Welcome Our New Board Members! 🎉

An item from a K-12 blended learning organization.

Melanie Dukes, Travonnie Mackey, & Noah Wepman join the Highlander Institute Board

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Join the conversation as we partner with communities to design and implement culturally responsive school change.

Highlander Institute is thrilled to introduce 3 incredible new Board Members! 

Melanie Dukes (Associate Program Director, K-9 Education, Overdeck Family Foundation) brings more than 15 years of experience as a mission-driven, organizational change and digital transformation leader across the Financial Services, Non-Profit, K-12, Higher Education and Technology sectors. Previously, Melanie worked at 2U, Inc. as a Director in the technology department to support online learning for universities. Prior to that, Melanie worked at Relay GSE, KIPP NYC, MLT (Management Leadership for Tomorrow), Morgan Stanley, and General Mills. She is a board member for two Brooklyn Charter Schools — PAVE and Launch Expeditionary Learning — as well as Saga Education, a national leader providing consulting and technical assistance to help organizations develop and implement high-impact tutoring. Melanie earned an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School, B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, and is pursuing an M.A. in Education Technology at NYU Steinhardt.

Travonnie Mackey (Associate Partner, Edgility Consulting) is passionate about helping the professionals who serve students feel set up for success, so that all children have access to opportunities to learn and excel. Before Edgility, she was an HR Business Partner for an ed policy non-profit, focused on ensuring teachers have a voice in the decisions that impact their work. She supports clients with all aspects of the employee life cycle, including recruitment, compensation, development, management and evaluation of their team members. She revamps org-wide people policies to better align to the organization’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusiveness. She prides herself on her ability to balance human relationships and efficient systems in a way that leaves people feeling empowered and motivated for the road ahead. Earlier in her career, Travonnie worked as classroom teacher and instructional coach, designing effective instruction and impactful training for students and staff.

Noah Wepman (Chief Financial & Strategy Officer, New Leaders) has nearly 20 years of experience shaping K-12 education strategy and championing education equity through a variety of senior roles, including serving as a school district chief financial officer, philanthropic program officer, and charter school founder. Prior to joining New Leaders, Noah was a senior program officer in the K-12 program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation focusing on scaling innovative approaches, tools, and products that enable school systems to align their resources with strategies that improve outcomes for students. In addition, Noah was D.C. Public Schools’ Chief Financial Officer. He has also worked as an education advisor to former DC Mayor Adrian Fenty. Noah is a founder and board member of Impact Public Schools, a charter school organization in Washington state. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Colby College and a master’s degree in public administration from George Washington University.

We are so excited for these amazing leaders to share their expertise and guidance as new voices on our board. Please help us extend a warm welcome!

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