Shierra Merto is Director of Finance at ConnectED. Prior to this position, Shierra was Manager for Contracts and Project Administration at RTI International and at MPR Associates, Inc. where she managed contracts in excess of $20M annually. She joined ConnectEd in 2015 and was part of the MPR team that launched ConnectED in 2006. She has over 18 years of experience in planning, implementation, and managing contracts, proposals, and projects for profit and non-profit organizations. Shierra’s areas of expertise include federal, state, local government and commercial procurements and contracts; federal contracting vehicles and regulations such as the FAR, FTR and CFR; contract and subcontract development, assessment, negotiation, and administration; and project cost budgeting, tracking, forecasting, resource allocation, and scheduling. She is skilled at improving, developing, and standardizing contract and project management process and systems.

Shierra Merto

Shierra Merto is Director of Finance at ConnectED. Prior to this position, Shierra was Manager for Contracts and Project Administration at RTI International and at MPR Associates, Inc. where she managed contracts in excess of $20M annually. She joined ConnectEd in 2015 and was part of the MPR team that launched ConnectED in 2006. She […]

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Jennifer Lutzenberger Phillips

Jennifer Lutzenberger Phillips brings significant experience as an educational leader, student advocate, coach, and literacy teacher to her position as Director, Learning, Teaching, and Pathway Development. Formerly, she was the vice president of Teaching and Learning at Envision Schools and a school improvement coach and a content coach in secondary English, with a focus on […]

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Julie Koenke

Julie Koenke serves as the Executive Director of the Great Lakes College and Career Pathway Partnership (GLCCPP), a collaboration between ConnectED: The National Center for College and Career, Education Systems Center, Jobs for the Future. With support from the Joyce Foundation, the GLCCPP supports the implementation of college and career pathways within four Great Lakes […]

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Gary Hoachlander

Gary Hoachlander is President and CEO of ConnectED: The National Center for College and Career. Beginning his career in 1966 as a brakeman for the Western Maryland Railroad, he has devoted most of his professional life to helping young people learn by doing—connecting education to the opportunities, challenges, and many different rewards to be found […]

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Joseph Hendry

Joseph Hendry is IT Administrator for ConnectED. He has previous experience teaching English in the Czech Republic, as well as working at a tech startup and managing a café in San Francisco. Joseph graduated from New College of Florida in Sarasota, with a BA in Anthropology.

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Rob Atterbury

Rob Atterbury is a Director for District and Regional support for ConnectED: The National Center for College and Career, where he has been on staff since 2009. Rob began his career in the automotive industry, and later became a career technical education teacher, curriculum coordinator, director, and Associate Superintendent for high school transformation. Rob has […]

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Ben Crosby

Ben believes in designing systems to make college, career, and life work for all students. He began his career in public education as a high school teacher in Northern California. In the classroom, Ben saw the impact high-quality college-and-career pathways had on at-risk youth. This experience solidified his belief in preparing students for college and […]

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Kiera Brodsky-Chase

Kiera is committed to challenging the status quo. They come to ConnectED  from a 15-year career working in special education and instructional coaching. Kiera’s vision is to ensure access to high quality instruction for all learners. Kiera has worked as a teacher in residential programs, K-12 special education programs, focusing on 9-12 full inclusion. They […]

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