Our Team

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.

Rodney Ferguson is an expert on public affairs and advocacy marketing and communications with more than 20 years of experience in journalism, public policy communications, and education. He’s worked with a diverse set of clients in the nonprofit, government, and corporate sectors.

Some of the clients Rodney has served include the Brookings Institution, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, RAND, Seton Hall University, the State University of New York system, The College Board, The Graduate Management Admission Council, and the U.S. Department of Education.

Rodney partners with his clients to develop messaging, materials, and campaign strategies that help accomplish their advocacy and marketing goals. These efforts have involved broad media relations and government affairs programs, international engagement efforts, and resolution of regulatory hurdles. He has also worked for government agencies, including the telecom regulatory authority in Qatar, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the education ministry of Slovenia.

For six years, Rodney served on the board for the Education Writers Association, the largest national organization representing journalists who cover education.

Rodney holds a Master of Public Policy degree from the Harvard Kennedy School and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and history from Birmingham Southern College.

At Van Ness Feldman, Ms. Fidler supports clients and coalitions interested in policy and business strategies relating to energy innovation including smart grid, electricity, green buildings, energy efficiency, clean diesel engines, carbon capture, EPA regulation, and clean energy.  She has worked with and trained clients in effective advocacy; brought former adversaries to new, constructive relationships; and assisted a prominent organization to manage its explosive growth.

Prior to joining Van Ness Feldman, Ms. Fidler held a variety of high profile positions within the federal government, including Chief of Staff to the President’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).  Ms. Fidler also served as the Staff Director for the Subcommittee on Energy and Power of the Committee on Energy and Commerce in the U.S. House of Representatives and as Assistant to the Chairman for Policy for the House Subcommittees on Fossil and Synthetic Fuels and Energy and Power for Congressman and Subcommittee Chair Philip Sharp (D-IN).

Shelley is a graduate of Brown University.  In addition to serving on the Board of The Center for Inspired Teaching, she is a member of the Keystone Center’s Energy Board, Treasurer and Board Member of the Energy and Environmental Study Institute, a member of the Women’s Leadership Council (WLC), and a mentor for the Women’s Launch Pad, both  at Brown University.  Ms. Fidler is a Founding Member of the Women’s Council on Energy and Environment (WCEE).

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.

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 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.

Education, training, and lifelong learning have been consistent themes throughout Bonnie’s professional and personal life. She is excited to bring her 30 years of experience in coordinating program implementation teams, conducting business development, and organizational strategic planning for several international development non-profits to Center for Inspired Teaching. At the Academy for Educational Development, Bonnie managed programs focused on youth and workforce development, international training and exchanges, and capacity building for a range of individuals and institutions from around the world. Bonnie holds a Bachelor’s degree in History/African Studies from Carleton College and a Master’s degree in International Administration from the School for International Training.  

Before joining Inspired Teaching, Mandy was an associate at Day Pitney LLP in Boston, Massachusetts where her practice focused on commercial litigation and white collar defense.  Originally from Murray, Kentucky, Mandy graduated from Yale University with Distinction in the English major, and received her J.D. from the William & Mary School of Law.

Jessica is a graduate of American University and has a Master of Science for Teachers from Pace University. As a New York City middle school teacher, Jessica taught bilingual (Spanish) math and science.  At Center for Inspired Teaching, Jessica supports research and program evaluation.

As Manager of Development and Outreach, Nora coordinates the grant writing and reporting process for Inspired Teaching’s institutional donors. Prior to joining Inspired Teaching, Nora worked with the Duke University Talent Identification Program as the Academic Coordinator for its Texas A&M University site and in the Center for Community Engagement and Service at American University as the Service-Learning Coordinator.  She has also worked in Cape Town, South Africa, with PASSOP, an organization that advocates for refugee populations living in the Western Cape, and serves on the board of the DC chapter of Young Education Professionals as the grants chair.  Raised in Durham, North Carolina, Nora received her undergraduate degree from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, and her M.A. in International Service at American University.

Mara joins Center for Inspired Teaching after earning her BS in Political Communication from Emerson College. She previously worked for Peace First Boston, coordinating college volunteers and teaching conflict resolution classes to elementary and middle school students. She has also volunteered as a dental assistant in rural El Salvador and is fluent in Spanish. Mara is excited to work with and support teachers across all of Inspired Teaching’s 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.

Pamela Greene has worked as an operations manager and coordinator for several years in diverse companies. She is pleased to be putting her experience to work as part of a dynamic community that is passionate about education, social justice, and making a difference in the lives of children. At Center for Inspired Teaching she works with a team of staff members on organizational growth and strategic planning projects and manages day-to-day administrative operations. Pam attended Trinity College in Washington, DC.

Cosby is a native Washingtonian who earned his bachelor?s degree in Non-Western History at the University of Pennsylvania and began his teaching career in rural Georgia as part of the Teach for America program (’93 Corps). He stayed in Georgia to get his masters degree in Secondary Social Science Education at the University of Georgia. He returned home to DC in 1997 and spent thirteen years teaching social studies at Bell Multicultural High school (now the Columbia Heights Educational Campus) where he led the social studies department as well as the tennis and debate teams. Cosby earned his National Board Certification in 2006 and is one of only a handful of National Board Certified social studies teachers in the city.

Shannon began her work in the field of education with focus on international development before becoming a DC Teaching Fellow in 2001. Since then, she has spent time as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, curriculum writer, professional developer/consultant, new teacher mentor, researcher and adjunct professor. She holds Masters degrees in International Development and Elementary Education, TESOL.  Shannon is currently a doctoral candidate in Reading, Writing and Literacy at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research interests include embedded professional development, teacher resilience, and teachers as leaders/change makers.

Monisha is a Director of Teaching and Learning at Center for Inspired Teaching, working primarily with the Inspired Teacher Certification Program and the organization’s partnership with Baltimore City Schools. She leads Inspired Teaching’s transformational work with teachers to inspire them to change their teaching practice to be more effective and engaging in the classroom. Monisha is particularly passionate about working with teachers to improve pedagogy around inquiry-based practices and collaborative learning. Prior to joining Inspired Teaching, Monisha was a high school math teacher in Baltimore City. Monisha received her master’s degree in Educational Administration and Policy from Howard University and a B.S. in Industrial and Operations engineering at the University of Michigan.

Kate received her DC teaching certification in secondary social studies and Masters in Teaching degree from American University. At Center for Inspired Teaching, Kate has overseen the creation and implementation of all programs, including teacher trainings, mentoring, school partnerships, and the design of the Inspired Teaching Demonstration School. She serves as a partner to the Executive Director in determining strategic direction of the organization, including program expansion, financial management, and overall organizational growth. She also serves as a regular facilitator and leader of Inspired Teaching’s work with teachers at the Inspired Teaching School and across the city. 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 after graduating from Kenyon College.

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.

Barbara Michelman brings extensive experience in nonprofit and corporate education communications to her work as director of communications for Center for Inspired Teaching. Barbara previously served as director of communications for Change the Equation, a White House-launched national business coalition focused on improving preK-12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning. She’s also served as the communications director for ASCD, The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and the American Association of School Administrators. Barbara received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from California University of Pennsylvania and her master’s degree in journalism from Temple University.

Monica Shelby Spaller is a development consulting professional with 20 years experience.   She co-founded, and served as President of Shelby/Blaseg, Inc., a fundraising firm with offices in Washington, DC and Minneapolis, Minnesota.  She has extensive experience in major donor, private, corporate and federal grant acquisition, corporate grassroots and political action committee fund-raising, and direct mail. She co-founded City Collegiate Public Charter School and served as a trustee for last five years successfully securing both government and private grants for the school as Chair of the Development Committee.  She has served on multiple boards and is involved with many community organizations.  Ms. Spaller has worked with the Mayor’s Office and the City Council on numerous issues and was officially commended by the DC Government in March of 1997 for her continued service to her community.  

Robyn began working in education as a program instructor at a civic education organization in Washington, DC and then spent five years teaching high school social studies in New York City. Most recently, she worked as a researcher at the Institute for Education and Social Policy while earning her PhD in Educational Administration, Leadership, and Policy at NYU. Robyn’s dissertation research focuses on charter school founders in New York City. She also holds a bachelor’s degree from Ohio University and a master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.