The Broad Center for the Management of School Systems

    Becca Bracy Knight
    Executive Director
    Email: bbracyknight@broadcenter.org

    Becca Bracy Knight is executive director of The Broad Center for the Management of School Systems. Previously, Bracy Knight was a director of The Broad Foundation and was responsible for managing numerous grants and two of the Foundation’s flagship initiatives: The Broad Prize for Urban Education and The Broad Superintendents Academy. Earlier in her career, she was regional director of K-12 programs for Kaplan Learning Services, family services director for the Salvation Army’s South Central Los Angeles Youth Project, and a Healthy Start coordinator in San Francisco. Bracy Knight also worked in Oakland on major school reform initiatives through Partners in School Innovation. She has held leadership positions in the AmeriCorps National Service Program and its precursor, the Summer of Service. Bracy Knight received her bachelor’s degree in science, technology and society from Stanford University.
       

    Jerry A. Gonzales II
    Deputy Director, Operations 
    Email: operations@broadcenter.org  

    Jerry A. Gonzales II is deputy director of operations for The Broad Center for the Management of School Systems. In this role, Gonzales is responsible for managing all operational aspects of TBC’s headquarters and will develop and manage administrative, financial and operational systems for TBC and its core programs. Prior to joining The Broad Center, Gonzales spent over ten years at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the last four of which he served as administrative services director at UCLA’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). Prior to that he served as the business officer for UCLA’s Community Programs Office (CPO) and as founding director of the UCLA S.P.A.C.E. Project, housed in the UCLA Student Initiated Access Center, which supported traditionally under-served and vulnerable populations in the LAUSD towards the goal of matriculation into institutions of higher education. Gonzales holds a bachelor’s degree in Asian American studies with a minor in Anthropology from the University of California, Los Angeles and is working towards a Juris Doctorate at the University of West Los Angeles, School of Law.
       

    Joseph Ucuzoglu
    Manager, Technology Systems 
    Email: jucuzoglu@broadcenter.org   

    Joseph Ucuzoglu is manager, technology systems for The Broad Center for the Management of Schools Systems. In this role, Ucuzoglu develops, implements and manages techonology and knowledge management strategies for the Center, The Broad Residency and The Broad Superintendents Academy. Prior to joining The Broad Center, Ucuzoglu has worked as an information technology manager, web producer, web developer and computer consultant for firms including StreetWise, NBC/Universal and Disney's Internet Group. Additionally, he spent more than three years as director of information services at the Frontier School, an online graduate university specializing in advanced practice nursing degrees. Ucuzoglu holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from California State University Fullerton and is currently working towards a master's degree in information technology from California State University Fullerton.
     


    The Broad Residency in Urban Education 

    Chaka Booker
    Managing Director
    Email: residency@broadcenter.org  

    Chaka Booker is managing director of The Broad Residency in Urban Education. In this role, he is responsible for all aspects of the program including recruitment, selection, placement and professional development.  Prior to this role, Booker served as senior director of recruitment and selection for The Broad Residency. Prior to joining The Broad Center, Booker worked in the public sector, first as the founder and director of A+ Services, a tutorial company operating within the Los Angeles Unified School District, and then as director of education for Star Inc., a provider of after-school enrichment, curriculum development and supplemental education services. He also worked for William Morris Consulting, where he evaluated partnership opportunities and analyzed potential Fortune 500 clients. Booker received his bachelor’s degrees in economics and psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.

    Pete Cordero
    Director, Resident Development
    Email: pcordero@broadcenter.org  

    Pete Cordero is director of resident development for The Broad Residency in Urban Education. In this role, he focuses on leadership development, supervisor relationships and all aspects of the resident experience that happen outside of the professional development sessions. Cordero is a graduate of TBR 2007-2009 and most recently served as director of school support services at Partnership to Uplift Communities (PUC) Schools in Los Angeles. During his time at PUC he designed, implemented, and executed a robust performance management system for central office and school staff, including a pay for performance system. He also worked with central office departments in a consultancy role to identify areas of operational improvement and move prioritized projects to fruition. Previously, he served as director of sales and marketing for DKN Hotels Inc, as national sales director for Kaplan Inc and as regional sales director for Automatic Data Processing (ADP). Cordero holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Southern California and an M.B.A. from The Graziadio School of Business at Pepperdine University.
    Lindsey Covarrubias
    Operations Associate
    Email: lcovarrubias@broadcenter.org

Lindsey Covarrubias is the operations associate to The Broad Residency in Urban Education.  In this role, Covarrubias  is  responsible for managing and supporting all logistical aspects of TBR’s professional development sessions.  Lindsey joins The Broad Center  from Revolution Foods where she spent two years as school account manager.  Prior to that, she worked for the Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula as assistant director of the Center for a New Generation.  Lindsey has a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of California, San Diego.


    Victoria Der 
    Project Associate 
    Email: vder@broadcenter.org  

    Victoria Chong Der is project associate for The Broad Residency in Urban Education. In this role, she focuses on supporting leadership development curriculum and activities and our work with Residency supervisors. Previously, she served as program coordinator at the Greater Homewood Community Corporation, as AmeriCorps VISTA coordinator at the Jones Fall Watershed Association, and as a fellow at Oberlin Shansi. Der holds a B.A. in creative writing from Oberlin College in Ohio and an M.A. in intercultural service, leadership, and management from the School for International Training in Vermont. 
    Erin Keller
    Associate Director, Recruitment and Selection
    Email: residency@broadcenter.org

    Erin Keller serves as an associate director on the The Broad Residency recruitment and selection team. In this role, she will work on the development and execution of national and regional marketing and recruitment strategies, as well as on a rigorous selection process. Keller joins The Broad Center from LA’s Promise where she served as associate director, strategic support. Prior to that she served as service director at City Year Los Angeles, and was a classroom teacher and AVID Coordinator at Narbonne High School in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Erin holds a bachelor’s degree in English language and literature and an M.B.A, both from the University of Southern California.
     
    Megan Riley
    Outreach Manager
    Email: residency@broadcenter.org 

    Megan Riley is the outreach manager to The Broad Residency for Urban Education.  In this role, Riley is responsible for supporting all aspects of TBR’s recruitment and selection process as well as conducting candidate calls and participating in outreach efforts.  Megan joins The Broad Center from New Orleans College Prep Charter School where she served as the school’s first director of human resources. She spent two years teaching seventh grade with Teach for America; prior to that she taught fourth grade social studies and science at Lafayette Academy Charter School in New Orleans.  Megan has a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a master’s degree in social science from the University of Chicago. 

     

    Deena Williams
    Deputy Director, Recruitment and Selection
    Email: residency@broadcenter.org  

    Deena Williams serves as deputy director on The Broad Residency recruitment and selection team. In this role, she will works on the development and execution of national and regional marketing and recruitment strategies, as well as the Residency's rigorous selection process. Williams joins The Broad Center from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, where she was associate director of admissions for more than four years. She has also served as an interim associate director of admissions at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Her prior experience includes managing editor at the National Baptist Voice, senior business planner at Walt Disney Internet Group, and financial analyst at both Kline Hawkes & Company and Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin. Williams has a bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering from University of Southern California and an M.B.A from UCLA Anderson.


    The Broad Superintendents Academy

    Talia Cohen
    Associate Director
    Email: tcohen@broadcenter.org  

    Talia Cohen is an associate director of The Broad Superintendents Academy. In this role, she will focus on a portfolio of special projects for TBA. Talia most recently was associate director of public outreach for the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education where she managed the organization’s internal and external communications and oversaw public relations for the past five years. She previously served as a communications officer in the national office of the Starlight Children’s Foundation and as a manager of special events for the organization’s New England region. Talia graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and she has an M.B.A. from USC’s Marshall School of Business.


    Greg Francis
    Deputy Director
    Email: gfrancis@broadcenter.org   

    Greg Francis is a deputy director of The Broad Superintendents Academy. In this role, he manages learning objectives and curriculum for The Broad Superintendents Academy. Prior to this role he worked on curriculum for both the Acadey and The Broad Residency in Urban Education. Previously, Francis was a curriculum specialist for the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education at Stanford University, where he developed curriculum units for secondary students and conducted training workshops for teachers. He also worked as a program operations analyst for the World Bank Group, as a research analyst for Menlo Consulting Group, and as a language teacher in Japan through the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program. Francis holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Stanford University, a master’s degree in Latin American studies from the Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar in Ecuador, and has completed graduate-level coursework in educational technology at the University of Hawaii.

    Christina Heitz
    Managing Director
    Email: cheitz@broadcenter.org  

    Christina Heitz is managing director of The Broad Superintendents Academy. She is responsible for all aspects of the program including recruitment, selection, session design and training, and professional development. Heitz joined The Broad Center from The Broad Foundation, where she worked on a national campaign to raise public awareness about the current crisis in education. Prior to her work with The Broad Foundation, Heitz served in leadership roles at AT&T, Northpoint Communications and SBC Communications. Heitz started her career as a brand manager with Ralston Purina. She has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Duke University and an M.B.A. from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. 



    Carla McLoughlin
    Recruitment Project Manager
    Email: academy@broadcenter.org    

    Carla McLoughlin is recruitment project manager of The Broad Superintendents Academy and is responsible for assisting with the recruitment and selection process. McLoughlin most recently worked as an independent consultant for companies such as Disney, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, and Johnson & Johnson. Previously, she served as director of development at the Paley Center for Media, senior marketing manager at eToys.com and marketing manager at Disney Consumer Products. McLoughlin holds a bachelor’s degree in english and psychology from Denison University and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
    Thomas Payzant
    Superintendent-in-Residence
    Former Superintendent, Boston Public Schools  

    Thomas W. Payzant is superintendent-in-residence of The Broad Superintendents Academy and the former superintendent of Boston Public Schools. Payzant’s teaching career began in 1963 at Belmont High School in Massachusetts. He then taught junior high school for two years in Tacoma, Wash. His first superintendency was with the School District of Springfield Township in Montgomery County, Pa. Subsequently, he was superintendent of the Eugene Public Schools in Oregon, Oklahoma City Public Schools and the San Diego Unified School District. In March of 1993, Payzant was appointed by President Bill Clinton to serve as assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education in the U.S. Department of Education. Payzant led the department’s delegation to Congress when it enacted the Improving America’s Schools Act (IASA), which reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. He also worked closely with the administration to enact passage of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act, the Safe Schools Act, and the School-to-Work Opportunities Act. Payzant received his bachelor’s degree in American history and literature from Williams College and a master’s degree in teaching and a doctorate in education from Harvard University.
    Kathleen Schelle
    Operations Associate
    Email: kschelle@broadcenter.org  

    Kathleen Schelle is operations associate of The Broad Residency in Urban Education and is responsible for all operational aspects related to supporting the training sessions. Previously, she worked as senior polling project manager at a political research firm. In addition, she has gained event management experience working on a gubernatorial election and as senior banquet staff for a country club in Colorado. Schelle has a bachelor’s degree in international affairs with an emphasis in french and national security from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
    Marc Terry
    Senior Director, Recruitment and Selection
    Email: mterry@broadcenter.org   

    Marc Terry is senior director of recruitment and selection for The Broad Superintendents Academy. In this role, Terry leads the development, analysis, implementation and continuous improvement of recruitment and selection strategies for the Academy and the new Broad Fellowship for Education Leaders. Prior to joining the Academy in early 2008, Terry served as manager of talent acquisition for Electronic Arts, where he managed all recruitment activities for the company’s Los Angeles campus. He previously worked for seven years in various recruitment positions for The Walt Disney Company, including senior recruiter for Disney Mobile and recruitment lead for Disney Consumer Products. Terry has bachelor’s degrees in marketing and English literature from Indiana University.

    Network Services

     

    Farah Charania
    Deputy Director, Knowledge Networking Systems
    Email: fcharania@broadcenter.org  

    Farah Charania is deputy director of knowledge networking for The Broad Center’s network services team. In this role, Farah will work on the development and implementation of an online portal for sharing best practices and networking that will be used by participants and alumni of The Broad Center, Education Pioneers, and Harvard’s Strategic Data Project. Prior to joining TBC, she worked for the research department at San Francisco Unified School District as Program Evaluator for postsecondary success programs after completing an Education Pioneers summer fellowship with the college and career readiness department. Prior to graduate school, Farah worked for Accenture as a senior consultant in the technology architecture practice delivering custom software solutions to large public and private sector clients. Farah has a bachelor’s degree in computer science and mathematics from Southern Methodist University and a master’s degree in education policy, organization and leadership studies from Stanford University.
     


    Lynn Liao
    Managing Director
    Email: lliao@broadcenter.org  

    The goal of network services is to strengthen and leverage the power of the Broad Center’s network of participants and graduates of The Broad Residency and The Broad Superintendents Academy. The network services team provides career services and connects network members to facilitate knowledge sharing and advance reforms. Liao co-founded and led the growth of The Broad Residency, a national program to attract and support emerging business leaders to join urban school systems. Under her leadership, the program graduated over 200 Residents, 90% who remain in K-12 education. Prior to joining The Broad Center, Liao served as a director at The Broad Foundation and was responsible for the Foundation’s portfolio of investments in district and national principal leadership programs. She also served as the Foundation’s liaison with districts including New York City, San Diego and Philadelphia supporting their work on district redesign and restructuring. Before joining The Broad Foundation, Liao worked with community-based organizations and education technology companies to improve learning experiences for students and teachers. She formerly managed an online math tutoring program for SCORE! Learning Corporation’s Internet division. Liao has also served as an AmeriCorps member and then later as a board member for Partners in School Innovation. She also was a consultant for McKinsey & Company, an international strategy consulting firm. Liao has a bachelor’s degree in political economy from the University of California, Berkeley and an M.B.A. and master’s degree in education from Stanford University.


    Michael Montoya
    Director
    Email: mmontoya@broadcenter.org 

    Michael Montoya is director of network services, with responsibility for supporting participants and graduates of both The Broad Residency and The Broad Academy programs. Prior to this role he served as deputy director to the Residency’s program team supporting all aspects of program management, including the application, screening, and evaluation process for partner organizations. Montoya came to The Broad Center from the Y & H Soda Foundation, where he served as program officer for education and youth development programs. He previously spent four years at Stanford University's John W. Gardner Center as a policy and program specialist. Montoya also worked as undergraduate admissions counselor at the University of Chicago, as director of science education outreach at the University of California, San Diego, as director of youth education and formation at the Diocese of Colorado Springs, and as education coordinator and admissions officer at Up With People International Service Organization. Montoya holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Colorado College and a master's degree in social science from the University of Chicago. 


    Jasmine Pachnanda
    Director
    Email: jpachnanda@broadcenter.org
     
    Jasmine Pachnanda is director of network services for The Broad Center for the Management of School Systems. In this role she is responsible for managing network services for participants and alumni of The Broad Superintendents Academy and The Broad Residency in Urban Education.  Prior to joining the Center, Pachnanda spent four years as a project leader at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where she oversaw a number of education initiatives, including work in performance management for the Los Angeles Unified School District and the development of a strategic plan for education for the country of Qatar. Prior to BCG, Pachnanda served as an intern in Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa's Office of Education, Youth, and Families, as a consultant at the Center for Applied Research, as a senior economic consultant at Fulcrum Financial Inquiry and as an economic consultant at Arthur Andersen. She hold a bachelor's degree in business economics from the University of California, Los Angeles and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania.



    Rachael Shrout
    Assistant Director
    Email: rshrout@broadcenter.org   

    Rachael Shrout is assistant director for The Broad Center’s network services team. Shrout serves as the lead for engagement strategies to reach the 400 members of the Broad network to strengthen their connection to each other and deepen the impact of their work through exposure to leading K-12 issues Previously she served as the operations manager for the network services team where she was responsible for managing the logistical and administrative aspects of network services for both The Broad Superintendents Academy and The Broad Residency. Prior to joining The Broad Center, Shrout served as recruitment coordinator for DreamWorks SKG. She also served as recruitment director and field organizer for a political fundraising organization in Boston. Shrout holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Occidental College.
    John O. Simpson
    Superintendent-in-Residence
    Former Superintendent, Norfolk Public Schools  

    John Simpson is superintendent-in-residence for The Broad Center for the Management of School Systems. Prior to joining The Broad Center, he was an advisor to the Stupski Foundation, which he joined in October, 2004 as senior executive to provide support for policy development, legacy development and Foundation strategic planning. Working from an equity agenda, the Stupski Foundation seeks to positively impact the quality of public education to increase life options for children of color and those living in poverty. One of the most effective contributions the Foundation makes is at the district level of reform, promoting whole systems of excellent schools. Simpson also served as a superintendent-in-residence and executive coach, providing leadership for teams of internal and external experts who support district sub-systems infrastructure development and capacity development of school building, senior district level, superintendents and board leadership. In June, 2006, Simpson was charged with leading the District Alliance Program, which builds partnerships with public school district leaders to create high performance learning organizations that raise student achievement and close achievement gaps. He is currently managing a portfolio of networking transition grants and services to partnership districts. Prior to joining the Stupski Foundation, Simpson served as superintendent of schools in Norfolk, Virginia. As a result of his efforts, the achievement gaps between minority and majority students in Norfolk were narrowed and all student groups made significant strides towards full state accreditation under the Virginia Standards of Learning. In 2005, Norfolk Public Schools received the Broad Prize for Urban Education. Previously, Simpson was superintendent of schools in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Unit District 187 in North Chicago, Illinois. In addition, he has served in various administrative and teaching posts in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Washington, D.C., Wilmington and Newark, Delaware and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Because of his work in Norfolk, Simpson has been appointed to several state and national workgroups and currently is on the Board Director for The New Teachers Project. In 1999, the National Alliance of Black School Educators awarded Simpson the Ida B. Wells Risk-Takers Award. And, in 2002, the Council of the Great City Schools awarded Simpson the Richard R. Green Award in recognition of outstanding service to urban public education. In 2004, he was honored by receiving the Hampton Roads Black Media Professional’s Education Award; the Norfolk Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Outstanding Community Leader Award; and the National Conference for Community and Justice’s Humanitarian Award. In May, 2004, Simpson was named “State Superintendent of the Year” by the Virginia Association of School Superintendents.