Almi Abeyta
Secretary
Almudena (Almi) Abeyta (she/her/ella) has spent 25 years working to improve teaching and learning for students in urban education. Almi grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is a proud product of public schools.
Prior to her appointment as Superintendent of Chelsea Public Schools, she worked as an assistant superintendent for teaching and learning in several districts: Somerville Public Schools (2017-2019), Santa Fe Public Schools (2012-2017), and Boston Public Schools (2009-2012). In 2015, she was awarded the first Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) Latina Administrator of the Year award.
Almi was the principal of the Donald McKay K-8 School (McKay) in Boston Public Schools from 2004-2008. She led the McKay to improvement by focusing on data to improve instruction. Her work is documented in Data Wise in Action: Schools Using Data to Improve Instruction. After four years of leading her school, the McKay was recognized by the Mauricio Gastón Institute, an institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy, as an exemplar for educating Latino students. In 2007, El Planeta, the largest circulated Spanish newspaper in Massachusetts and New England, named her among the 100 Most Influential People in the state’s Hispanic Community. Before becoming a principal, Almi taught kindergarten.
Almi completed her bachelor’s degree in Communication and Journalism at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and holds two master’s degrees and a doctorate degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Stephanie M. Johnson, NBCT
Stephanie Michelle Johnson (she/her) is an esteemed educator with eighteen years of service in the South Carolina public school system. Currently serving as a Reading Interventionist at HB Rhame Elementary in Columbia, SC, Stephanie brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to her work.
As a National Board Certified Teacher in Early/Middle Childhood Literacy, Stephanie exemplifies a steadfast commitment to educational excellence. Her leadership extends beyond the classroom, evidenced by her eight-year tenure on the Executive Board of The South Carolina Education Association. She played a pivotal role in the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Task Force in 2023, contributing to shaping policy aimed at enhancing the teaching profession for student learning. Stephanie is also a graduate of the South Carolina Department of Education Foundations in School Leadership Program and was recognized as a Presidential Award of Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching state finalist in 2010.
Stephanie serves as the NEA Director for the National Education Association, the largest labor union representing public school teachers and support personnel in the United States. She is actively involved in NEA, previously chairing the Women’s Issues Committee and contributing significantly to committees focused on racial and social justice, leadership, and education policy.
Stephanie’s contributions to education have garnered notable recognition, including the 2024 Veteran Teacher Award, the 2017 Award for Distinguished Alumni from the University of South Carolina College of Education, and the Fulbright for Global Classrooms Award in 2023, which enabled her to travel to Uruguay. She is among a select few teachers nationwide to receive the 2017 Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence and the NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence.
Stephanie earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of South Carolina and a master’s degree in Executive Leadership from Gardner-Webb University. Her commitment to literacy led her to earn an Early Literacy Assessment and Strategies for Reading endorsement from Clemson University.
Kevin Gilbert
Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Howard County Public School System (Howard County, MD)
Dr. Kevin F. Gilbert (he/him), has been in education for 24 years and currently serves as the director of diversity, equity, and inclusion for the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) in Howard County, Maryland. Prior to his arrival in HCPSS, he served as the coordinator for teacher leadership and special projects with the Clinton Public School District in Clinton, Mississippi.
As the director of diversity, equity, and inclusion, Dr. Gilbert is tasked with coordinating HCPSS’s efforts to be more diverse, promote equity, and ensure inclusion throughout the district. As the first person to serve in this capacity for HCPSS, he also oversees the operation of the newly created Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI). After just three years, ODEI is one of the bedrocks of the HCPSS’s equity work. The Howard County Public School System is located in Ellicott City, MD and serves over 59,000 students and over 8,000 staff members.
Dr. Gilbert has worked as a social studies teacher, coach, bus driver, and an administrator with the Clinton Public School District, Rankin County School District (Flowood, MS), and the Hinds County School District (Raymond, MS). Other professional experience includes serving on the National Education Association’s (NEA) Executive Committee from 2013-2019, and president of the Mississippi Association of Educators (MAE) from 2007-2013. Other leadership positions include serving as vice president for governance for the National Council of State Education Associations, chair of the NEA Committee on Human and Civil Rights, and co-chair of the NEA task force on Discipline and the School-to-Prison Pipeline.
He earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, and a doctorate in education leadership from Mississippi College.
Jessica Cuthbertson, NBCT
Consultant
Jessica (she/hers) has over 15 years of teaching experience in Colorado K-12 schools. While most of her teaching focuses on middle school ELA, she enjoys supporting students of all ages and abilities. Jessica believes literacy is a powerful tool for social justice, equity, and advocacy. She recently has taken a break from the classroom to homeschool her son, an English language learning originally from Ethiopia. Jessica earned her M.Ed from University of Colorado at Denver and was a magna cum laude graduate in communication and sociology from Regis University.
Lauren Hill, NBCT
Consultant
Lauren (she/hers) is a veteran middle school ELA teacher in Lexington, KY. She has also taught high school and in a correctional setting, served as an instructional coach, and worked as the Teacher Leadership Coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Education. Lauren served for several years as program director of Classroom Teachers Enacting Positive Solutions (CTEPS), providing coaching and project-based learning to emerging teacher leaders in Kentucky. Lauren is a graduate of Barnard College and Vanderbilt University.
Sherrill Knezel
Consultant
Sherrill (she/hers) is a graphic recorder, illustrator, and art educator in Wauwatosa, WI. She uses her expertise in visual literacy, visual expression, and graphic recording to help students, educators, and organizations tell the heart of their story through images and text. Sherrill leads visual literacy workshops empowering people to use visuals to increase connection, clarity, and collaboration and has contributed articles, blogs, and award-winning visuals to EdWeek, the Milwaukee Independent, and other outlets. She is also founder of Meaningful Marks LLC, focused on using visuals and graphic recording to support nonprofits, educators, and corporate clients in conversations on racism, inclusion, and creating generative change in their communities.
Kristoffer Kohl, NBCT
Consultant
Kris (he/his) is a sixth grade teacher and PBIS and MTSS coach in Southern California. He previously led a variety of initiatives at CTQ designed to elevate and spread the expertise of accomplished teachers in districts and states across the country. As part of CTQ’s global endeavors, Kristoffer worked with educators from several high-achieving nations to develop a series of recommendations for how public education might evolve in the US to meet the demands of the 21st century. He runs a household circus in Irvine, CA with his wife Meredith and two children, Holden and Evelyn.
LaKeytria (Tria) Grant
Lead Consultant
Tria co-leads implementation efforts with our K12 and higher education partners, assisting with development of personalized learning systems that support competency-based learning for educators throughout their careers. In addition to her consulting work, Tria directs CarolinaCAP, an alternative certification pathway addressing diverse teacher recruitment, preparation, and retention in SC public school systems. Previously, Tria has served as a classroom teacher and interventionist, as well as supporting induction, mentoring, and other educator effectiveness initiatives at the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA) and South Carolina Department of Education. She holds a B.S. in Elementary Education and an M.Ed in Educational Leadership from Winthrop University, and an M.Ed in Instructional Design from Western Governors University.
Jon Eckert
Lead Consultant, Research
Jon is the Copple Professor of Educational Leadership at Baylor University. His research includes teaching effectiveness, teacher compensation, and collective leadership development. His publications include Capitol Hill white papers, peer-reviewed journal articles, pieces for Education Week and the Kappan, and Leading together: Teachers and administrators improving student outcomes and The novice advantage: Fearless practice for every teacher. He served as a Teaching Ambassador Fellow at the U.S. Department of Education in both the Bush and Obama administrations, was a teacher outside of Chicago and Nashville for 12 years, and earned a doctorate in educational leadership, policy, and organizations from Vanderbilt University, Peabody College.
Alesha Daughtrey
President
Alesha (she/her) sees complex challenges as opportunities for collective learning and leadership and for rethinking how schools and systems can serve each learner equitably and effectively. Her work at Mira Education accelerates the organization’s impact as a design and implementation partner to teams and organizations throughout P20 education. Originally trained as a high school ELA teacher, Alesha’s passion for systems led to a decade of work in community organizing and engagement, policy, and philanthropy, all of which inform her approach to engaging diverse leadership teams in innovation efforts. Since joining Mira Education in 2009, she has co-developed professional learning and support models for teachers and administrators, researched conditions and practices for effective school leadership and educator retention, and co-led partnerships with more than 100 teams leading sustainable change in their schools, districts, and other organizations. Alesha holds a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from Duke University and a B.A. in English and secondary education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.