Information For:

Give back to HGSE and support the next generation of passionate educators and innovative leaders.

Doctoral Degree Programs

Doctor of Education Leadership Student Directory

The following is a directory of students currently enrolled in the Doctor of Education Leadership program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Note: This is an opt-in directory, and does not represent every student enrolled in the doctoral programs.

Doctoral Student Directories: Ed.L.D. Students | Ph.D. Students

Amanda Aiken
Email Amanda Aiken at aaiken@gse.harvard.edu Amanda Aiken's LinkedIn Page Amanda Aiken's Twitter Amanda Aiken's Website

Amanda Aiken

Interests: Women in Leadership, Organizational Culture, Leadership Development, Organizational Strategy, Equitable Talent Practices

Having led at the school and district level, Amanda Aiken has built her career on not just leading organizations but developing and empowering other leaders. Her key areas of interest include diversifying leadership pipelines for women of color.
 


Robert Berretta
Email Robert Berretta at robertberretta@gse.harvard.edu Robert Berretta's Website

Robert Berretta

Interests: Leadership, Equity, Organizational Psychology, Organization Change

Roberta Berretta researches systems-level change in public education organizations.

Nick Brooks
Email Nick Brooks at nbrooks@gse.harvard.edu Nick Brooks's LinkedIn Page

Nick Brooks

Interests: Leadership Development, Equity and Inclusion, Teacher Recruitment and Retention, Community Engagement, Urban Education, District Strategy

Nick Brooks has ten years of experience as a teacher, coach, and nonprofit leader in the D.C. community. He is interested in diversifying the teacher pool, expanding leadership development for teachers, and integrating community members into school and education strategy.

Ryan Burton
Email Ryan Burton at rburton@gse.harvard.edu Ryan Burton's LinkedIn Page

Ryan Burton

Interests: Nonprofit Leadership, Philanthropy, College Access and Success, Collective Impact, Leadership Development, Social Work, Community Development

Ryan Burton is interested in leveraging community organizations to build strong K-16 pipelines and address opportunity gaps for children, youth, and families.


Steven G. Chambers
Email Steven G. Chambers at steve_chambers@gse.harvard.edu Steven G. Chambers's LinkedIn Page Steven G. Chambers's Twitter

Steven G. Chambers

Interests: Technology & Innovation, Learner Recovery Economics, National Policy, Equity, Constructivist & Project-Based Learning

Serial entrepreneur dedicated to increasing learner engagement, particularly for students behind grade-level. Committed to delivering digital learning experiences that extend teacher effectiveness and provide all students access to engaging, differentiated instruction.


Brendan Chan
Email Brendan Chan at brendanchan@gse.harvard.edu Brendan Chan's LinkedIn Page

Brendan Chan

Interests: K-12 Education, Equity & Inclusion, Race, Innovation, Policy, Strategy and Operations, Systems-Level Change

Brendan Chan has worked in the classroom, at Google, and on political campaigns. He hopes to help drive systemic changes that produce radically better experiences and outcomes for students around the country.


Xiaohoa Michelle Ching
Email Xiaohoa Michelle Ching at xching@gmail.com Xiaohoa Michelle Ching's LinkedIn Page

Xiaohoa Michelle Ching

Interests: Innovation, Equity, Education Technology, Leadership, Cross-Sector, Funding, Gender

On a mission to scale love; grounded in the belief that love is a tangible and practical force for liberation for all.

Christina Cho
Email Christina Cho at christinacho@gse.harvard.edu Christina Cho's LinkedIn Page

Christina Cho

Interests: Equity, Trauma Informed, Relational Education, Policy, Culturally Responsive, Social Emotional Intelligence

Interested in trauma informed and relational education in marginalized communities

Kristofer Comeforo
Email Kristofer Comeforo at kristofer_comeforo@gse.harvard.edu Kristofer Comeforo's LinkedIn Page Kristofer Comeforo's Twitter

Kristofer Comeforo

Interests: Equity, Innovation and Technology, PreK-12 Education, Strategic Leadership, Organizational Culture

Kristofer Comeforo is interested in developing and scaling innovative approaches to transform our education systems to achieve excellent and equitable results for all children. He has experience as a teacher, principal, coach, and district-level leader in our public schools.


Aaron Diaz
Email Aaron Diaz at aarondiaz@gse.harvard.edu Aaron Diaz's LinkedIn Page

Aaron Diaz

Interests: Equity, Race, Pedagogy, Community, Teaching, Relationships, Strategic

Aaron Diaz has served as a bus driver, coach, middle school teacher, assistant principal, and principal. He is passionate about seeking racial equity through improving pedagogy, mobilizing community, improving teacher support, building relationships, and strategic planning.


Jasmine Fernández
Email Jasmine Fernández at jasminefernandez@gse.harvard.edu Jasmine Fernández's LinkedIn Page Jasmine Fernández's Twitter

Jasmine Fernández

Interests: Equity, Coalition Building, Climate and Culture, Culturally Responsive Leadership, Policy, Strategic Planning

Jasmine Fernández has nine years of district-level experience advising and designing initiatives related to culturally responsive leadership, teacher recruitment and retention, school climate and culture, and universal pre-K. She is committed to dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline.


Monakatellia Ford Walker
Email Monakatellia Ford Walker at monafordwalker@gse.harvard.edu Monakatellia Ford Walker's LinkedIn Page Monakatellia Ford Walker's Twitter

Monakatellia Ford Walker

Interests: Race and Equity, Teacher Leadership, School Turnaround, Assessment, Partnerships, Student-Centered Learning, School Improvement

Mona Ford Walker has over 17 years of experience working in the public-school sector. Her expertise is in school turnaround, teacher development, and leadership development.

Brandon Foster
Email Brandon Foster at brandonfoster@gse.harvard.edu

Brandon Foster

Interests: Technology Integration, Equity

Brandon Foster’s focus is to create systemic change that allows students to become the best version of themselves. He has served as a Summer School Principal, Regional Director of Instructional Coaching, and a Professional Learning Consultant. He is also a community advocate in Fort Wayne, Indiana, partnering with local organizations to mentor and support juvenile education reform.


Sarah Friedman
Email Sarah Friedman at sarahfriedman@gse.harvard.edu Sarah Friedman's Website

Sarah Friedman

Interests: Justice, Family Power, School Founder, Racism, Classism and Patriarchy, Community-Led Change, Voice, Engagement with Power

Sarah Friedman is interested in learning how to redefine high-quality education in terms of furthering human liberation for all people.

Brian Gaston
Email Brian Gaston at bgaston@gse.harvard.edu Brian Gaston's LinkedIn Page

Brian Gaston

Interests: PreK-12 Leadership, Innovation, Instructional Leadership, Advanced Academics, Career and Technical Education, Organizational Management, Equity

Doctoral candidate at Harvard working at the nexus of system-level leadership and education innovation.


Ebonée Green
Email Ebonée Green at egreen@gse.harvard.edu Ebonée Green's LinkedIn Page

Ebonée Green

Interests: Policy, Leadership Development, Race, Equity, Community Organizing, Middle School

Ebonée Greenis interested in how Grace and Hope operate in Leadership practices, and influences policy for BIPOC and Queer people.


Emma Herzog
Email Emma Herzog at emmaherzog@gse.harvard.edu Emma Herzog's LinkedIn Page

Emma Herzog

Interests: Equity, Immigration, Bilingual Education, K-12 Education

Emma Herzog is a bilingual leader with experience working and leading in Spanish-speaking communities. She is particularly passionate about ensuring that immigrant communities flourish in partnership with public school systems, and that all students receive an equitable education.


Ryan Huppert
Email Ryan Huppert at ryanhuppert@gse.harvard.edu Ryan Huppert's LinkedIn Page

Ryan Huppert

Interests: Equity, Student-Centered, International Baccalaureate, Place-Based, Deeper Learning, Pedagogy, Higher Education

Ryan Huppert's goal is to share best practices of education leadership in student-centered education, International Baccalaureate model, place-based education, and deeper learning to assist organizations in closing the equity gap and delivering quality educational experiences for all students.

Ben Lewis
Email Ben Lewis at ben_lewis@gse.harvard.edu Ben Lewis's LinkedIn Page

Ben Lewis

Interests: Collective Impact, Antiracism, Innovative School Models, Philanthropy, Policy, Critical Consciousness

Ben Lewis has experience as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal. He is interested in changing our education systems with the goal of eradicating racism and poverty in our country.

Gustavo Luna
Email Gustavo Luna at gustavoluna@gse.harvard.edu Gustavo Luna's LinkedIn Page Gustavo Luna's Website

Gustavo Luna

Interests: Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Bilingualism, Mentorship, Interventions


J.J. Muñoz
Email J.J. Muñoz at jjmunoz@gse.harvard.edu J.J. Muñoz's LinkedIn Page

J.J. Muñoz

Interests: Organization Culture, School Leadership, Equity, School Turnaround, Urban School District, Technology in Education, Innovative School Models

J.J. Muñoz is a former principal, academic coach, and teacher spanning across Arizona, Florida, and Massachusetts. He has worked extensively with urban school districts and turnaround schools. His areas of expertise are in school culture, urban education, and instruction.

Kirstin Northenscold
Email Kirstin Northenscold at kirstin_northenscold@gse.harvard.edu Kirstin Northenscold's LinkedIn Page

Kirstin Northenscold

Interests: Teacher Learning, Organizational Change, Instructional Leadership

Kirstin Northenscold is interested in the social organization of schools, teacher learning, and the role of professional and personal identity construction in school change efforts.

Ben Parad
Email Ben Parad at benparad@gse.harvard.edu Ben Parad's LinkedIn Page Ben Parad's Twitter

Ben Parad

Interests: Learning Organizations, Dual Language Education, Ethnic Studies, Distributed Leadership, Social Emotional Learning, Social Justice Education

Ben Parad's interests lie in collaborative teacher leadership, professional learning, and culturally- and linguistically-sustaining practices, especially for multilingual learners.


Kori Ricketts
Email Kori Ricketts at kricketts@gse.harvard.edu Kori Ricketts's LinkedIn Page

Kori Ricketts

Interests: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, LGBTQ+, Intersectionality, Race, Leadership, Operations, Women

Kori Rickets is interested in diversity, equity and inclusion, inclusive leadership practices, and school operational systems.

Vernon-James Riley
Email Vernon-James Riley at vriley@gse.harvard.edu Vernon-James Riley's LinkedIn Page

Vernon-James Riley

Interests: Equity and Inclusion, Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, Data-Informed Decision Making, Leadership Development, Change Management, Scaling for Impact

Vernon-James' passion lies at the nexus of honoring the uniqueness of each school community’s needs and its leader’s vision while leveraging the tried and true principles of data-informed instruction system-wide in service of student wellness and achievement.


Berenice Rodriguez
Email Berenice Rodriguez at brodriguez@gse.harvard.edu Berenice Rodriguez's LinkedIn Page

Berenice Rodriguez

Interests: Higher Education, Policy, Equity, Postsecondary Attainment, Inclusion, Adaptive Leadership, Innovative Strategies

Berenice Rodriguez is an educational leader with over 20 years of experience as an elementary and high school principal and appointments at the state and federal education departments. She is passionate about improving postsecondary access and attainment for underserved students.


Jake Steel
Email Jake Steel at jakesteel@gse.harvard.edu Jake Steel's LinkedIn Page

Jake Steel

Interests: Leadership, Policy, Innovation, School Redesign, Whole-Learner Outcomes, Rural Education, Federal Education

Jake Steel’s research focuses on creating the enabling conditions in systems to better center around student learning and development. From the schoolhouse to the White House, he looks at policy, innovation, and design that can meet every student where they are in the learning process. 
 


Judy Touzin
Email Judy Touzin at judytouzin@gse.harvard.edu Judy Touzin's LinkedIn Page Judy Touzin's Website

Judy Touzin

Interests: Race and Gender, Principal Preparation, Organizational Health, Juvenile Justice Education, Innovative School Design

Judy Touzin's interests are in the area of transforming the school experiences and outcomes for Black boys and young men as well as principal preparation and development.