Board of Directors
Dr. Leah Squires, PhD
Chair, Parent Member (boardchair@inspiredteachingschool.org)
Dr. Leah E. Squires is a clinical health psychologist committed to public service. She completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Boston University before moving to the DC for her internship at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington DC. She continues to serve Veterans in her current role as Psychology Service Chief. Dr. Squires is also Dr. Mom to two ITDS students and has proudly served as both Vice President and President of the Inspired Families Association. In her spare time, Leah enjoys gardening, knitting, watching the birds, and dancing.
Nyesha Newton Bailey
Parent Member
Nyesha Newton Bailey is a native Washingtonian with over 25 years of finance-related federal service between the Departments of Justice and Labor. She currently serves as the Deputy Comptroller for the Employment and Training Administration (DOL). Nyesha holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from South Carolina State University and remains an active member of the Washington DC Alumni Chapter. Nyesha is also a dedicated, Silver Star (25-year) member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated actively serving Washington DC with the Rho Mu Omega Chapter. She resides in Woodridge with her husband, and two daughters (1 current and 1 graduate of Inspired Teaching Demonstration School).
Rachael Brown
Parent Member
Rachael Brown lives in Bloomingdale with her family, including a 4th grader at ITDS. She is an editor at The Atlantic and has been a contributing editor and writer with The New York Times, WIRED, and NPR, among other outlets. Rachael has spent more than 20 years working to improve equity and outcomes in public education, including as Partner, Strategic Communications at TNTP and Director of Strategy Management at DC Public Schools. She began her career as a public high school teacher in DC. Rachael is an advocate for the rights and dignity of all students, especially those who are disabled, medically complex, or receiving special education services. In addition to her role with the ITDS Board of Directors, Rachael serves on the Education Through Employment Pathways Advisory Board with the Office of the Deputy Mayor of Education.
Katie Burke
Katie is an education consultant, partnering with schools and districts to build teacher capacity through program design, coaching, and professional learning. She previously served as Director of Teacher Development at DC Public Schools, where she led a system-wide redesign of teacher learning. She has spent nearly 20 years in public education, beginning as a middle school teacher in New York City, and serving as both a teacher and instructional coach in the DC charter school sector. Katie graduated from Bucknell University with a bachelor’s in business management, and from Georgetown University with a master’s in social policy. She lives in the Capitol Hill neighborhood with her husband and two elementary-aged children.
Jane Farrington
Parent Member
Jane Farrington lives in Woodridge with her family, including her two sons who are in 2nd grade and PK4 at ITDS. She has been an attorney in the Office of the Legal Adviser at the U.S. Department of State since 2015, where she has advised on a wide variety of issues, including information sharing arrangements with foreign partners, the visa waiver program, and UN nonproliferation sanctions on the DPRK and Iran. Jane holds a JD from Stanford Law School, an MPA from the Princeton School of International Affairs, and a BA from Emory University. Prior to serving on the ITDS Board, Jane served two terms (including as Chair) on the Board of Diplotots, Inc., the State Department childcare center that both of her children attended prior to ITDS.
Jenna Fournel
Jenna Fournel has been involved with Center for Inspired Teaching since 2004 and has worked in the education field for more than 20 years. She began her career as a high school English teacher and has served as the Director of Communications for both Inspired Teaching and the National Council of Teachers of English. She is currently the Director of Teaching and Learning at Inspired Teaching where she leads professional development programs for teachers and guides organizational strategy. She has an undergraduate degree in English from Bryn Mawr College and a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University. She lives in Alexandria with her teenage son who has grown up in the Inspired Teaching community and as a result, has always claimed orange as his favorite color.
Natasha Jamal
Secretary, Parent Member
Natasha Jamal has worked on culture transformation and employee & customer experience across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. She currently leads a cross-functional digital services team that is optimizing customer experience at the Social Security Administration. Prior to working in the federal government, Natasha helped start the Culture Transformation practice at Gallup, advising organizations on how to take concrete actions from employee engagement surveys, live their values in times of change, and develop sustainable mentorship and sponsorship programs. She started her career in education, and led the professional development of emerging education leaders facilitating sessions on opportunity gaps, edtech, and various school models at Education Pioneers. Natasha has an MBA from Georgetown University, an MA in Education from Stanford University and BA in International Studies from Vassar College. She has lived in DC for nearly 10 years, and enjoys spending time with her chaotic and curious kids (age 4 & 2), trying to read for her book club (9 years running), and doing various art projects (chalk walls and DIY costumes are the latest).
Dr. Aysha Keisler
Parent Member
Aysha Keisler lives in Eckington with her husband and daughter, a first-grader at ITDS. She leads Keisler Social & Behavioral Research, a small DC-based research firm that brings rigorous science to the development and evaluation of public-facing programs and policy. Prior to Keisler Research, Aysha was a Vice President at Ipsos Public Affairs where she created and led a Behavioral Science practice. She holds a PhD from the University of Virginia and held subsequent fellowships at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. Aysha is an ardent believer in community-based action and volunteerism. In addition to her new role with the ITDS Board of Directors, she is co-chair of the DC Education Research Collaborative Advisory Committee.
Tony Lewis
Parent Member
Tony Lewis Jr is an author, activist, criminal justice reformer, and reentry expert that has spent his adult life working tirelessly at the intersection of poverty, violence, mass incarceration, and trauma. His 25 years of servant leadership fostering community-based strategies to help prevent violence and increase public safety has brought much needed clarity and solutions to these complex problems. He has fought to create institutional change for those that require it most, while casting a bright light on their needs, hopes, and dreams. In the process, he has built coalitions and developed meaningful relationships with a wide variety of powerful stakeholders across the city and throughout the country. Mr. Lewis Jr’s activism and advocacy has led to legislative/policy changes regarding children with incarcerated parents, voting rights for incarcerated residents, returning citizen hiring/housing, social equity, the arts, and gun violence prevention/intervention. He has been a leader locally and nationally around issues that have impacted communities of color the most. He has traveled the country lecturing about the collateral damage of Mass Incarceration and gun violence. He has organized efforts to address food insecurity, displacement, and access to opportunity. He has galvanized thousands across all demographics to take on personal responsibility to improve their circumstances and communities. He has been a bridge and translator of sorts between government and community. Tony Lewis Jr has been an example that transformational change is possible and continuous no matter the circumstances. His work and advocacy have been featured on CNN, BET, The Breakfast Club, The Washington Post, and many media outlets. Tony Lewis resides in Washington DC with his wife, Jessica, and their daughters Isabella and Sophie.
Mary Pitts
Vice Chair (vicechair@inspiredteachingschool.org)
Mary Pitts is a program evaluator and works for the federal government, primarily on homeland security and justice-related issues. She previously worked in the nonprofit and private sectors in industries ranging from historic preservation to small business development to affordable housing and tax credit financing – through this work, she traveled to 47 states. As an ITDS parent, she served on the Board of the Inspired Families Association for several years, including two years as president. She loves early morning walks on the Mall, cooking and eating seasonal vegetables, getting into the woods for a hike, and listening to audiobooks. She has an undergraduate degree from Rice University and a master of public policy from George Washington University. She lives in Washington, DC, and her two children attended ITDS from preschool through 8th grade.
Dr. Sundai Riggins, EdD
Dr. Sundai Riggins is an award-winning veteran educator and urban school leader who serves as the Executive Director at the Inspired Teaching Demonstration School. A passionate advocate for educational equity, she brings extensive expertise from her time as a principal, charter school founder, and middle/high school teacher. At ITDS, her visionary leadership continues to drive strong academic progress, including consistently leading the school to significantly outpace District averages on the DC CAPE assessment every year. Based on the Public Charter School Board’s ASPIRE framework, ITDS is ranked as a Level 2 – Strong Performance school. Throughout her career she has been recognized for driving organizational excellence—such as leading Hendley Elementary to win DC Public Schools’ Innovation for Excellence award and being one of three recipients of the Leading During a Year of Change award from the DC Education Fund. Dr. Riggins is a national media contributor whose work centers on inquiry-based learning, STEM integration, and empowering students and teachers alike. Dr. Riggins has written articles for NAEYC, the 74 Million, and was featured as a guest expert on CNN’s The ABCs of COVID-19, with Sanjay Gupta and Erica Hill. She holds Bachelor’s degrees in English and Journalism from the University of Maryland College Park, a Master of Science in Administration from Trinity University, an Executive Masters in Leadership from Georgetown University, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.
Katie Silberstein
Katie Silberstein is a consultant at Joule Growth Partners and provides back-office and financial services to education nonprofits. Prior to that, she researched K-12 public school finance for five years at the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University, tracking the use of ESSER funds and measuring district spending against student outcomes. She started her career teaching kindergarten and 1st grade in New York City. Katie earned an M.Ed in Policy, Leadership, and Organization from the University of Washington, a Certificate in Education Finance from Georgetown University, and a B.A. in Psychology from Bates College.
Shana Wang
Treasurer
Shana Wang is a program officer at Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, where she supports grantmaking to improve K-12 education across the U.S., with a focus on school system efforts to improve literacy. Shana previously served as the Director of Budget Strategy at District of Columbia Public schools, where she managed the agency’s annual budget process. She began her career in education as a consultant providing strategy and resource planning to large urban school districts across the country. Shana holds a Master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Bachelor’s degree in economics and urban studies from the University of Toronto. She lives in Ward 5 and loves to spend her weekends walking the National Arboretum with her husband and dog.