Elie has been an educator for ten years. After studying religion at Emory University, Elie became a Teach For America (TFA) Corps Member in Chicago. There, he taught high school math, and special education at DRW College Prep in North Lawndale. Concurrently, he completed a Master's degree in teaching from Relay Graduate School for Education, and received his license to teach K-21 year olds.
After TFA, Elie explored foreign models and practices in education. He taught elementary, middle, and high school students in Chamraj, India and at Ben Shemen Youth Village, Israel. Elie moved back to the U.S. in 2019 to be a founding teacher at Washington Leadership Academy (WLA), a public charter school in D.C. At WLA, he directed internship and career prep while teaching 12th grade English.
Elie completed the University of Pennsylvania's Master's in Education Entrepreneurship program. Through that, Elie designed and co-founded InnerView with Mike Bota. Elie was a founding board member for CONNECTdmv and is currently on the board of the Peace Harmony Joy Alliance. In the 2022-23 school year, he was an Entrepreneurial Fellow at the University of Connecticut's Werth Institute where he guided a team of co-op students through design thinking and entrepreneurial ventures.
Since the fall of 2023, Elie has been the Peace Teacher at Washington D.C.'s largest public elementary school, Lafayette. Outside of school he coaches basketball and works with Peace of Mind to spread peace in our schools.
Mike was a 2016 Teach For America (TFA) Corps Member, teaching 8th grade science and social studies in the South Side of Chicago. During his time, he sought ways to bring real-world value to his students. Alongside increasing students’ standardized test scores in science, he led a variety of innovative experiences. He partnered with Echelon Consulting to empower students to express themselves through technology in an after-school program. He also piloted MyGPS, a curriculum to guide students’ exploration of their futures.
After TFA, Mike co-designed and co-launched a small school (thirty-two 7th and 8th graders) through the 228 Accelerator program. As the school’s Director of STEAM, he led curricular development and taught math and science.
After leading the school, Mike wanted to delve more deeply into how to most effectively benefit students. In 2021, he entered a Master's program in Learning Design and Technology and Wayne State University and co-founded InnerView. Mike earned a Master's in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education and a Bachelor's in Neuroscience at the University of Michigan.
As Provost and Senior Vice President for the University of Arizona Global Campus (UAGC), Dr. Sarah B. Steinberg, is the Chief Academic Officer and senior strategic leader with a focus in a variety of areas related to innovation in online education. Retention and degree completion, workforce development, national and international academic programming, and the intersection of technology and education are all at the forefront of her interests in synchronous/asynchronous adult education. After serving in a number of leadership roles at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore for 20 years, including Executive Vice Provost for Online and Graduate Part-time Education, Sarah founded a nationally recognized higher education consulting firm, Frogstone Strategies, specializing in advising leaders of adult and online education. She has been an advisor to university presidents and other senior leaders on strategic planning issues related to the rapidly expanding field of professional and continuing education online and onsite. She has also worked with edtech firms in the higher ed eco-system, advising on strategies to effectively create partnerships with universities and colleges domestically and internationally. Sarah received her B.S. and Master’s in Civil Engineering from Cornell University, an MBA in Finance and Marketing from Northwestern University, and a Doctorate in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania.
Nnenna has over fifteen years of experience leading and working with education organizations to improve learning outcomes and access to quality education. Over her career, she has managed and launched schools, conducted and implemented strategic planning, and trained teachers and academic leaders. Nnenna was a founding team member of Nova Pioneer School Network, where she developed scalable, replicable systems to drive its growth. She also served as a Founding Head of School at Nova Pioneer Schools, garnering direct experience and insight into achieving operational excellence at Pre-K to 12 institutions. She served as an advisor to the Nelson Mandela Institute for Development Studies in developing their post-graduate fellowship.
Nnenna is a strong advocate for investment in education as an effective tool for poverty alleviation and has served on several school boards to drive educational equity. She builds and supports purpose driven organizations to accelerate innovations and make a positive impact in the world.
Keith Wilkerson is the Founder and Lead Teacher for CollegeThoughts, an organization with a student-minded team who is dedicated to demystifying the college application process, making the process more of a personal exploration than a stress-inducing enigma. Previously, Keith worked as a key programs team member for A Better Chance for almost two decades. With 22 years of experience, over 200 workshops conducted, 1,500 students placed in school, and more than 7,000 families counseled on educational options for private school education and college, Keith and CollegeThoughts have the experience to help good students reach great goals as they apply to the nation’s top colleges.
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