About

ExcelinEd is a 501(c)(3) organization that supports state leaders in transforming education to unlock opportunity and lifelong success for each and every child.

Policy Is Our Purpose

Focused on educational quality, innovation and opportunity—both within and outside of the traditional system—ExcelinEd advances a broad range of student-centered policy solutions to:

Increase Student Learning

Eliminate Inequities

Ready Graduates for College and Career

Our Approach

CONVENING THOUGHT LEADERS

We host the National Summit on Education to annually convene the brightest minds in education policy, and we facilitate networks of states and partner collaboratives to inform policy and practice.

POLICY DEVELOPMENT & IMPLEMENTATION

We bring deep policy expertise and implementation experience to develop and support state leaders with customized, student-centered policy solutions.

STATE-SPECIFIC RESEARCH

We conduct and leverage research to understand how policies translate to rising academic achievement, closing the equity gap, improved college and career readiness and real-world student success.

Our Board

Our Team

Patricia Levesque

Chief Executive Officer

Deena Reppen

Chief Operating Officer

Cara Candal, Ed.D.

Vice President, Policy

Tom Greene

Vice President, Advocacy

Jennifer Wagner

Vice President, Communications

Katelynn Barbosa

Director, Fellows & Leaders

Logan Bragdon

Advocacy Associate

Katie Brooks

Director, Communications

Brandi Brown

Senior Director, External Affairs

Kymyona Burk, Ed.D.

Senior Policy Fellow

Abby Burrola

Associate Director, Education Choice

Rico Bush

Deputy Director, Communications

Melissa Canney

Policy Director, College & Career Pathways

Stephen Caruso

Senior Operations Manager

Suela Cela

Policy Director, College & Career Pathways

Michael Chartier

Policy Director, Education Choice

Raquel Cisneros

Director, Development

Suzanne Curtis

Associate Director, Development

Ben DeGrow

Senior Policy Director, Education Choice

William Deiley

Advocacy Associate

Elizabeth Delegal

Policy Analyst

Evan Eagleson

Regional Advocacy Director, Great Lakes

Orlando Garcia

Senior Policy and Legislative Analyst

Andrea Gash

Program Manager, External Affairs & Executive Services

Josh Gershfield

Advocacy Associate

Shan Goff

Director, State Policy & Legislation

Pam Griggs

Senior Director, Finance & Compliance

Adriana Harrington

Managing Director, Policy

Yolanda Heisler

Senior Policy Analyst

Angie Herron

Deputy Creative Director

Nathan Hoffman

Senior Director, State Policy & Advocacy

Heather Hostettler

Senior Policy Analyst

Christy Hovanetz, Ph.D.

Senior Policy Fellow

Matthew Joseph

Senior Policy Advisor

Megan Jurina

Accounting Associate

Carrie Kelly

Managing Director, Operations

Mia Kern

Program Manager, Planning & Management

Anna Koval

Controller

Christina Kropid

Digital Manager & Strategist

Charla Lancaster

Program Manager, Policy & Advocacy

Jess Langhaim

Senior Advisor, Development

Marcos Lopez

Regional Advocacy Director, West

Teresa Lundgren

Senior Policy Analyst

Lowell Matthews, Jr.

Senior Policy Advisor, College & Career Pathways

Laura Mazyck

Senior Policy Advisor, Education Choice

Sally McLeod

Senior Advisor, Development

Danielle Mezera, Ph.D.

Senior Policy Fellow, College & Career Pathways

James Mosteller

Regional Advocacy Director, Gulf

Ashley DeMauro Mullins

Managing Director, Advocacy

Nathan Oakley, Ph.D.

Senior Policy Director, College & Career Pathways

Lisa Raguso

Senior Program Manager & Arts for Life! Program Director

Barbara Ross

Chief Editor

Laura Sheridan

Associate Director, State Policy & Legislation

Jesse Stickle

IT Manager

David Struhs

Senior Policy Advisor

Quentin Suffren

Senior Advisor, College & Career Pathways

Casey Taylor

Policy Director, Early Literacy

Elizabeth Tullos

Deputy Director, Communications

Jacob Vinson

Creative Director

Kayla Ward

Senior Policy Analyst

Suzanna Wells

Senior Operations Manager

Miranda Williams

Regional Advocacy Director, Southeast

Rachel Winkler

Advocacy Associate

Sonya Yates

Associate Director, Early Literacy

Jordan Zakery

Regional Advocacy Director, Midwest

Our Residents

Real Stories

Personalized learning motivates these very different sisters and brings joy back to school.
Learn how a private choice scholarship for students with autism transformed young Paul into a happy, talkative six-year-old.  

Impact

As a result of ExcelinEd’s work and partnerships:

  • More students have educational choice.
  • More children are reading on grade level.
  • Students are better prepared for college and career.
  • Academic achievement is rising.

History

The Foundation for Excellence in Education (ExcelinEd) was launched by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush in 2008 to build on and expand successful education policies implemented in Florida. ExcelinEd’s engagement has grown from three states in our first year to 40+ states a year since 2016.