Doctor of Education Leadership Student Directory

Gaby Arismendi is a proud bilingual, bicultural Latina and has dedicated her career to supporting the development of young people — most recently at Chicago Public Schools where she led work in data, strategy, policy, governance and grants management at the school, network and district level.

Gweneth Bruey-Finck has served at all levels of K-12 district leadership and advised in higher education spaces. She is passionate about innovating past the industrial education model to attain social justice for our students and families. 

With global leadership experience in organizational transformation, Ruiz is passionate about helping educational institutions to unlock their potential by building strong systems and structures that reinforce equity and inclusivity.

Jesse Corburn has been a principal manager, principal, teacher, and consultant.  Jesse’s goal is to support the strategic planning essential for turnaround efforts, that can align and codify practice across schools to ensure all students thrive and achieve.

Chassity Coston has served as a teacher, cheer coach, assistant principal, and principal both in the U.S. and internationally. Her passion uplifts mentorship for Black women in education, and she strives to create equitable school culture and policy that prioritizes student well-being.

Sasha Cunningham is all about connections — creating and managing systems that uplift individuals and communities, but always in a way that is child centered.

Deniann Grant's research interests and expertise focuses on educational leadership, with an emphasis on strategic decision-making, instructional program evaluation, and inclusive, data-driven practices.

Bing Howell is a C-Level education executive with +15 years of experience at state and district level, in for/public/non profit arenas, in the U.S. and internationally.

Ramsey Merritt Ramsey works in the gap between research and practice. His doctoral work is on instructional leadership capacity-building of assistant principals via tailored professional development and coaching. His book, Diving Deeper with Upper Elementary Math, will be published in 2026.

José Oliva is a cross-sector leader working at the intersection of education and economic mobility. His work focuses on how school districts, higher education institutions, and states can better align education and labor-market systems to expand economic opportunity.

Deion M. Owens has served in various leadership roles in K-12 Education, primarily working in turnaround settings within charter networks. His interests focus on building capacity of leaders and the ability of organizations to scale strategically utilizing data. 

Natasha Patterson is a strategic, systems change leader with experience at the school, district, and state level.   

Alia Qatarneh is a scientist and education leader shaping innovative, cross-sector solutions that strengthen the life sciences and education ecosystems through strategy, organizational transformation, and nonprofit leadership.

Calvin Reddick Jr. is passionate about advancing educational outcomes and equity for students through practical professional learning for principals and district leaders, emphasizing DEIB and fostering a positive culture. 

Molly Ross' goal is that all students have access to strong and engaging teaching and learning. Her background is in teaching multilingual learners and preparing teachers.

Leah Rubin has nearly 20 years of experience in public education, from teaching to school leadership. She is passionate about disrupting inequitable outcomes in education, focusing on leadership development, research and data informed practices, and organizational coherence.

Evetty Satterfield's research and practice focus on advancing equity and leadership in education by designing systems that support leadership development, empower diverse voices, and foster sustainable change, particularly for underrepresented communities.

Angelique Smith has served as an educator and leader at the school, district and state levels in U.S. and UAE. She is committed to disrupting educational injustices to ensure that all children have access to a stellar education experience.

Jesse Tang has served in education for 19 years, with ten years in the principal role. His focus areas include: building support and sustainability for new-to-role principals in their initial years and building more diverse pipelines for leaders of color.

Heather Valentine has over 20 years of experience in the early childhood field and is passionate about meaningful change in the sector, particularly around workforce supports, professional development and pay equity.

Tamesha Webb is driven to create empowering and nurturing schooling experiences for Black girls in PreK-12, focusing on school leadership and educator recruitment and retention, all aimed at fostering positive learning environments.

Rebecca Westlake is an instructional leader who brings experience, passion, and expertise to the vision of creating excellent and just academic outcomes for multilingual learners.

Travis Wharton's work has focused on the intersection of education and economic mobility for Black Americans. I am interested in the leverage points of philanthropy that can lower and/or delete barriers to Black upward mobility by emptying the stagnant resources within philanthropic orgs. 

Alicia Williams is interested in State-Level Education Policy and Governance.