Board

Sri Ananda, PhD (Secretary)

Former Chief Program Officer, WestEd

Dr. Sri Ananda served for over 25 years as a leader in a renowned educational research organization, heading national and statewide research and development efforts related to college and career preparation. Her most recent position was as Chief Program Officer at WestEd, a distinguished not-for-profit organization with 17 offices across the US. As Chief Program Officer, she had executive responsibility over all programs of research, development, and service work, including areas such as early childhood education, science and math education, college and career preparation, literacy, policy, social justice in education, assessment, and evaluation. Prior to her tenure as Chief Program Officer, Sri was WestEd’s Chief Development Officer, the executive in charge of business development and partnerships for the agency. In this capacity, she worked with programs to expand the agency’s portfolio of work. For example, she spearheaded an agency-wide, cross-program business development focus on college and career preparation. The agency grew from annual revenues of approximately $70 M to $120 M under her leadership as Chief Development Officer. Prior to roles as agency executive, Sri served as Principal Investigator and Project Director for several projects designed to investigate and support the integration of career and college preparation for American youth.

Currently, Sri serves the community through her membership on Boards of Directors for non-profit organizations and through other volunteer work. In addition to ConnectEd, she is on the Board of Directors for Women’s Cancer Research Center, a community organization that supports women who have cancer, particularly women with limited resources or who are otherwise marginalized. She is also an active supporter and former member of the Board of Directors for Refugee and Immigrant Transitions, an organization that provides educational and practical support for those who have sought refuge in our community.

Sri is a California native and alumnus of California public schools from kindergarten through graduate school. She earned her BA, MA, and PhD in Educational Psychology (with a focus on Quantitative Methods) from the University of California, Berkeley.

Adam Anderson (Treasurer)

Executive Director,
West System and Bay Area Office Business Management

Adam Anderson is the Business Management Director for the Bay Area offices of the Boston Consulting Group, one of the premier global management consulting firms. In this role, he oversees all non-consulting functions and operations. Beyond this role, Adam has deep experience in public education across the country, leading strategy, transformation, and operations in public, private, and non-profit organizations

Most recently, Adam was the President of Chief Operating Officer at The District Management Group. Based in Boston, The District Management Group combines the most effective educational best practices with proven management techniques to produce measurable, sustainable improvements in student outcomes. In addition to leading operations, Adam led large scale engagements with urban school district clients across the country, working with Superintendents and Senior Leadership to improve outcomes for all students. Before that, Adam led Operations, Strategy, Talent, and Culture at EducationSuperHighway, a San Francisco-based non-profit whose mission is to connect every public school classroom in America to high speed broadband. Adam also spent a number of years as a Senior Administrator at Chicago Public Schools, leading transformational initiatives across School Leadership, Operations, Talent, and Community Engagement, ultimately serving as Deputy Chief of Staff to the CEO. He also previously worked at Boston Consulting Group as a Management Consultant and was a Test Engineer with Honeywell Aerospace.

Adam is a proud alumnus of California public schools from Kindergarten through undergrad, as he attended his local K-12 public schools in Lompoc Unified School District while growing up on Vandenberg Air Force Base and obtained a BS in Chemical Engineering at California State University, Long Beach. He is a passionate believer in and advocate for public education and our shared responsibility to ensure that every student, regardless of zip code or learning needs, graduates from high school, college and career ready. Adam also has an MBA and MA in Education from Stanford University, where he was awarded the Arbuckle Award for Leadership.

Adam lives in San Francisco with his wife Stephanie, their children Audrey and Theo, and their senior rescue dog, Kita.

Alexandra Kennedy

Global Head of Partnership Strategy and Operations, Twitter

Alex Kennedy serves as a Director on Twitter’s Client Services team focused on Retail and Travel brands. In this role, she leads a commercial team responsible for advising clients on how best to utilize the platform to reach their target consumer and achieve their business objectives. Previously, Alex was the Global Head of Partnership Strategy and Operations at Twitter. In that role she was responsible for the development of the Global Content Partnership strategy that both enabled sustainable revenue growth and enhancement of the user experience on the platform. Alex additionally serves as an executive advisor to Twitter Women, a business resource group focused on building community for women at Twitter.

Prior to Twitter, Alex served as Chief of Staff to the Chief Digital Officer at Under Armour (UA) with a focus on Corporate and Digital Strategy. Over the course of nine years, Alex served in numerous leadership positions to shape how UA approached their digital strategy, which included the $700M+ dollar acquisition and integration of three tech companies – MapMyFitness, MyFitnessPal, and Endomondo.

Alex is a nationally sought-after speaker and thought leader. She was a featured presenter at various conferences and events including AdWeek, Association of National Advertisers (ANA), Princeton University, Business Today, Black in Tech among others and has led multiple celebrity panel discussions as part of industry promotional tours.

Alex is a graduate of Princeton University and a proud native of Washington, DC. She currently resides in Oakland, California with her husband and dog-son Kofi.

Clare Bertrand

Director,
JFF Labs

Clare Bertrand is a senior director at JFF Labs. For over a decade, she has led efforts to integrate technology and innovative best practices to ensure that low-income young people and adults can make well-informed decisions about their education and career pathways. She leads the Best Bets Services Unit which works with communities, networks, and districts to identify and leverage career pathways for young people. She launched JFF’s first web and mobile platform, MyBestBets, and leads a team that works with thousands of youth and staff in community-based organizations and large youth-serving networks. Past roles include leading the design, development, and expansion of the national online platform, Students of the Center Hub, which elevated student-centered teaching and learning research, policy, and practice. Before joining JFF, Clare worked with Teachers21, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that focuses on reshaping the profession of teaching. She began her career as an out-of-school-time educator at the Mattapan Family Service Center in Boston leading an empowerment program for high-school aged young women.

Clare holds a Master of Science in Education (M.S.Ed.) in Education Entrepreneurship from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) in Gender and Women’s Studies from Trinity College Dublin. She received her Bachelor’s from James Madison University in Virginia. Clare lives outside of Boston with her husband, Vito, a middle school math teacher, and son, Iggy.

Marques McCammon

Global Managing Director,
A&I

Marques McCammon combines more than 25 years of auto industry product development, manufacturing, brand leadership and marketing experience with intimate knowledge of software-based automotive product advancement.

He gained early recognition from Crain’s Detroit Business as one of 40 young executives making an impact in the Motor City. Other highlights include:

· Creating the Dodge SRT-4, crafting the blueprint for Chrysler’s SRT moniker and designing the first modern 4-door convertible
· General Manager of the Car & Truck Division for Saleen Performance Vehicles
· General Manager of West Coast Operations for American Specialty Cars
· Chief Marketing Officer for Aptera Motors
· General Manager/Vice President for Wind River

At Intel subsidiary Wind River, McCammon was responsible for automotive software products, directing a global team focused on product management, engineering and marketing.

McCammon joined Ricardo in 2019 as President of the North American automotive business and in 2021 was appointed Global Managing Director of Ricardo’s Automotive & Industrial business, which applies future technologies to help our global clients address the world’s energy and mobility challenges.

Brian Driscoll

Development Director,
Lick Wilmerding

Brian Driscoll is the Associate Director of Development at Lick Wilmerding High School in San Francisco, where his work focuses on leadership giving and strategic philanthropy. Previously, he served as Vice President of Individual Philanthropy for Genesys Works, a national non-profit bridging the gap between low-income students, underserved schools, and the business community. Brian has worked as a development consultant to numerous non-profits, focusing on individual giving and campaign planning. In addition to consulting, he served as Vice President of Advancement at Health Leads – a national, non-profit agency that mobilizes undergraduate volunteers in partnership with providers in urban clinics to connect low-income patients with resources such as food, housing, and heating assistance. His previous position was at Cleveland’s Urban Community School, where he served as Director of Advancement and worked extensively on public-private partnerships within the city.

Jeffrey Fisher (Board Chair)

Partner,
Farella Braun + Martel, LLP

Jeff Fisher is a partner in the San Francisco-based law firm of Farella Braun + Martel. He has a diverse practice involving a variety of high-stakes intellectual property and technology disputes, including patent, trade secret, copyright, and trademark infringement, as well as antitrust and unfair competition cases. He serves as co-chair of Farella’s Litigation Department.

Jeff has been active in all phases of litigation, in both federal and state courts and at both the trial and appellate levels. He has specific experience with semiconductor and chip packaging technologies; computer hardware, software, and networking technologies; DNA, life sciences, medical devices and biopharmaceutical technologies; solar technology; internet and encryption technologies; digital data compression technology; and data centers. He also represents clients in connection with parallel Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) proceedings.

Jeff is listed among Managing Intellectual Property’s IP Stars (2013-2019).  He has been recognized among California’s “Top 75 IP Litigators” and “Top Trade Secret Lawyers” in California by the Daily Journal, and is regularly among the Northern California Super Lawyers.

Jeff has served on Farella’s Advisory Board and as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee.  He managed a congressional campaign in California’s 38th Congressional District during the 1996 election cycle.  Coming from a family of teachers, he has a long-standing interest in our educational system and education policy.

Jeff’s affiliations include:  Past President and Board Member, Ninth Judicial Circuit Historical Society; Member, Board of Directors, Legal Aid of Marin; Co-chair, Northwestern University Leadership Circle of the San Francisco Bay Area; Former Chair, Intellectual Property Section, Bar Association of San Francisco; American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) ; Association of Business Trial Lawyers (ABTL); International Trademark Association (INTA) ; San Francisco Bay Area Intellectual Property American Inn of Court; Board of Advisors, Mill Valley Film Festival and California Film Institute.

Gary Hoachlander, PhD

Ex Officio, President,
ConnectED

Gary Hoachlander is President 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 through work. Widely known for his expertise in career and technical education and many other aspects of elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education, Gary has consulted extensively for the U.S. Department of Education, state departments of education, local school districts, foundations, and a variety of other clients. Gary earned his Bachelor’s degree at Princeton University and holds both a Master’s and Ph.D. degree from the Department of City and Regional Planning, University of California, Berkeley.

JD Hoye

Special Advisor to ConnectED

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 and how they are positioned to pursue their academic interests and career goals.

Prior to her appointment at NAF, JD served as President of Keep the Change, Inc., a nationally recognized consulting business focused on helping communities reform education and develop a skilled workforce. During her years in the public sector, she developed and implemented policy at the highest level of federal government. In 1994, she was selected by US Secretary of Education Richard Riley and US Secretary of Labor Robert Reich to head the new Office of School-to-Work in Washington, D.C. She served in that role for four years, overseeing a $1.1 billion budget and spurring nationwide progress in education reform and workforce development.

Butch Trusty

Partner,
The Bridgespan Group

Butch Trusty is a partner in The Bridgespan Group’s New York office. Since joining the organization in 2008, and rejoining in 2018, Butch has led client engagements with a range of nonprofit and foundation clients, particularly those focused on educational equity and economic mobility. Past clients have included, among others, local and national multi-donor funds investing in talent pipelines and new school creation in urban school districts, a national African American mentoring program seeking to expand into educational services, a startup national education reform advocacy organization, a national teacher development organization exploring the launch of a new competency-based teacher preparation graduate program, and an urban school district serving disconnected youth.

Butch is also a coach in Bridgespan’s Leading for Impact® program, supporting the capacity-building efforts of nonprofit executive teams.

Between 2014-2018, Butch was Managing Partner at Education Cities, a national network of local education venture philanthropy organizations. At Education Cities, Butch oversaw all of the activities to accelerate the impact of the network’s members, including providing strategic advising services to local leaders and developing a human capital investment community of practice. Butch also previously served as the Education Program Director at The Joyce Foundation, investing $10 million per year to improve the quality of teachers and charter schools in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and nationally. Prior to Bridgespan, Butch held positions at the Alliance for Excellent Education, as an Education Pioneers Fellow at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and at Edison Schools (now EdisonLearning).

Butch serves on the Chicago Commission on Human Relations and is Chair of its Advisory Council on LGBTQ+ Issues. Butch is also the Chair of the Equality Illinois Institute and Board Chair of the School Leader Lab in Washington, DC. Butch sits on the board of ConnectED and Education Board Partners and is a member of the Illinois Charitable Trust Stabilization Board. Butch holds MBA and MPP degrees from Duke University and a bachelor’s degree from Brown University.