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Ash is President and CEO of ConnectED. He previously worked at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, where he served as Senior Vice President since 2022 and Vice President from 2016-2022. While there, in collaboration with the Carnegie President and Board of Directors, he developed two strategic priorities to guide the Foundation’s work over the next decade: (1) improve educational outcomes for marginalized students and (2) address educational inequities that impede economic mobility and exacerbate racial inequality. To address these priorities, Ash developed and launched multi-year national district leadership networks to support systems transformation for scaling engaging and effective instructional designs. He also developed and launched a national improvement-leadership development initiative with eleven higher education institutions and LEA partners designed to strengthen capabilities for solving enduring problems of practice within school systems.
Ash Vasudeva
Ash is President and CEO of ConnectED. He previously worked at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, where he served as Senior Vice President since 2022 and Vice President from 2016-2022. While there, in collaboration with the Carnegie President and Board of Directors, he developed two strategic priorities to guide the Foundation’s work […]
Liza Eaton
Liza Eaton is passionate about creating learning spaces where students find relevance and can be leaders of their own learning. Her skill sets include: a strong equity-focused, systems-thinking orientation, deep experience in innovative education, and a passion for teacher development. Her current work spans the instructional leadership realm from mentoring instructional leaders, coaching teachers, leading […]
Mary Adams
Mary has over 25 years of experience as an Executive Assistant, supporting C-suite executives in both non-profit and for-profit organizations. Before joining ConnectED, she spent 17 years at NAF supporting the CEO. Prior to NAF, Mary worked for a semiconductor company in the Silicon Valley supporting the Chairman and CEO. She resides in Hollister, CA.
Rocio Weiss
Rocío Weiss is a longtime educator and school leader based in San Diego. Recently retired from the San Diego Unified School District, Rocio devoted her career to transforming the learning experiences of students residing in underserved communities. In her role as school leader, she facilitated the design and implementation process of several career-themed academies within […]
Gene Schmidt
Gene currently serves as an Educational Consultant for the Four Corners (New Mexico) College and Career Pathways Partnership: College and Career Ready for a Transition Energy Future. In collaboration with ConnectED CEO Gary Hoachlander, Gene provides educational guidance for a consortium partnership of five school districts, three colleges, local businesses and the Navajo Nation on […]
Vinci Daro
Vinci Daro is Director of Instructional Impact in Mathematics. In this role, she works to shift the experiences students have while learning math at school to be more meaningful for their current and future selves. Dr. Daro’s research focuses on the integration of language learning with mathematics learning, with an emphasis on the role of exploratory, […]
Tamyra Walker
Tamyra has 18 years of educational program design and development experience, including the development of industry-informed programs for #YesWeCode, a national initiative to help 100,000 young women and men from underrepresented backgrounds find success in the tech sector. Her expertise lies in the design of inclusive student-centered STEM learning programs with cultural responsiveness and empowerment of identity […]
JD Hoye
JD is the former Chief Executive Officer of NAF and a former member of the NAF Board of Directors. With a deep commitment to preparing students for college and meaningful careers, JD has worked at both the grassroots and the highest levels of government for decades, to reform how young people are engaged in learning […]
Maggie Williams
Margaret “Maggie” Williams serves as the Chief Financial Officer at ConnectED. Before ConnectED, Maggie served as the Chief Financial Officer for the non-profit organization, Second Chance, where she managed a $6M program that helps to improve the lives of individuals formerly incarcerated in the Criminal Justice System. Prior to Second Chance, Maggie served as the […]
Deanna Penales
Deanna Penales is an Accountant at ConnectED, working with the Finance Team. Deanna has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Accountancy from California State University of Sacramento. Three years ago, Deanna decided to move from her hometown of Sacramento to San Francisco to pursue a career in and expand her knowledge of Accounting/Finance. She has […]