What policy areas did you focus on as a student?
Education
What policy areas became your focus post-degree?
Education
What is your current position?
Senior director for secondary curriculum and instruction at Uplift Education
What type of work do you do in this position?
I currently manage a team of curriculum writers and instructional coaches for a charter school network of 26 middle and high schools. I oversee and direct the vision for instruction as well as across the network and work directly alongside school principals to train them to be excellent school leaders.
How have you gotten from La Follette to where you are now?
I applied to my organization right out of La Follette. I moved to Texas to start my job as a curriculum writer and instructional coach at Uplift in June of 2019. In August of 2021 I was promoted to a director position over all middle school curriculum and instruction and then in July of 2024 I was promoted to senior director of all secondary curriculum and instruction.
How have you used what you learned during your time at La Follette on the job?
I use my La Follette training regularly. I regularly analyze large sets of data from thousands of students across the network and create reports for the president of my organization explaining the data as well as proposing network-wide policies to address trends. Often, I am leading large teams in their analysis of this data as well. Additionally, I message policies regarding curriculum implementation to dozens of schools leaders and hundreds of teachers. I learned how to analyze data well, seek out the story it is telling, and succinctly communicate next steps from my courses.
What courses did you take during your time at La Follette that have most contributed to you becoming a success in your current career?
PA 878: Introduction to Public Management
Com Arts 575: Communication in Complex Organizations
Ed Pol 780: Special topics in Education Policy (Race, Poverty, and Inequality in Suburban Schools)
Ed Pol 780: Special topics in Education Policy (Mixed Methods Approaches to Policy Research)