Summer 2023

Dr. Antija Allen (ann-tee-yuh, al-en) is the Director of the Pellissippi Academic Center for Excellence (PACE) and a tenured Assistant Professor of Psychology at Pellissippi State Community College with two decades of experience as an educator. She was the 2021-2022 recipient of the Roger Crowe Excellence in Teaching award and is certified in DEI and online teaching. Antija successfully championed Pellissippi Academy’s Emotional Intelligence cohort for two years and served as the 2019-2021 PACE Faculty Fellow for First Year Experience. The Tennessee Board of Regents selected her as a 2021-2022 Maxine Smith leadership fellow; her cohort developed a toolkit of best practices for Black males: student success, faculty recruitment, and faculty retention in public higher education. Dr. Allen is the Owner of Allen Ivy Prep Consulting (www.AllenIvyPrep.org), which specializes in career coaching and professional development. Antija’s recent publications include a chapter on Academic Freedom in Classroom Discussions and a bestselling edited collection entitled, We’re Not OK: Black Faculty Experiences and Higher Education Strategies. This Cambridge University Press publication discusses promoting mental health, diversity recruitment, faculty retention, and fostering an inclusive environment for Black faculty. It was book of the month for the society of diversity, featured as part of a special report for Inside Higher Ed and recommended by the Journal of Blacks in higher education, INSIGHT into Diversity, Diverse: Issues in higher education, Teaching in higher ed, and several DEI experts. She has led and conducted research on several topics at NYU, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Teachers College Columbia University. Dr. Allen earned her BA in Psychology from Neumann University and MA in Psychology from Pepperdine University. Most recently, Antija has returned to Columbia University Teachers College where she earned her EdD in Adult Learning & Leadership to teach as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in their Summer Principals Academy, educating aspiring school leaders.

Dr. Mara Ratesic- Koetke is currently the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction for the Bronxville School in Westchester County, New York.  Under Dr. Koetke’s leadership, the district created and implemented the Bronxville Promise, which stands as a commitment to teaching students to lead, innovate, think critically, and engage the world around them.  Additionally, in 2022, the Bronxville School was ranked #1 in New York State based on NY State Assessment results in English Language Arts and Mathematics for elementary and middle school students. Prior to her work in Bronxville, Dr. Koetke was the Principal of the Lower Laboratory School for Gifted Education, PS #77, a New York City Public School.  Dr. Koetke’s career began in Prince George’s County, Maryland, which led her to further her study at Teachers College, Columbia University.  Her dissertation, entitled, “White Teacher: African American Classroom” explored the intersection between race and teacher practice.  She has written and lectured extensively on educational leadership, curriculum development, using data for instructional change, and gifted education. Her real world expertise in educational leadership brings life to theory, and she is thrilled to return to her alma mater to support the next generation of educational leaders in the SPA program.

Dr. Brian K. Perkins is the Director of the Summer Principals Academy Master’s Degree Program offered by Teachers College Columbia University in New Orleans and New York City. He was previously the director of the Urban Education Leadership Program at Teachers College where he was responsible for designing and gaining accreditation of the doctoral program with a new conceptual framework.  He is the former Chair and Professor of Education Law and Policy at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Connecticut. As Chair, Dr. Perkins successfully led his department through the accreditation and licensure of the university’s first doctoral program and was the university’s youngest full, tenured professor in it’s 112-year history. Dr. Perkins is a distinguished Yale alumnus and was named a Timothy Dwight Fellow in 2004.  During his studies at Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Perkins was named a Wilbur G.H. Downs International Health Fellow. He was a member of a research unit at the Yale University School of Medicine at the Child Study Center.  Dr. Perkins was an instructor in the Yale University Department of Chemistry and was awarded the distinguished teaching award for instruction in Inorganic Chemistry Problems. Dr. Perkins also served as the Director of Education Programs within the Yale University School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics.  He has served as a consultant to schools and districts throughout the U.S., Brazil, Israel, Indonesia, Thailand, the People’s Republic of China, India, Venezuela, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the Republic of South Africa. Dr. Perkins has previously served as a visiting professor at the University of Pretoria in South Africa for more than a decade.  Dr. Perkins is the host of his own radio show, The Perkins Platform, which is a monthly online forum on education leadership topics with thousands of listeners.

Dr. Perkins was the President of the New Haven (CT) Board of Education where he served for 11 years.  He also served for four years on the Board of Directors of the National School Boards Association.  Dr. Perkins served two terms as national chair for CUBE: Council of Urban Boards of Education and was the chair for the National Black Caucus of School Board Members. Dr. Perkins was also the national chair of the Leadership for Healthy Communities initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.  Dr. Perkins has served as an executive leadership consultant to Escola SESC en Ensino Médio in Rio de Janeiro and provided consulting services to the Municipal Secretariat of Education in Rio de Janeiro.  He also served as a leadership development consultant to Escola Eleva, an innovative for-profit school in Rio.

Dr. Perkins is the author of several published articles and book chapters and serves as the Principal Investigator and Author of Where We Learn (2006), Where We Teach (2007) and What We Think (2008) – the largest studies on urban school climate in the history of public education.   Dr. Perkins led a groundbreaking study and improvement initiative of school climate in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  His forthcoming manuscript, Improving School Climate from the Inside Out, is under review and is scheduled for release later next year.  His instrument, the American School Climate Inventory, has been developed into an iPad, iPhone and Android device application and boasts worldwide distribution.  He is the developer of Privilege Beads, a copy-written diversity exercise, for use with students and adults in a variety of settings.

Dr. Perkins received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry from Grambling State University, a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the Yale University School of Medicine and his Doctor of Education Degree from Columbia University Teachers College. He has a graduate certificate in executive coaching from the Columbia Business School.  Dr. Perkins is a registered provider of continuing education for school board members by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and a nationally certified principal mentor by the National Association of Elementary School Principals.  He is certified administrator of the Neethling Brain Inventory, the Intercultural Development Inventory, the Leadership Practices Inventory, the DiSC profile and a Gallup-certified Strengths-based Leadership Coach.

Dr. Nancy B. Gutiérrez is President & CEO of The Leadership Academy, a nationally recognized nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and developing culturally responsive school and school system leaders to create the conditions necessary for all students to thrive. Since 2003, The Leadership Academy has done work in more than 375 school districts, state education departments, and education organizations across the country, reaching over 12,000 educators in 39 states. 

Nancy began her career as a teacher and principal in her home community of East San Jose, CA, where she founded Renaissance Academy, the highest performing middle school in the district and a California Distinguished School. Nancy also led the successful effort to turn around the district’s lowest performing middle school. She was named the UC Davis Rising Star and Association of California School Administrators’ Region 8 Middle School Principal of the Year in 2010. In 2014, Nancy joined The Leadership Academy and served in various roles before being named President & CEO in October 2018. Prior to her tenure with the Leadership Academy, Nancy launched a program for executive leadership advancement for the New York City Department of Education that led to superintendent certification.

Nancy is a Fall 2019 Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow and was named one of the top 100 most influential leaders in education in New York in 2020. In 2023, Nancy was named San Jose State University’s Distinguished Alumna.

Nancy is a graduate of the inaugural cohort of the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Doctor of Education Leadership (Ed.L.D.) program and is a graduate of the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) Aspiring Superintendents Academy. She has served as an adjunct professor for NYU, Teacher’s College and American University as well as an expert guest at various Harvard Principals’ Center Institutes. Nancy is a frequent keynote speaker and has authored numerous pieces on education leadership for publications including Education Week, Kappan, The74, Learning Forward’s Learning Professional, District Administrator, and Hechinger Report. 

Nancy is a member of the Board of Directors at the Hunt Institute, brightbeam, and Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC), and serves on the Latinos for Education teaching team.

Dr. Asheena Baez is the Chief Executive Officer of Asheena Baez Consulting LLC. An adjunct Professor at Columbia University, Russell Sage Doctoral Program Organizational Cultural Strategist, and Complex Systems Leadership and Wellbeing Consultant for the New York City Department of Education. Dr. Baez specializes in curating the conditions to create intersectionality between organizational culture sustainability and indestructible well-being.  

She has devoted the last two decades of her life to leadership and organizational well-being transformation globally. Dr. Baez has led global teams in the education, corporate, and nonprofit sector in utilizing evidence-based mindful practices to cultivate psychological flexibility & emotional resilience, cultural transformation & sustainability as well as diversity, equity & inclusivity.

Michael Eatman is a Certified Diversity Professional, Executive Coach, Advanced EQ, and Mindful Facilitation Practitioner. As an educator celebrating 29 years spanning Prek - 20 learning environments, Michael has created the Leadership Edge, a framework that incorporates Emotional Intelligence (EQ), Cultural Competence, and Conflict Engagement to support educational leaders in leading successful organizations. He believes that successful institutions start with leaders, armed with visions that beckon collaboration. 

Michael utilizes his EQ expertise to ground his diversity and educational leadership work. With Michael’s guidance, governing leaders of institutions have expanded their understanding of how emotional intelligence and diversity awareness impact their organization’s ability to fulfill its mission. 

As an Inclusion Strategist, Michael works with organizations and educational leaders in identifying cultural competence gaps to develop robust systems that promote more inclusive learning and working environments. Michael uses an organizational inclusion change framework to demonstrate the value and presence of diversity at every level of organizational life.  

Michael is the Founder of Culture Coaching INC. and currently resides in New England with his wife and three children.

Cofounder and CEO of Six Seconds, The Emotional Intelligence Network, Joshua is one of the world’s top experts on developing emotional intelligence to improve performance. At the Heart of Leadership, an international bestseller, is his second (of five) books, now in its fourth edition. He is also the author of six validated psychometric assessments and hundreds of articles and papers, including the world’s largest study on emotional intelligence, State of the Heart (6sec.org/soh). He is a Master Certified Coach (ICF), one of a handful of experts worldwide with over 25 years of full-time experience implementing emotional intelligence. His clients include FedEx, Intel, Etihad Airways, Amazon, Microsoft, the UN, all branches of the US armed services, and numerous organizations around the globe.

Dedicated to making emotional intelligence practical and valuable, Freedman makes research relatable and useable. Daniel Pink (author of A Whole New Mind and DRIVE) wrote about Freedman’s book, “INSIDE CHANGE provides a powerful and whole-minded approach to organizational transformation. Blending cutting-edge neuroscience with rock-solid business logic, this book will change the way you lead.” This blend of practicality, insight, and warmth also characterizes Freedman’s work as a leader and speaker.

Freedman’s Noble Goal is to inspire compassionate wisdom. He sees emotion as a source of insight to focus us on what matters most – as individuals, leaders, parents & citizens. Even better, he says that at a neurobiological level, emotions literally give us energy to change, grow and thrive.

Dr. Lorea Martínez Pérez is the award-winning founder of HEART in Mind, a company dedicated to helping schools and organizations integrate Social Emotional Learning into their practices, products, and learning communities. She has worked with schools, districts, and organizations to guide SEL implementation efforts, including training teachers and leadership teams, and provided guidance to educational technology and media companies to help them integrate SEL into their products.

An educator who has worked with children and adults internationally, Dr. Martínez is a faculty member at Columbia University Teachers College, educating aspiring principals in Emotional Intelligence. She has conducted extensive research in the SEL field with a focus on SEL implementation, principals’ Emotional Intelligence, teacher preparation, and school climate. She frequently blogs about how to incorporate SEL in teaching practices, leadership, and parenting.

She received her Doctor of Philosophy, magna cum laude, in Quality and Innovation in Education from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. In 2014, she was awarded the American Education Research Association Graduate Student Award for Excellence in SEL Research from the SEL Special Interest Group.

Dr. Martínez started her career as a special education teacher and administrator. A native of the Costa Brava in Spain, she currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and two daughters.

Dr. Dennis B. McKesey is the Founder and CEO of In Our Best Interest LLC and The Off School Grounds Coalition, Inc. He is a dedicated, innovative and resourceful education professional with close to thirty (30) years of experience in working for private, public and charter schools in New York City. It is his belief that with the support of Educators' and their passion to learn and grow, we can enhance capacity to facilitate students' learning, mental and social emotional growth, all of which leads toward urban school reform and community development.  As an Alma Mater of Mercy College with accreditations in School Administration and Supervision, a graduate of Columbia University Graduate School of Business Leadership Development Program, and having successfully completed his Educational Doctorate at the University of New England, he remains passionate for the direct involvement of community and education through effective school leadership.  Dennis consults nationally with teachers and administrators at schools and districts and has presented at school leadership conferences. As a former principal at one of the most premier charter schools in the country, he built a proven track record of success and desired to share his effective and beneficial strategies with other educators in the area and across the nation.

Dr. Kami Lewis Levin is a professional learning and leadership development guide. As an education leader, she served at the district-level in New York City for the New York City Department of Education, the Public Preparatory Network, and New Visions for Public Schools, and in Cambridge, Massachusetts for the Cambridge Public Schools District. She has also led and facilitated at the national level for organizations such as New Leaders, Gradient Learning and Generation Ready. As an accomplished instructional leader who is deeply invested in social emotional learning, Kami believes that adult learning drives equity, positive school culture and high student achievement. She received her BA in American History and Dance from Barnard College, her MA from NYU in Secondary Social Studies Education and her Ed.D. from Teachers College in Adult Learning and Leadership. She has been on the SPA faculty since 2021.

Rebecca Strauss is the author of The Elements of Education for Curriculum Designers (Routledge, 2022) and The Elements of Education for College Counseling (forthcoming from Routledge in 2024). She currently serves as Director of Research and Development at Avenues The World School at Executive Editor of the Avenues The World School Press. An experienced leader of education content ecosystems for learners of all ages and backgrounds, she has fifteen years of academic leadership experience in universities, independent schools, and online. She holds a B.A. from Barnard College, Columbia University and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia.

Dr. Monica White teaches ORLA 5029: Supervision of Teaching and Learning to Summer Principals Academy Southern and NYC cohorts. She holds an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Teaching from Teachers College Columbia University, where her research focus was principals, accountability, and decision-making. 

In the years following her graduation, Dr. White held the position of lecturer in the C&T Department and co-instructor in the Summer Principals Academy before leaving to work full-time in New York City Public Schools. In NYCPS, she held leadership roles in programs such as District 79 (alternative schools and programs), Innovation Zone (iZone), and the Digital Learning Initiative in Curriculum and Instruction. She also has teaching and leadership experience in New Orleans Public Schools, where her career began. 

Dr. Monica White brings a passion for teaching and education leadership to graduate students preparing for principalship in SPA.

Dr. Seung Yu has close to twenty-five years working in youth development in New York City and Washington, DC. He currently serves as the principal at Stuyvesant High School, the largest specialized high school in Manhattan. Throughout his career in the New York City Department of Education, he has held both school and district leadership roles serving as the Senior Executive Director, Office of Postsecondary Readiness, which included the portfolio of Career and Technical Education, College and Career Planning, and Computer Science Education to support NYC public schools in strengthening the postsecondary preparation and outcomes of more than 325,000 high school-aged students each year. Dr. Yu was also the founding principal of the Academy for Software Engineering—a top CTE school and the city’s flagship computer science high school. He has participated in several leadership and mentor programs, including the Cahn Fellowship for Distinguished Principals, NYC Chancellor’s Fellowship, the Advanced Leadership Institute (ALI), Wallace Leadership Fellows Mentor Principal, and Model Principal. Prior to NYC, Dr. Yu was the Executive Director of the State Education Agency K-12 Service-Learning Network in Washington, D.C., where he led the federal advocacy of K-12 school-based service-learning. He holds a BA in English Literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; a MA in the Teaching of English from Teachers College, Columbia University; a MS in Educational Leadership from Baruch College; and an EdD in Educational Leadership, Administration and Policy from Fordham University.

Dr. Chanika R. Perry has been working in the field of youth development and education for over 20 years, holding positions ranging from camp counselor and IB English teacher to high school principal and Director of Education Programs. She holds a BA in English Literature from her beloved alma mater, Agnes Scott College; an MA in English Education from Teachers College, Columbia University; an MA in Humanities and Social Thought from New York University; and an Ed.S. and Ed.D in Educational Leadership from Georgia State University. All of her teaching experience occurred in the NYC Department of Education, but her leadership experience spans from NYC to include districts in metro Atlanta where she currently resides. Chanika also leverages her experience as an equity-minded, inclusive, and antiracist educator in the organization she co-founded with her colleague Dr. Lance W. Ozier, Conversation Forward. Besides embracing all things education-related, Chanika also values being a big sister, a world traveler, and a wellness enthusiast.

Dr. Joseph Daschbach earned a B.S. in Engineering Science from Trinity University, San Antonio, in 1995. In 2001, after a brief career as an engineer and project manager, Joe earned his teaching certificate in high school science & mathematics from the University of New Orleans and began teaching in public high schools. In the decades since, he has continued to work in public schools as both a teacher and a leader in New Orleans and New York City. He has contributed to numerous articles and a book chapter exploring the financial and organizational aspects of the charter school system in New Orleans. Joe earned his Ed. D. in Leadership, Policy and Politics at Teachers College, Columbia University, in 2018, and has been a member of the Summer Principals Academy faculty since 2013.

Joe currently works as a finance specialist for EdOps, a Washington DC based consulting firm, where he assists clients with all aspects managing school financial systems, including annual budget development, HR strategy and payroll, federal grants management, and strategic planning and problem solving, with a goal toward maximizing the resources that reach students in the classroom.

Luis A. Huerta is an Associate Professor of Education and Public Policy at Teachers College-Columbia University. He holds a Ph.D. in education policy from the University of California, Berkeley. He teaches courses in policy analysis and implementation, school finance and organizational sociology. His research and scholarship focus on school choice reforms and school finance policy. His research on school choice reforms examines policies that advance both decentralized and market models of schooling—including charter schools, vouchers, tuition tax credits, homeschooling and virtual schools. His research also examines school finance policy and research, with a specific focus on how legal and legislative battles over finance equity in schools and the research which has analyzed the effects of resources on student achievement, have consistently overlooked how resources are used within schools.Prior to joining the Teachers College faculty in January of 2002, he served as a research associate and coordinator for K-12 education policy research for Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE). He also served as a California public school teacher for six years. He is the author of recent articles on school choice and school finance published in Educational Policy, Journal of Education Finance, Teachers College Record, Peabody Journal of Education, Journal of Education Policy and Phi Delta Kappan. He recently served as co-editor of the journal, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis.

Rebecca Stilwell is an Organizational Psychologist who independently consults with schools, districts, and other for- and non-profit organizations. Her work ranges from managing change, developing school culture, professional collaboration, leadership development, strategic planning, curriculum design as well as research and evaluation. She is dedicated to working collaboratively with stakeholders in organizations to co-create and implement comprehensive change plans for organizational development. Prior to becoming an Organizational Psychologist, Rebecca taught in public, private, and international schools. Her current research focuses on leader behaviors that support effective change and approaches to change in education. Rebecca earned her Ph.D and M.A. in Social-Organizational Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University and her B.A. in Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Educational Background

Ph.D. in Educational Administration - Michigan State University (2007)

Master of Science in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry & Microbiology - The Pennsylvania State University (1997)

Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry; Secondary Major: Chemistry - Michigan State University (1994)

Scholarly Interests

Alex J. Bowers is a Professor of Education Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University, where he works to help school leaders use the data that they already collect in schools in more effective ways to help direct the limited resources of schools and districts to specific student needs. His research focuses on the intersection of effective school and district leadership, organization and HR, data driven decision making, student grades and test scores, student persistence and dropouts. His work also considers the influence of school finance, facilities, and technology on student achievement. Professor Bowers studies these domains through the application of data science, and big data analytics, such as data visualization analytics, multilevel and growth mixture modeling, and cluster analysis heatmap data dashboards. He earned his Ph.D. in K12 Educational Administration from Michigan State University, and previous to teaching and education research, spent a decade as a cancer researcher in the biotechnology industry, with a M.S. in Biochemistry, Microbiology and Molecular Biology, and a B.S. in Biochemistry. Professor Bowers is the recipient of multiple awards, including being the first person to win both the AERA Emerging Scholar Award for Division A (Administration, Organization and Leadership), and the UCEA Jack A. Culbertson Award for outstanding early faculty research, both in 2012. He was named an Outstanding Reviewer of the Year for the journals American Educational Research Journal (2009), Educational Administration Quarterly (2012 & 2016) and the Journal of Educational Administration (2018). Professor Bowers is an affiliate of the Data Science Institute (DSI) at Columbia University, launched the first course offered in applied data science at Teachers College, is a faculty advisor to the Harvard Strategic Data Project, an Associate Editor of the journal Educational Administration Quarterly, and currently serves on the editorial boards of the journals American Educational Research Journal and the Journal of Educational Administration. His research has been funded through multiple funders, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), The Wallace Foundation, and the Robertson Foundation. In 2019, Professor Bowers served as a Thomas J. Alexander Fellow at the OECD headquarters (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) in Paris, France.

Research Group Webpage: http://www.tc.columbia.edu/elda/

Link to full CV