Associate Partner

Alisha Stewart

Marketing and Communications

Alisha Stewart is a storyteller with expertise in cause marketing and advocacy. As the former director of marketing and communications at UnboundEd, Alisha drove the execution of robust strategies to reach school and district leaders in need of professional development centered on equitable instruction. Previously, Alisha managed media and executive communications for Project GRAD Atlanta, a former college and career readiness partner of the Atlanta Public School, and the digital media and crisis communications efforts for the Boy Scouts of America. 

Alisha earned her bachelor’s in public relations from Howard University and a master’s in public relations and corporate communications from Georgetown University. She is also certified in Google Analytics, cause consulting (Georgetown University Center for Social Impact), and email marketing. Outside of her professional career, Alisha is a brewer, and has successfully brewed four different styles of beer— so far, her favorite is the peach saison. 

Partner

AntoniA “Toni” White

Programs

Senior Associate

Brooke O’Brien

Programs

Senior Research Fellow

Camille Warren

Research and Impact

Camille leads Catalyst:Ed’s research agenda. She is a social scientist, strategist, and educator with more than a decade of experience conducting research about and facilitating transformational systems change toward equity in public and private organizations. The majority of her work has been situated in educational, non-profit, and entrepreneurial contexts. Her praxis focuses on examining issues of structural inequality blending principles from critical theory, cultural-historical activity theory and systems change. In addition to her role at Catalyst:Ed, Camille serves as an instructor at the University of North Carolina’s Scale School. Previously, she held research and teaching positions at Duke University, Indiana University, and Horizon Research, Inc. Most notably, she served on the founding team, as the Associate Director of Research and Evaluation, for the Great Lakes Equity Center at Indiana University. This Center is one of four Equity Assistance Centers funded by the U.S. Department of Education to partner with the Department of Justice and Office for Civil Rights to promote equity in public educational agencies. She holds a bachelor’s degree from North Carolina State University and a master’s degree from Indiana University.

Senior Associate

Gabrielle Mendy

Learning Organization

Gabby is a New Orleans native and received a BA in International Studies from the University of Chicago. Her appreciation for the educational opportunities afforded to her fostered a deep passion for ensuring quality educational access and success for all students. Prior to Catalyst:Ed, Gabby worked with the Socioeconomic Diversity Alliance and Upward Bound. She strives to continue this work throughout her career and is ecstatic she empowers organizations to improve student outcomes through her day to day work. In her free time, Gabby enjoys bike riding, painting, and finding new and exciting food pop-ups.

Senior Associate

Grace Frye

Network Engagement 

Grace is responsible for engaging and supporting Catalyst:Ed’s provider network. A journalist, writer, and storyteller, Grace grew up in Austin, TX and received a BA from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX where she studied communication, economics, and entrepreneurship. As a 2018 Venture for America fellow in Cleveland, OH, Grace worked closely with post-secondary institutions to increase access and equity on college campuses through innovative tech solutions and mentorship programming. At Catalyst:Ed she is excited to bring together her passion for meaningful storytelling and empowering organizations to improve student outcomes. Outside of work Grace enjoys being artsy, spending time outdoors, and hosting roller skate meetups throughout Northeast Ohio.

Senior Associate

Ivy McKee

Programs

Ivy McKee grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin among a family of activists, poets, and lifelong learners. She attended Kalamazoo College, majoring in Psychology, Sociology, and Anthropology. After college, Ivy served as an educator for four years in New Orleans. In the charter school space, she worked in a variety of capacities, such as lead middle school interventionist, ELL support, and special education teacher. In a project-based, community-driven micro-school, she held the roles of an innovative teacher guide and curriculum director. She used her experience as a teacher to participate in educational policy fellowships, support family organizing, and facilitate youth-led community development. Outside of work, Ivy enjoys cooking and spending time outdoors.

Associate Partner

Jeremy Tullis

Programs

Accounting and Finance

John Foard

John brings over 20 years of public and private accounting experience to the table. Prior to joining the Catalyst-Ed team, he performed financial statement audits, internal control studies, and prepared tax return filings. Besides professionally working with a variety of educational-related organizations and not-for-profits, he has also served as Treasurer for Athlos Academy of Jefferson Parish. John happily lives in New Orleans, where he enjoys the cultural diversity and social aspects of the Crescent City; he is a float captain in a New Orleans Mardi Gras krewe and has lived in the city for over 15 years.

Founder/CEO

Leona Christy

Founder and CEO

Leona Christy is an impact entrepreneur who excels at finding innovative and elegant solutions to vast, complex, and often hidden challenges. She founded Catalyst:Ed to improve outcomes for America’s children and youth by strengthening the schools and nonprofits that serve them, and transforming the capacity of the nation’s education ecosystem. Under her leadership, Catalyst:Ed has pioneered a unique model to rapidly and effectively match education organizations to the expertise, resources, and hands-on support they need to become more effective, innovative, and equitable. Catalyst:Ed is currently working with state and local education agencies, schools, and education nonprofits in all 50 states to address long-standing challenges and expand the limits of what they can accomplish. It is also investing in strengthening the capacity of grassroots organizations that work in close proximity to historically marginalized communities. At a systemic level, Catalyst:Ed is building the “marketplace” infrastructure – the tech, the network, and the know-how – needed to support capacity building at scale, strengthen the field of providers, and facilitate sector-wide learning.

Leona is a Malayali, who grew up in India and emigrated to the United States as an adult. With no access to networks of power and wealth, she overcame multiple challenges and constraints as she sought to launch and grow Catalyst:Ed to its national presence. Her experiences have fueled her drive to remove barriers to access, knowledge, and opportunity for all.

As the Founder and CEO of Catalyst:Ed, Leona is responsible for defining Catalyst:Ed’s vision and strategy and for shepherding its ongoing impact, growth, health, and sustainability. She also writes and speaks about topics at the intersection of education, innovation, entrepreneurship, and equity. Leona has previously built thriving teams and organizations across the world throughout her professional career in both the corporate and social sectors. Leona has an MPP from Duke University and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management.

Senior Associate

Mara Timmeney

Programs 

Mara supports Catalyst:Ed’s work in the postsecondary space, especially the Higher Ed Equity Network. Hailing from Kalamazoo, Michigan (home of the Kalamazoo Promise!), Mara was raised in a community that champions the importance of education equity. With a fire for ensuring all have access to quality, meaningful education and experience-based learning, Mara believes in the power of connecting & uplifting the knowledge and resources within communities to disrupt longstanding inequities. Her passion is to strengthen the connection between education and meaningful workforce opportunities and transitions. Prior to joining the Catalyst:Ed team, Mara served in roles at the Urban League of Philadelphia, College Possible, and Next Generation Sector Partnerships/The Institute for Networked Communities. Mara’s background includes event planning, program management, youth leadership development training, volunteer management, curriculum planning, and local and international travel coordination. Mara holds a BA in Psychology and Sociology from Hope College. Outside of work, Mara can be found near the water or walking around the neighborhood with her dog, Lottie.

VP, People and Operations

Meladee Evans

Meladee is responsible for the health and effectiveness of Catalyst:Ed’s talent management and operational strategy, systems, and processes so that they center the humanity of our people, our providers, and our partners, supporting and empowering them to work at their highest potential. She joined Catalyst:Ed in 2019 and has played a major role in expanding our foundation partnerships and leading our supports to emerging Black and Brown education leaders serving marginalized communities. Meladee brings over a decade of experience managing strategic programs and partnerships and leading high-functioning teams across social impact and technology spaces. Prior to joining Catalyst:Ed, she worked as the Director of Talent Strategy for KIPP New Orleans Schools, where she designed a number of tools and structures to strengthen teacher and leadership pipelines and build equity into talent practices. Before entering the education sector, Meladee worked as a mechanical engineer, and she now uses her critical eye for problem-solving and system building to deliver outcomes that elevate and empower marginalized groups. She holds an MBA from Northwestern University and BS degrees in mathematics and mechanical engineering from Spelman College and the Georgia Institute of Technology, respectively.

Associate

Natasha Carballo Saenz

Programs

Natasha supports our work on equity initiatives and with emerging organizations led by leaders of color. She hails from South Florida and earned her BA from Boston University, studying International Relations and Human Rights. From analyzing migrant workers’ rights in the Persian Gulf to providing material resources for undocumented immigrants in FL, Natasha has a passion for equity and action that comes from her own proximity to underserved communities. She hopes to use her drive for civil rights to bring integrity and fairness to education through her work at Catalyst:Ed. In her spare time, you can find her reading novels in between naps or tending to her virtual farm in Stardew Valley.

Senior Associate

Nybria Acklin

Human Resources

Nybria split her upbringing in Kansas City and Philadelphia, which informs her advocacy for eradicating racial disparities in education after experiencing the challenges that inner-city public school systems face. She is a 2019 Venture for America fellow and recent alum of the Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs. Nybria graduated from Smith College in 2018 with a B.A. in Sociology. Her experience so far has sparked an interest in ecosystem building and social impact work. Outside of work, Nybria is passionate about dance and music.

Partner

Phillip Nevels

Programs

VP, Programs

Rachel Klein

Rachel is responsible for the overall strategy, implementation, and success of Catalyst:Ed’s programmatic services to the sector, including maximizing strategic fit with sector needs, ensuring equity is woven through all aspects of our process and outcomes, and delivering on the organization’s impact goals. Rachel joined Catalyst:Ed in 2018 to lead our support to the Gates Foundation’s Networks for School Improvement Community of Practice, including launching the Learning Lab for School Improvement Teams. Rachel also launched our work in the Postsecondary sector, and our Innovative Learning Expert Hub. Rachel has extensive experience working to achieve equitable outcomes in schools and school systems through her work as a District Administrator in Highline Public Schools, a Vice President for Code.org, a Program Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and roles within the public school districts in Seattle, Chicago, and Boston. In her free time, Rachel serves as the Board Chair for Ada Developers Academy, makes pizza from scratch, obsessively grows dahlias, and enjoys spending time with family, friends, and in the mountains.

Partner

Rohini McKee

Programs 

Associate Partner

Sana Meghani

Programs

Sana Ali Meghani provides leadership and support to Catalyst:Ed’s work in the postsecondary space, especially the Higher Ed Equity Network. She has 10 years of experience in developing and leading innovative and forward-thinking initiatives to reduce college success gaps for low-income students and students of color. She is deeply committed to amplifying the voices and stories of those who have been historically marginalized at institutions of higher education. Sana comes to Catalyst:Ed from Trellis Company, where she led a national initiative with the Department of Education to create and execute strategic programs to transform institutional capacity and improve student outcomes at sixty Minority Serving Institutions. She has also held roles focused on college access and success at the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, The University of Texas at Austin, and UC San Diego. Sana received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Thurgood Marshall College at UC San Diego and a Master’s in Educational Leadership and Policy from UT Austin. Born in Pakistan, Sana is both a proud first-generation American and college graduate. Outside of work, she is a board member for WiseUp TX and serves on the Thurgood Marshall College Alumni Advisory Committee. Sana is based in Austin, Texas.

Senior Associate

Sema Ramos

Programs

Associate

Sophia Dantzic

Product

Sophia is a graduate of Bennington College currently based in Philadelphia, PA. She supports Catalyst:Ed’s Product team in curating and utilizing tech tools to support the organization’s work. She loves working with data and systems and is glad to be able to lend those skills within Catalyst:Ed. Outside of work, she loves to cook, bake, and spend time with her dog.

Director

Taysa Mohler

Product

Taysa leads our work creating and curating products and applications that increase our model’s accessibility and efficiency. Taysa is from Lake Tahoe, CA and is a graduate of Bard College in NY, where she studied Literature, Middle Eastern Studies, and Science, Technology, & Society. She is a 2018 Venture for America Fellow, and has worked previously in web design, marketing, program management, and operations. She was drawn to Catalyst:Ed as the daughter of a charter school founder and non-profit executive director, and she loves the impact she gets to make at work! When not working, catch her knitting or color-coding her life.

VP, Equity

Tre Johnson

Tre is a career educator that started as a classroom teacher in Houston, TX via Teach For America. He has done work in youth non-profit college access and development work between Washington D.C. and Philadelphia, PA, working at the Urban Alliance Foundation and Philadelphia Futures. In Philadelphia, Tre served in grant-writing and admissions roles for the Mariana Bracetti Academy and Freire Charter Schools and he also served on Teach For America’s (TFA) Greater Philadelphia regional staff as the managing director of alumni affairs and as executive director. He has since served as the senior manager of the District Advisory Board and Strategic Partnerships in the Camden City School District and the deputy director for JerseyCAN, focused on education policy advocacy, community engagement, and community leaders. Before joining Catalyst Ed, Tre has also started a career as a writer for major media outlets on issues of race, culture and leadership. Outside of education, he serves as co-chair for the Youth Sentencing & Reentry Project, focused on juvenile life sentencing issues and reentry. He graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Provider-In-Residence

Elana Feinberg

Elana has over 15 years of experience in education as a history teacher, a counselor, a school leader, and a consultant. She has worked with both district and charter schools all over the US. Her consulting practice focuses on designing and redesigning schools in order to prepare all students to succeed in a global workplace. Prior to her work in education, Elana spent four years in technology start-ups. She began her teaching career as an Americorps member in the Harlem Children’s Zone, then taught history at San Mateo High School, then was a history teacher and school leader at Summit Public Schools. Elana has an M.A. and a teaching credential from Stanford University and a BA in Political Science from Barnard College, Columbia University. When not creating the schools of the future, Elana can be found: running, patiently working on her meditation practice, visiting foreign lands, listening to live music, and volunteering to support local politics.

Provider-In-Residence

Nicole Jarbo

Nicole works with social entrepreneurs in search of funding at Goodbets Group, a fundraising consulting firm specializing in education ventures. She’s worked with a wide range of companies, non-profits, and funders. She also serves as a coach and advisor to education nonprofits, coaching entrepreneurs funded by 4.0 Schools, New Schools Ventures Fund, and Camelback Ventures. Before starting Goodbets, she advised funders on their philanthropic giving, focusing on education issues ranging from education technology, charter schools, international development, and policy issues. Nicole is also a former KIPP educator, Teach For America alumna, entrepreneur, and helped found New Orleans’ Carver Collegiate Academy. She went to undergrad at UC Berkeley, while there she served as a lecturer in the education department, played on the nationally-ranked Cal women’s soccer team, and went onto get her Master’s Degree from Berkeley’s Graduate School of Education.

Provider-In-Residence

Rasheeda Washington

Rasheeda Washington founded Beyond Sixth to support organizations in achieving significant outcomes and impact through developing and implementing solutions based on the people, values, and culture of their organization. She is an experienced supply chain and operations professional with deep expertise in process improvement, organizational capacity, strategic planning, and business process design.

Over the past seven years, Rasheeda has focused on K-12 education and non-profit work. She connects big-picture thinking with execution in a manner that drives positive results. She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville and a Master in Business Administration from the Krannert School of Management, Purdue University. She is also an alum of The Broad Residency Program. Rasheeda is a proud fur-mom to her rescued terrier KJ; and loves roller skating, hiking, and shoe shopping.