Our Team
With backgrounds as educators, school administrators, business executives, and nonprofit leaders, our team has extensive experience in school leadership, learner-centered design, organization management, communication and more. We provide a unique match of experiences and passions that drive our work.
Who We Are
Team

Allison Brumley
Operations Associate
Ashley Ranan
Digital Content Manager
Britney Milton
Administrative Coordinator
Caroline Vander Ark
President
Jean Liu
Director of Strategy
Jessica Slusser
Vice President of Growth & Impact
Jordan Luster
Program Manager
Karen Vander Ark
CFO + Partner
Marissa Wicklund
Advocacy Manager
Mason Pashia
Creative Director
Nate McClennen
Vice President of Strategy + Innovation
Rebecca Midles
Vice President of Learning Design
Shawnee Caruthers
Vice President of Advocacy
Tom Vander Ark
CEO + Partner
Victoria Andrews
Director of Learning Design
Fellows
Getting Smart Fellows are notable voices in the education field that serve as thought leaders and contributors in pushing innovative education work forward. They utilize their experience and connections to provide equitable perspectives to enhance our advocacy and advisory work.
Abby Benedetto
Senior Fellow
Karla Phillips-Krivickas
Senior Fellow
Dr. Michael Conner
Senior Fellow

Michelle Blanchet
Senior Fellow
Scott McLeod
Senior Fellow

Timothy Jones
Senior Fellow
Trace Pickering
Senior Fellow
Advisory Board
The Getting Smart Advisory Board is a group of respected partners, friends, colleagues and activists who are focused on ensuring equity and inclusion as it relates to learning design, learning science and educational leadership. This indispensable group of advisors helps us to keep the most important parts of the work at the center of what we do.

Byron Sanders
Big Thought

Corey Scholes
Kauffman Foundation

Edgar Palacios
Latinx Education Collaborative

Eric Tucker
EquityByDesign.org

Karla Phillips-Krivickas
Think Inclusion

Kelly Niccolls
Cheney Public Schools

Marion Smith Jr.
St. Louis Public Schools

Qiana Patterson
Tamaa Capital

Susan Enfield
Washoe County School District