and mentoring, as well as effective methods for teaching writing. - M. Ardell Thompson
M. Ardell Thompson is a DC Public Schools graduate, having attended Theodore Roosevelt High School in 1966. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary education from DC Teachers College in 1970. She completed her master's degrees in guidance and counseling at Howard University in 1972 and travel administration and tourism development from The George Washington University in 1984. In 1998, she received an educational doctorate in vocational and technical education from Virginia Tech.
Ardell taught for over 30 years at public schools in the District. She retired from the system in 2003 and has since consulted with various educational groups. - Delores Webber-Gabriel
Delores served for ten years as Director of Education at For Love of Children, Inc. and has decades of experience as an educator activist for children and families. Ms. Webber-Gabriel has served as counselor and mentor at the Inspired Teaching's Summer STEP program. - Judy White
Judy was a high school drama and speech teacher for many years before she retired and began working as a mentor and facilitator for Center for Inspired Teaching. She was our executive director, Aleta Margolis's teacher and is one of the educators Aleta credits with showing her what Inspired Teaching looks like in practice. - Helanius Wilkins
Helanius is the founder and artistic director of Edgeworks Dance Theater, DC's first all-male contemporary ensemble of predominantly African American men. He is an award winning choreographer, performance artist and instructor with experience teaching in DC public schools. He is a former Associate Artistic Director of The Dance Institute of Washington. He is currently on faculty at Joy of Motion Dance Center, Dance Place, and George Washington University.
