By All Means Spring Convening 2023

May 17-18, 2023

As a part of EdRedesign’s annual programming through By All Means (BAM), we are delighted that you will be joining us at the Harvard Graduate School of Education for the BAM Spring Convening on Wednesday, May 17th and Thursday, May 18th. This energizing event will be a chance for us to celebrate our collective efforts over the last year and create opportunities for reconnection and relationship building across BAM communities and with EdRedesign collaborators. We will devote time to unpacking emerging challenges and opportunities for cross-sector work within our field. If you have any BAM-related questions, please contact Shoshana Zuckerman.

Wednesday, May 17th

Location: Gutman Conference Center - Garden Level, Gutman Library
6 Appian Way, Cambridge, MA 02138

8:45-9:30 AM ET
Registration
*Note: Coffee and tea will be available onsite. Please plan to eat breakfast before arriving.

9:30-10:00 AM ET
Kickoff and Welcome Address
Paul Reville, Francis Keppel Professor of Practice of Educational Policy and Administration & Founding Director of EdRedesign, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Bridget Rodriguez, Managing Director, EdRedesign, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Master of Ceremony: Rob Watson, Director for Partnerships and Community Impact, EdRedesign; Secondary Lecturer in Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education

10:00-10:15 AM ET
Break

10:15 AM-11:45 PM ET
Highlights from By All Means Communities
BAM Community Leads

11:45-12:30 PM ET
Lunch

12:30-1:10 PM ET
Lunchtime Briefing: Designing Connected Communities To Provide Pathways out of Poverty
Benny Goldman, Economics PhD Candidate, Harvard University; Linda G. Hammett Ory Fellow, EdRedesign, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Jamie Gracie, Economics PhD Candidate, Harvard University; Linda G. Hammett Ory Fellow, EdRedesign, Harvard Graduate School of Education

1:10-1:30 PM ET
Group Photo & Break

1:30-2:30 PM ET
Strategic Financing, Advocacy and Policy Making in a Post-ARPA Context
Elizabeth Gaines, Founder & CEO, Children’s Funding Project
Josh Davis, Vice President of Policy and Partnerships, StriveTogether
Moderator: Tauheedah Jackson, Director of the Institute for Success Planning, EdRedesign, Harvard Graduate School of Education

2:30-2:45 PM ET
Break

2:45-4:00 PM ET
Transformative Models of Place-Based Innovation
Nigel-Ray Garcia, Director of Strategic Engagement, Baltimore Corps
Richard Raya, Chief Strategy Officer, Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA)
Moderator: Bridget Rodriguez, Managing Director, EdRedesign, Harvard Graduate School of Education

4:00-4:15pm ET
Break

4:15-5:00 PM ET
By All Means Speed Networking
By All Means Community Representatives
Facilitator: Tauheedah Jackson, Director of the Institute for Success Planning, EdRedesign, Harvard Graduate School of Education

5:00-5:45 PM ET
Break

5:45-7:15 PM ET
By All Means Community Reception
Location: Cambridge Queen’s Head Pub - Memorial Hall, Lower Level, 45 Quincy Street Cambridge, MA 02138

Thursday, May 18th

Location: Gutman Conference Center - Garden Level, Gutman Library
6 Appian Way, Cambridge, MA 02138

8:30-9:15 AM ET
Guest Arrival and Networking
*Note: Coffee and tea will be available onsite. Please plan to eat breakfast before arriving.

9:15-10:45 AM ET
Data Strategy for Systems Change
Alan Cohen, Founder & CEO, Child Poverty Action Lab (CPAL)
Michael Looft, Director of Technology, Marin Promise Partnership
Rajni Banthia, Director of Evaluation, Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA)
Moderator: Lynne Sacks, Research Director, EdRedesign, Harvard Graduate School of Education

10:45-11:00 AM ET
Break

11:00 AM-12:30 PM
Team Time
By All Means Community Delegations

12:30-1:30 PM ET
Lunch

1:30-2:15 PM ET
Looking Ahead and Closing Remarks
By All Means Community Delegations
Paul Reville, Francis Keppel Professor of Practice of Educational Policy and Administration & Founding Director of EdRedesign, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Tauheedah Jackson, Director of the Institute for Success Planning, EdRedesign, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Rob Watson, Director for Partnerships and Community Impact, EdRedesign; Secondary Lecturer in Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Friday, May 19th

NOTE: FOR BY ALL MEANS COMMUNITY LEADS ONLY

Location: Gutman Library, 3rd Floor - Room 302/303
6 Appian Way, Cambridge, MA 02138

8:45-9:30 AM ET
Guest Arrival and Networking
*Note: Coffee and tea will be available onsite. Please plan to eat breakfast before arriving.

9:30 AM-12:30 PM ET
By All Means Community Lead Retreat
For By All Means Community Leads Only*

12:30 PM ET
Grab & Go Lunch

Wednesday, May 17th
Kickoff and Welcome Address:

Paul Reville, Francis Keppel Professor of Practice of Educational Policy and Administration & Founding Director of EdRedesign, Harvard Graduate School of Education

In 2013, Paul completed service as the Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts under Governor Deval Patrick. Prior to joining the Patrick Administration, Reville chaired the Massachusetts State Board of Education, founded the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy, co-founded the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (MBAE), chaired the Massachusetts Reform Review Commission, chaired the Massachusetts Commission on Time and Learning, and served as executive director of the Pew Forum on Standards-Based Reform. Reville played a central role in MBAE's development of and advocacy for Massachusetts’ historic Education Reform Act of 1993. Reville's career, which combines research, policy, and practice, began with service as a VISTA volunteer/youth worker. He served as a teacher and principal of two urban, alternative high schools. Some years later, he founded a local education foundation which was part of the Public Education Network. He is a board member and adviser to a host of governments, school systems and organizations. He has published several books, is a commentator on WGBH’s Boston Public Radio and is a frequent writer and speaker on education reform/redesign, equity and policy. He holds a B.A. from Colorado College, an M.A. from Stanford University and five honorary doctorate degrees.

Bridget Rodriguez, Managing Director, EdRedesign, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Bridget has served as the Managing Director of the EdRedesign Lab since its founding in 2014. Prior to EdRedesign, Bridget most recently served as the Director of Planning and Collaboration in the Executive Office of Education (EOE), the Massachusetts Secretary of Education’s office, where she led the Innovation Schools initiative and facilitated the establishment of 54 Innovation Schools across the Commonwealth. She also served as the Secretary’s designee to the Board of Early Education and Care and the Early Literacy Expert Panel. Bridget was formerly the Education Liaison to two mayors of Cambridge. She has also been a school principal and a bilingual teacher. She has served as a consultant for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, evaluating and providing support to underperforming schools. She received her undergraduate degree from Haverford College and a Master’s in Education Administration from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Bridget is the parent of two Cambridge Public School students.

Rob Watson Jr., Director for Partnerships and Community Impact, EdRedesign; Secondary Lecturer in Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Rob is the Director for Partnerships and Community Impact at the EdRedesign Lab and Secondary Lecturer on Education at Harvard Graduate of School of Education. At EdRedesign, Rob leads the By All Means Communities of Practice initiative, supporting cities across the US develop cradle-to-career systems of opportunity. His work has focused on themes of civic engagement, community development and educational equity in the US, Latin America and Africa. Prior to joining EdRedesign, Rob served as a consultant and advisor to organizations that include the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, Harvard College, Tufts University, The Social Impact Studio, FUSE Corps, The Foundation for Louisiana, The Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School, The Obama Foundation and Harlem Children’s Zone. A former Peace Corps Volunteer, Rob has co-founded five civil society organizations in Paraguay, including, Teach for Paraguay, member of the global Teach For All Network and the Paraguayan Government's first national youth service program. Additionally, he's partnered with the Mayor, Superintendent of Schools and community stakeholders from his hometown of Poughkeepsie, New York to co-found the Poughkeepsie Children's Cabinet, a collective impact organization that convenes leaders across sectors to develop a citywide cradle-to-career agenda for children, youth and families. Rob is also a co-founder of Lead for Poughkeepsie, a new AmeriCorps program affiliated with Lead for America that aims to attract and retain homegrown talent to pursue social impact careers in the Mid-Hudson Valley region of New York State. Rob is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper and former Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Millennium Scholar. He holds a B.A. from Harvard College, an Ed.M in Education Policy and Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Mid-Career Master's in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School.

Lunchtime Briefing: Designing Connected Communities To Provide Pathways out of Poverty

Jamie Gracie, Economics PhD Candidate, Harvard University; Linda G. Hammett Ory Fellow, EdRedesign, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Jamie Gracie is a PhD student in the economics department at Harvard University. Her research is focused on inequality and intergenerational mobility in the United States, with an emphasis on the role that schools can play in increasing economic opportunity. Jamie is a James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Scholar in Inequality and Wealth Concentration at the Harvard Kennedy School, a Linda G. Hammett Ory Fellow through the EdRedesign Lab at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow.

Benny Goldman, Economics PhD Candidate, Harvard University; Linda G. Hammett Ory Fellow, EdRedesign, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Benny Goldman is a PhD student in the economics department at Harvard University and a James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Scholar in Inequality and Wealth Concentration at the Harvard Kennedy School. His research uses administrative data to study intergenerational mobility in the United States. Recently he has focused on the role that family formation plays in determining economic opportunity across generations and the dynamics of racial inequality in the US. Benny is also a Linda G. Hammett Ory Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he works with the EdRedesign Lab to study the later life impacts that “whole child” approaches to education have on children who grow up in high poverty neighborhoods.

Strategic Financing, Advocacy and Policy Making in a Post-ARPA Context

Elizabeth Gaines, Founder and CEO, Children’s Funding Project

Elizabeth Gaines is the founder and chief executive officer of Children’s Funding Project. Begun in 2018, Children’s Funding Project is the response to Elizabeth’s 25 year career in child advocacy that persistently led her to question whether adequate resources were being directed to children. Her career began with leading after-school and community-based youth programs at the Atwood Community Center in Madison, Wisconsin. She later served as youth policy analyst for Citizens for Missouri’s Children, followed by 13 years at the Forum for Youth Investment, where she helped policy leaders develop tools and techniques to improve their use of data, increase their policy alignment, and more efficiently apply resources for greater impact. Elizabeth is also the executive director of Children’s Funding Accelerator, the advocacy arm of Children’s Funding Project. As an expert on children’s policy at the state and local level, Elizabeth has worked with communities in nearly all 50 states to establish children’s cabinets, conduct fiscal maps, and pursue dedicated funding for youth. Her publications include: The Adding It Up Guide to Mapping Public Resources for Children, Youth and Families; the Forum for Youth Investment papers on state children’s cabinets and councils; How Public Policy Can Support Collective Impact, co-authored with FSG; and a collaboration on Funding Our Future: Generating State and Local Tax Revenue for Quality Early Care and Education. Since 2018, Elizabeth has guided Children’s Funding Project through over 40 projects with national networks, state and local governments, advocates, and youth leaders. A native of St. Louis, MO, Elizabeth attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison and currently resides in Washington, D.C. Connect with Elizabeth on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Josh Davis, Vice President of Policy and Partnerships, StriveTogether

Josh Davis serves as vice president of policy and partnerships for StriveTogether. He provides leadership and strategy for the organization’s policy, advocacy and mobilization work, while also leveraging national partnerships to accelerate progress throughout the Cradle to Career Network. Prior to StriveTogether, Josh was vice president of external affairs for the Delta Health Alliance (DHA), a nonprofit dedicated to supporting health and education initiatives across the 18-county Mississippi Delta region. His responsibilities included project implementation oversight, resource development, government relations, and external communications and partnerships. While pursuing governmental support sources, he assisted with grant and budget composition, briefed U.S. Congressional leaders and staff on efforts supported with public funds, and shared data and practices that helped inform policy. Josh joined DHA in 2010 with professional fundraising experience from higher education. He also served as project director for the Indianola Promise Community and the Deer Creek Promise Community, federally funded Promise Neighborhoods with DHA as the backbone. These initiatives unite government, nonprofits, health care, education, community and faith-based services to create a pipeline of resources for children from prenatal care through high school graduation. Josh used a results-based accountability framework with staff, partners and local stakeholders focusing on reaching population-level goals for academic success and community well-being. Josh uses results-based facilitation to move groups from talk to action as they align efforts and reach consensus on shared goals, strategies and accountability. Previously, he held a number of roles at the University of Mississippi, including assistant director for the alumni association. Josh completed his bachelor’s degree in business administration at the University of Mississippi and earned his master’s of public administration from the University of Memphis. He is a 2017 Presidio Institute Fellow and was named one of Mississippi Business Journal’s Top 50 Under 40 Professionals in 2016.

Tauheedah Jackson, Director of the Institute for Success Planning, EdRedesign

Tauheedah Jackson serves as the inaugural Director of the Institute for Success Planning at EdRedesign, where she guides communities in designing personalized, relationship-based systems of support for children and youth through cross-sector collaboration. Prior to joining EdRedesign, she was the Director of Place Based Strategy & Community School Initiatives at the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL). In this role, she was responsible for engaging networks of leaders in local communities and supervising the programs, logistics, and daily operations of the Coalition. Tauheedah brings to EdRedesign nearly 22 years of experience working in youth development, local government, philanthropy, school districts and out-of-school time programs. She previously served as the Vice President for Strategic Partnerships for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford. In addition, Tauheedah was the Director of the Hartford Partnership for Student Success, leading a cross-sector collaborative partnership that founded and funded the local community schools initiative in Hartford, Connecticut. Under Tauheedah’s leadership, Hartford Community Schools became locally and nationally recognized as an exemplar for its systems-building work. Tauheedah was elected by her peers to serve as co-chair for IEL’s Coalition for Community Schools Leadership Network and as a member of the Coalition’s steering committee, before joining the IEL staff in 2019. A native of Bridgeport, Connecticut, Tauheedah is a Connecticut College graduate and first-generation college student with a background in government and secondary education. She holds a Master's degree in the Education Policy and Management program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Tauheedah is a sought-after presenter and facilitator and sits on various nonprofit boards. She has received several awards recognizing her leadership in the field, including Hartford Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty in 2013.

Transformative Models of Place-Based Innovation

Nigel-Ray Garcia, Director of Strategic Engagement, Baltimore Corps

Nigel-Ray received his Bachelor’s in English Literature from Saint Bonaventure University in 2006. Upon graduation, he returned to his hometown of Brooklyn, NY, to develop and strengthen his client and customer relationship skills within the information technology, marketing, and financial services industries. Thirteen years ago he came to Baltimore to coordinate a public health fellowship program for the University of Maryland. He then started working in the social impact sector for the nonprofit Baltimore Corps. As the Deputy Director of Community Engagement and Advocacy for Baltimore Corps, Nigel executes a comprehensive community engagement strategy connecting citizens to workforce development programs and initiatives. He also uses his skills to develop collaborative relationships with Baltimore citizen leaders to push a social justice & racial equity framework. One of his favorite projects has been working on the Lexington Market revitalization efforts and leading an equitable recruitment process for vendors to secure a spot in the new Lexington Market, ensuring the business owners reflected the demographics of Baltimore City. Nigel devotes his free time to exploring the local art scene. He has served as a board member for 4 local nonprofits that support youth development, arts education, and performance venues.

Richard Raya, Chief Strategy Officer, Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA)

As Chief Strategy Officer, Richard uses Mission Promise Neighborhood's cradle-to-career, collaborative approach to help drive systems change across the city of San Francisco, moving from Promise Neighborhood to Promise City. Promise City aligns the best practices from Mission Promise Neighborhood with the Mayor's COVID recovery plan, creating holistic, cradle-to-career solutions in the city's hardest hit neighborhoods. Richard is also a Board Member for the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR), co-chair of the African American Latino Action Alliance, and a member of the Executive Committee for End Child Poverty in California. Prior to this, Richard was the Chief of Staff for an Oakland City Councilmember, and the Director of Administration for the Alameda County Public Health Department. Richard’s great-grandparents were indigenous Yaquis who came to the Bay Area after fighting in the Mexican Revolution. His parents worked as farmworkers in Northern California and came of age during the Chicano Movement. They laid the foundation for him to earn a B.A. and Master’s in Public Policy from UC Berkeley. He’s accompanied on this journey by his urban planner wife, five sons, and their rescue pit bull.

Thursday, May 18th: Data Strategy for Systems Change

Alan Cohen, Founder & CEO, Child Poverty Action Lab (CPAL)

As the Founder and CEO of the Child Poverty Action Lab (CPAL) in Dallas, Alan Cohen is dedicated to breaking intergenerational poverty and promoting economic mobility. At CPAL, he employs a range of cutting-edge tools and techniques, including data analysis, innovation, and design, to develop local strategies that address issues such as housing, safety, health, criminal justice, and neighborhood resourcing. Cohen's work at CPAL is focused on finding innovative solutions that will help break the cycle of poverty and empower individuals and families to achieve greater economic stability and success. Before his current position, Cohen made significant contributions to the field of early childhood education. He is widely recognized for his role in revisioning early childhood education at Dallas ISD. Cohen's expertise in problem-solving and honest brokering has earned him various appointed positions, including Co-Chair of the Dallas Mayor's Task Force on Safe Communities and a member of the Mayor's Steering Committee on Workforce Development. He is also actively involved in several advisory and governing boards, including United To Learn, Dallas Thrives, Groundwork Dallas, and the Commit Partnership. Cohen holds an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and a BA in Sociology from Tulane University.

Michael Looft, Director of Technology, Marin Promise Partnership

Michael has over 20 years of leadership experience spanning the nonprofit, for-profit, and government sectors. Spending the last six years with Marin Promise Partnership, a collective impact organization in Marin County, California dedicated to educational equity and ensuring that every child, regardless of race, ethnicity or family income can reach their full educational potential. He has also spent time in the classroom teaching computer literacy to adult immigrant populations, at a low-income community center and to residents at a shelter for battered women. Michael holds an A.S. from De Anza Community College, B.S. from San Francisco State University, and graduate degrees from St. John’s College and Harvard. In his spare time he enjoys volunteering as a construction crew leader at Habitat for Humanity and spending time with his son. Michael can be reached at michael@marinpromisepartnership.org

Rajni Banthia, PhD, Director of Evaluation, Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA)

With over 20 years of experience, Dr. Banthia’s role is to tell the story about the impact MEDA’s programs are having on the community. She is a multidisciplinary social scientist and has dedicated her career to leading evaluation, research, and needs assessments on a range of issues facing lower income communities of color with the overarching aim of using data to foster meaningful change and promoting social equity. This work is rooted in her passion for making data accessible, engaging, and relevant for practitioners, policymakers, as well as lay audiences. Being the daughter of immigrants has fueled her pursuit for social justice and commitment to working with diverse and underserved groups. Prior to MEDA, Dr. Banthia served as an evaluation consultant to government and nonprofit agencies across the country. She worked at Resource Development Associates, a mission driven social services consultancy; Samuels Center for Public Health Research and Evaluation, a public health research and evaluation firm; and PolicyLink, a non-profit research and advocacy organization promoting social justice and equity. Dr. Banthia earned a BA in Psychology from UC Berkeley, and a PhD in Behavioral Medicine from UC San Diego. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship in Public Health policy research at UC San Francisco with funding from the W.K. Kellogg Scholars in Health Disparities program.

Lynne Sacks, Research Director, EdRedesign; Lecturer in Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education Lynne Sacks is the Research Director at the Education Redesign Lab and leads the Lab's research activities. Lynne has over 20 years of research, non-profit, and policy experience. She heads the ongoing By All Means documentation and evaluation study as well as the Lab’s other research. Before joining the Lab, Lynne worked for the Center for Equity and Excellence in Education at the George Washington University and the National Center on Education and the Economy. She has conducted research for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the American Institutes for Research; she has also served as a consultant to New Profit, the Annenberg Center for School Reform, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Education, and the Commonwealth Corporation. Lynne is a former high school and adult English and English as a Second Language teacher. Lynne received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University, and her M.Ed. and Ed.D. degrees from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

We look forward to you joining us for the By All Means Spring Convening. Please see fellow partcipants HERE.

EVENT LOCATION

The retreat will begin with registration and breakfast from 8:45 AM - 9:45 AM Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday, May 17th at the Gutman Conference Center located on the garden level of the Gutman Library (6 Appian Way Cambridge, MA 02138). This will be followed by opening remarks beginning at 9:45am. Greeters will be stationed at the front of Gutman to welcome you.

If you would like to familiarize yourself with the Harvard campus, you are welcome to check out this Harvard Campus Map. At the top of the webpage, there is a search bar where you can input locations you want to know about.

COVID PROTOCOL

Please note that COVID protocols are no longer in effect on the Harvard Campus.

ATTIRE

Attire is business casual. The weather forecast is expected to be in the mid-60's during the day.

PARKING

For guests staying at the Freepoint Hotel, there is a complimentary shuttle service that will bring folks to and from campus each day.

For participants driving to and from Cambridge each day for the event, validated parking is available at University Place Garage, 45 University Road. The garage is a 5-minute walk to the event location. Please see a member of the EdRedesign staff to obtain a validation ticket before you return to your car at the end of the day. We regret that we are unable to reimburse out-of-pocket costs. In order to have your parking covered, you must use the validation ticket.

TECHNOLOGY

Wireless internet can be accessed on campus. Login information will be provided the day of the convening.

HOTEL

For those guests traveling out of town who opted to be a part of our hotel room block, you will have received a hotel confirmation with the hotel location and the process for checking in. A shuttle service will be provided each morning at the hotel to bring guests to the Harvard Campus and there will be a pickup at the end of the day to bring folks back to the hotel. The Freepoint is a direct 30 minute walk from campus for those who would prefer to walk.

By All Means Community Snapshots: