The Broad Center Announces 2023-24 Cohort of the Fellowship for Public Education Leadership

The Fellowship for Public Education Leadership is an executive leadership program run by The Broad Center at Yale SOM for senior-level public education leaders from across the country who are dedicated to strengthening public school systems and the communities they serve.

Starting this fall, the 19 Fellows selected for the 2023-24 cohort will gather four times over 10 months for weeklong modules at Yale SOM designed to expose them to leading management research and skills that can be applied to the public school systems in which they work. The program also places an emphasis on peer-to-peer learning within the cohort and with leading practitioners in the field. Fellows leverage these learnings as they drive transformative work happening in urban school districts, charter networks, and state education agencies that advances equity and excellence for all students.

Meet the 2023-24 Fellows

Biographies provided by the Fellows.

Joanna Belcher

Chief External Impact Officer, KIPP SoCal Public Schools

Joanna Belcher is the Chief External Impact Officer of KIPP SoCal Public Schools. As CXO, Joanna oversees the vision for the network's external affairs and advances government relations and advocacy, fundraising, marketing & communications, and family & community engagement for KIPP SoCal's 24 schools in Los Angeles and San Diego. A former teacher, school leader, Chief Academic Officer, and Executive Director, Joanna is deeply committed to fighting for educational equity and excellence for students from low-income communities.

Jacqueline Costales

Division Director of Curriculum and Instruction, New Mexico Public Education Department

Jacqueline Costales serves as the division director of Curriculum & Instruction at the New Mexico Public Education Department. As a member of the executive leadership team, she leads the six bureaus of Assessment, College and Career Readiness, Curriculum & Instructional Supports, Instructional Materials, Literacy & Humanities, and Math & Science. Ms. Costales is steadfast in her commitment to students and educators and in striving for equitable core instruction for every student in the state including an emphasis on providing access to grade level content for English Language Learners, Native American students, students with disabilities, and students experiencing poverty.

Dr. James Driscoll

Superintendent, Tempe Elementary School District

Dr. James Driscoll is the Superintendent of Tempe Elementary School District located in Tempe, AZ. Dr. Driscoll leads 1,200 employees and cares for nearly 11,000 students in grades preschool through eighth-grade. As Superintendent, Dr. Driscoll is dedicated to ensuring all students have equal access to high-quality education and acquire all the skills they need to be successful in their lives.

Jeremy Grant-Skinner

Deputy Superintendent of Talent, Strategy, and Culture, School District of Philadelphia

Jeremy Grant-Skinner is the Deputy Superintendent of Talent, Strategy, and Culture for the School District of Philadelphia, leading the Talent, Equity, Professional Learning, Strategic Planning, and Information Technology Offices. Including chief officer roles in three other large urban districts over the last decade, he has served in senior management roles at the school, district, and state levels and with two national education non-profits. Committed to educational equity for over 20 years and still a teacher at his core, Jeremy leads at the intersection of talent, instruction, and finance to get results for kids.

Joseph Luft

Chief of Educator Development, New York City Public Schools

Joseph (Joe) Luft currently serves as the Chief of Educator Development for New York City Public Schools where he leads various initiatives focused on professional learning, instructional leadership, and cross-school collaboration focused on educational equity. Previously, Joe was the Executive Director of Internationals Network and the founding principal of Flushing International High School.

Dr. Cheryl Proctor

Deputy Superintendent, Portland Public Schools

Dr. Cheryl Proctor is the Deputy Superintendent of the largest school district in the state of Oregon, Portland Public Schools. Cheryl oversees the district's office of teaching & learning, school performance, and students support services with their respective chiefs. Cheryl is deeply committed to providing equitable, high-quality learning experiences for all students where they're seen, affirmed and nurtured to reach their highest potential.

Jeremy Vidito

Chief Financial Officer, Detroit Public Schools Community District

Jeremy Vidito is the Chief Financial Officer for Detroit Public Schools Community District. In this role, he has worked closely with the Superintendent and Board to balance the budget for six consecutive years, achieve no audit findings for three years, establish a 20-year facility master plan and identify $800M in funding, and increase teacher salaries over $15,000 to reduce vacancies. Jeremy is a former teacher and principal and is committed to improving educational outcomes for historically underserved communities.

Janelle Bradshaw

Chief Executive Officer, Public Prep

Janelle is a teacher, administrator and charter school leader who has dedicated over 20 years to urban education. Her work at Public Prep unites her passion for single gender education in an elementary and middle school setting with her passion for equity. Public Prep is the nation's first tuition free charter school focused on single-gender education in PK-8.

Jessica de Barros

Executive Director, Washington State Charter School Commission

Jessica de Barros is the Executive Director of the Washington State Charter School Commission, the state agency that is the main authorizer of charter public schools in Washington. As Executive Director, Jessica leads the 11-member appointed Commission to authorize and hold schools accountable to high standards of quality. Jessica is a policy leader committed to closing opportunity gaps and promoting racial justice.

Rodolfo Elizondo

Chief Instructional Officer, Alliance College-Ready Public Schools

Rodolfo (Rudy) Elizondo is the Chief Instructional Officer overseeing the vision and strategy for school management, teaching & learning, diverse learners, and leadership development. A proud native of South and South East Los Angeles and first-generation college graduate, he previously served as one of the Instructional Superintendents for Alliance. Prior to his role as an Instructional Superintendent, he was the founder and Principal of the Urban Assembly School for Emergency Management (UASEM) within the New York City Department of Education and a proud math teacher in the South Bronx.

Ericilda Xiomara Herman

Insular Superintendent, Virgin Island Department of Education

As the St. Croix District Insular Superintendent of Schools in the Virgin Islands Department of Education, Ericilda Xiomara Herman oversees day-to-day operations and instructional reform. Ericilda's just cause is to create opportunities for students to reach their highest potential by providing educators with the tools and resources needed for students to succeed. Ericilda is committed to making a positive impact on the lives of students in the St. Croix District by working closely with administrators, teachers, parents, and community leaders.

Andrew McRae

Chief Academic Officer, Breakthrough Public Schools

Andrew M. McRae is the Chief Academic Officer (CAO) of the highly-rated, Cleveland-based charter school network Breakthrough Public Schools. As CAO, Andrew oversees all instructional and educational matters including school leader management, teaching and learning, data, analytics, leadership development, and family partnerships. Andrew finds that his purpose is deeply rooted in building enduring systems of excellence for students from historically marginalized communities and transforming organizations in service of community needs.

Jorge Robles

Chief Finance and Operations Officer, Tulsa Public Schools

As the Chief Finance and Operations Officer in Tulsa Public Schools, Jorge leads critical work across multiple teams providing support to almost 34,000 students and 78 schools to ensure that they have the right conditions to engage in high quality learning. Jorge joined Tulsa Public Schools after five years in Denver Public Schools where he led the district’s English language acquisition department and the bilingual and newcomer programs for students whose native language was not English. In every role, Jorge has focused on making sure that resources are deployed in an equitable way, and on launching efforts to provide support to students and families who need them the most, trying to remove barriers to successfully engage at school.

Michael Cormack Jr.

Deputy Superintendent, Jackson Public Schools

Dr. Michael Cormack Jr. serves as the deputy superintendent of Jackson Public Schools. In this role, Michael directs and oversees the academic programs of the district to provide the highest quality instruction, curriculum, and assessment for all scholars. Michael's educational passions include high quality early childhood education, literacy development, and positive school climate.

Nolberto Delgadillo

Deputy Chief Business Officer, Los Angeles Unified School District

Nolberto recently joined the Los Angeles Unified School District as their Deputy Chief Business Officer. In this role for the second largest school district in the country, he will assist with financial & strategic planning to further the educational mission of the district. As someone who grew up in Compton, California and the son of Mexican immigrants, Nolberto strongly believes that a zip code should not limit nor define a person and as such has focused his career on enhancing systems to improve outcomes for disadvantaged students.

Staci Taylor Fullmighter

Unit Senior Executive Director, Houston Independent School District

Staci Taylor Fullmighter is a public urban education executive leader. She is committed to providing high-quality education through access and exposure for all students.

Anthony Jarrett

Chief Instructional Officer, North East Independent School District

Anthony Jarrett is the Chief Instructional Officer for North East Independent School District in San Antonio. Mr. Jarrett is about building capacity in schools systems so every child can receive a quality education no matter their zip code or life circumstances. He is deeply committed to helping parents fulfill their dream of seeing their child become a successful individual.

Brian Moskovitz

Assistant Superintendent of Early Learning and Elementary Schools, Long Beach Unified School District

Brian Moskovitz is the Assistant Superintendent of Early Learning and Elementary Schools for the Long Beach Unified School District. His primary roles are in supporting 47 elementary school principals and six directors of principal supervision and state and federal preschool programs, and serving as a member of the District Senior Team. Brian is committed to leading for change by implementing LBUSD's Excellence and Equity policy and helping to develop principals as equity-centered leaders.

Duncan Scherer

Chief Schools Officer, Democracy Prep Public Schools

Duncan Scherer serves as Chief Schools Officer at Democracy Prep Public Schools where he oversees school leadership and student academic and civic outcomes across the Network’s schools in NY, Las Vegas, and San Antonio. He most recently served as an Assistant Superintendent and Managing Director of New York. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Carleton College; completed his Master in Education in Special Education at Hunter College; and has received leadership training through the Emerging Leaders Program with Building Excellent Schools, Leader U at Democracy Prep, and the Cambiar Catalyst Fellowship.