Our Regional Councils
STC establishes Regional Councils (RC) comprised of local leaders who volunteer their time to facilitate network impact and engagement.
Regional Councils (RC) build, organize, and support the STC network by committing to a diverse range of responsibilities. These include:
Get the most up to date progress from the Regional Councils on our blog.
Meet Our Regional Councils:
Boston, MA
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Ryan Oliver
Co-Chair
Ryan is RC Co-Chair for STC Boston and has provided unique direction for STC member school recruitment. He is a senior executive at the BUILD organization in Boston. He taught Humanities and Social Studies for 11 years. Ryan holds a BA from Harvard College and a Master of Arts in Education from Cal State Monterey Bay.
Chicago, IL
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Jennifer Husbands
Co-Chair
Jenn is the RC Co-Chair for Chicago and Director of the AUSL Institute at the Academy for Urban School Leadership. She received her BA degrees in Rhetoric & Communications and Afro-American Studies from the University of Virginia and her Ph.D. in Education Policy and Administration from Stanford University. She serves on the board of the Buck Institute for Education and is a former member of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
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Elliot Ransom
Co-Chair
Elliot is RC Co-Chair of STC Chicago and a consultant for Mission Measurement. He’s a Teach for America alumni and former Performance Manger for the Office of New Schools in the Chicago Public Schools.
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Tracy Reynolds
Member
Tracy is a Member of the STC Chicago Regional Council and Corporate Communication Specialist at Panduit. She is a Teach For America alumna and taught first grade in Baltimore City for four years. She holds a BA in Business Administration from Saint Louis University and an MS in Education from Johns Hopkins University.
Cleveland, OH
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Tom Gill
Co-Chair
Tom is a Regional Council Co-Chair of STC Cleveland and the Director of Development at the Urban Community School. He holds a MA degree from the Kennedy School at Harvard University.
Indianapolis, IN
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Charlie Shlegel
Co-Chair
Dr. Charles Schlegel is the Director of the Challenge Foundation Academy (CFA).The Challenge Foundation Academy is a K-5 tuition–free, quality public charter school. Dr. Schlegel joined CFA in 2008, after serving as a middle school principal in Boston. He has extensive experience as an elementary school teacher and has worked with middle school-age youth through Citizens Schools, an after-school program offered in several cities across the country. Dr. Schlegel earned a Doctor of Education in Administration, Planning and Social Policy from Harvard University.
Los Angeles, CA
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Mindy Pomper Johnson
Co-Chair
Mindy Pomper Johnson is a producer/director and educator with over 15 years experience in documentaries. A native New Yorker, she graduated from Queens College, and moved to Los Angeles where she received her MA in Education and Teaching from USC and has taught classes in documentary film. At Sierra Madre Elementary School where her son attended, she’s been active in the Annual Fund Campaign and PTA. She is a member of the Producers Guild of America and founded the organization Association of Women in Entertainment. Take a look at her projects on IMDB.
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Karla Pasos Addelson
Co-Chair
Karla Pasos Addelson is a RC Co-Chair in Los Angeles and a full-time History and AP History teacher in Watts. Before pursuing her passion for education she worked in Marketing as a Project Coordinator and Account Executive for six years. She completed her undergraduate degree in International Development from UCLA and most recently received her MA in Education and Teaching from USC. On her spare time, she writes for the MAT@USC blog.
Milwaukee, WI
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Abby Andrietsch
Co-Chair
abby.andrietsch@stcmilwaukee.org
Abby is a Milwaukee Co-Chair and Co-Founder and Executive Director of STC Milwaukee. Abby has a BS in Commerce with a concentration in Finance from the University of Virginia and an MBA and MA in Education from Stanford University. She is a member of TEMPO Milwaukee, Alverno College’s Board of Trustees, and the UCC Education Committee.
Kole Knueppel
Co-Chair
kole.knueppel@stcmilwaukee.org
Kole is a Milwaukee RC Co-Chair and board member of STC, and he’s the Co-Founder and Managing Director of School Partnerships at STC Milwaukee. Kole has a BS in English with a Secondary Education Certificate from Wisconsin Lutheran and MS in Educational Administration from the University of Wisconsin where he is now working towards his PhD.
Newark, NJ
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Gary Debode
Co-Chair
Gary is a RC Co-Chair for STC Newark and board member of STC. He is also the President of Edison Properties. Gary has been involved in urban non-profit work for many years, previously serving on the board of the Partnership for the Homeless in New York City and currently serving on the board of Trustees of St. Philips Academy, an independent school in Newark, New Jersey.
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Marnie McKoy
Co-Chair
Marnie is a RC Newark Co-Chair, Board Member of STC, and the CEO of the Community Charter School in Paterson, NJ. She has been recognized as citizen of the year at Pingry as well as the SEED organization. Marnie graduated from Rutgers and has an MA from Seton Hall in education leadership.
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Jesse Thompson
Co-Chair
jessemichaelthompson@gmail.com
Jesse is a Co-Chair at STC Newark and a US History & Language Arts Teacher at Link Community School. Jesse has been employed in education and community outreach with experiences that range from elementary level after-school teacher to graduate school writing instructor to manager at a Catholic Worker House for the homeless in Atlanta, Georgia. Jesse received an BA in English from Rollins College and an MBA from Piedmont College. He has also studied Creative Writing in the Master of Fine Arts graduate program at Sewanee: The University of the South.
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Joshua Thompson
Co-Chair
Joshua is a RC Newark Co-Chair and the Deputy Mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Previously, he served as the Associate Director of Institutional Advancement at STC School St Benedict’s Prep where he is an alumnus. He’s been awarded a Public Service Legal Fellowship by Vermont Law School, where he co-wrote the strategic plan for the creation and operation of PENewark (funded by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg) and then served as a Research Analyst. He received a BA from Piedmont College and studied Law at Vermont Law School and the University of Amsterdam.
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Stephany Lin
Regional Coordinator
slin@schoolsthatcan.org
Stephany is the Regional Coordinator of STC in Newark, where she previously worked in an urban education fellowship at Great Oaks Charter School. She holds a BA in Social Studies, focusing on urban development, from Harvard University.
New York, NY
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Ellen Freeman
Co-Chair
Ellen is a Regional Council Co-Chair of New York City and member of the STC National Validation Committee. Her experience includes teaching (staff developer in the Yonkers Public Schools), administration (AP of the Ethical Culture School), and school governance (elected School Trustee of the Mamaroneck UFSD). She has a BA from Boston University, MA in Special Ed (Lesley University), and MEd in Administration (Teachers College, Columbia University).
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Meghan Mackay
Co-Chair
Meghan is the STC Director of School and Community Partnerships, RC Co-Chair of NYC, and Co-Chair of the STC Metrics Team, bringing innovative ways to STC for measuring results. She’s also the Director of Strategic Planning at New Heights Youth. She serves on the board of two charter schools, Mott Haven Academy in the Bronx and Foundation Academy in Trenton, NJ. She has a BA from Stanford and a MEd from the University of San Francisco.
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North Carolina
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Chantalle Carles
Co-Chair
Chantalle is a Co-Chair of STC North Carolina and a TFA HS English teacher with a BA in Political Science from the University of Florida currently pursuing her MA in Public Policy from Northwestern. She’s currently a felllow at The Duke Endowment working with non-profits to determine their effectiveness and analyze policies that effect child care, education, health care and rural churches.
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Stefan Schropp
Co-Chair
Stefan is a RC Co-Chair of STC North Carolina and a 7th grade math teacher in Charlotte with TFA. Stefan received his BAs in Political Science and Ethnicity, Race, and Migration from Yale University. He is pursuing his Master’s in Business Administration from the McColl School at Queen’s University in Charlotte.
Philadelphia, PA
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Alexis Brown
Co-Chair
Alexis Brown is a Co-Chair in Philadelphia. She is the Executive Director at Community Women’s Education Project (CWEP), a nonprofit education and support organization for low-income women who previously dropped out of high school. Ms. Brown received the 2010 Woman’s Education Activist award, which was presented by the American Educational Research Association. Alexis is a PhD candidate at Walden University, has a MBA in Management, and Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology.
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Bianca Huff
Co-Chair
Bianca is a RC Member of STC Philadelphia. She’s a full-time development professional and part-time English Professor who started in education as a teacher through TFA. She holds a BA in Communications and Latin American Studies from University of Pittsburgh and a MA in Professional and Technical Writing from Carnegie Mellon University.
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Mary W. Klein
Co-Chair
Mary is a Regional Council Co-Chair in Philadelphia, a Board Member of STC, and Chair of the STC Validation Committee. Formerly, Mary was a School Administrator in Philadelphia.
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Jurate Krokys
Co-Chair
Jurate Krokys is a Co-Chair in Philadelphia and Executive Director of Philadelphia Schools for American Paradigm. She’s the former Founding Principal and former CEO of Independence Charter School in Philadelphia.
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Barbara Moses
Co-Chair
Barbara Moses is a Co-Chair in Philadelphia, Principal of Philadelphia Mennonite High School, and 30 year veteran educator of the Philadelphia School District. She attended Cheyney State College (BS), Antioch University (M. Ed), and received certifications in Curriculum, Instruction, Supervision and Educational Administration at the University of Pennsylvania . Sensing a deeper call to education, she completed a Doctor of Religious Education Degree from Friends International Christian University.
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Christine Beck
Member
Christine is a RC Member of Philadelphia. Christine is the recently retired, and long-time leader of the GESU School in Philadelphia. She is widely respected as an education leader in the Philadelphia community and author of “Listen to our Voices.”
Pittsburgh, PA
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Richard Wertheimer
Co-Chair
Richard is the Founder, CEO, and Principal of City Charter High School in Pittsburgh. The mission of City Charter High School, a technology infused public school, is to graduate students who are academically, technologically, personally and socially prepared to succeed in post-secondary education or training. Using a team approach, City High cultivates a safe, supportive and academically rigorous environment by recognizing and nurturing individual talents, needs and skills.
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Joseph Wilkinson
Co-Chair
Joe is a Board Member and Chairman Emeritus of Schools That Can.
San Francisco, CA
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Mira H. Browne
Co-Chair
Mira is a RC Co-Chair in San Francisco and Senior Account Executive at Larson Communications, a firm specializing in public education reform. Previously she worked in Mayor Bloomberg’s Administration as Deputy Director of Public Affairs for DFTA. She has a BA from George Washington University in Journalism with a concentration in Middle East Affairs.
St. Louis, MO
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Carter Cunningham
Co-Chair
Carter is a RC Co-Chair in St. Louis. He was a 2006 TFA high school math teacher in St. Louis and earned an MBA at Washington University. He currently works as a financial analyst at Edward Jones and is a founding Board Member of the charter school South City Prep.
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Joe Jovanovich
Co-Chair
Joe is a RC Co-Chair in St. Louis and works in the non-profit community development sector with a focus on youth programming. He earned his MSW from Washington University. He is on the board of a local charter school, and serves as chair of the education committee of the Mayor’s Vanguard Cabinet. He is a proud alumnus of City Year.
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Rachel Ruggirello
Co-Chair
Rachel is a RC Co-Chair of St. Louis holding a BA from Cornell, an MS in Chemistry Education from the University of PA, and is pursuing her PhD in Science Education. She’s a TFA alumna who works at Washington University doing educational outreach and partnerships.
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Robbyn Wahby
Co-Chair
Robbyn is a RC Co-Chair of St. Louis. She serves as Deputy Chief of Staff for the City of St. Louis and has been Mayor Slay’s advisor on education and children’s policy since 2001.
Washington DC/Baltimore, MD
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Courtney Bragg
Co-Chair
Courtney is a RC Co-Chair in DC and the College Transition Counselor at KIPP DC: College Preparatory. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Washington University in St. Louis, writing her honors thesis on racialization and urban schools.
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Paige Isaacson
Co-Chair
Paige is a RC Co-Chair of STC DC and the Manager for Program Evaluations in the Office of Achievement and Accountability of Baltimore Public Schools. Formerly a Network Team Lead for the Office of School Support Networks and Baltimore teacher, she is a TFA alumna and holds a BA in Business Administration from the University of Kansas and an MS in Education from Johns Hopkins University.