Staff Bios

Charlene Rivera, Ed.D.,  is a Research Professor and Executive Director of the George Washington University Center for Equity and Excellence in Education (GW-CEEE) and is the Principal Investigator for the Mid-Atlantic Equity Center (MAEC). Her areas of expertise are state assessment policies and practices for English Language Learners, standards and accountability, policy analysis and program evaluation, instructional practices for teaching reading to English Language Learners, and leadership development. In addition to directing GW-CEEE, Rivera serves as the Principal Investigator and Director of several technical assistance, policy and evaluation studies. A former teacher for the Boston Public Schools, she is recognized for her work in spearheading the Promoting Excellence series, a project that generated guiding principles and tools for policy makers, educators and community members to help English-language learners reach high academic standards. She is co- editor (with Eric Collum, 2006) and contributing author to the book, State Assessment Policy and Practices for English Learners: A National Perspective. Active in the educational research community, Rivera has made hundreds of presentations and published extensively on issues related to the inclusion of English language learners in national and state assessment programs. She holds a doctoral degree in education from Boston University. crivera@ceee.gwu.edu

Gail Sunderman, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Associate at the GW-CEEE  where she directs the MAEC. As director of MAEC, she manages a team of technical assistance coordinators and works with state education agencies to coordinate services to districts with other services being provided by the state. She has expertise on equity issues and has conducted research on the development and implementation of education policy and the impact of policy on the educational opportunities for at-risk students. Prior to joining MAEC, she directed a five-year study examining the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 for the Civil Rights Project at Harvard University. She is co-author of the book, NCLB Meets School Realities: Lessons from the Field (with James S. Kim and Gary Orfield, 2005) and editor of Holding NCLB Accountable: Achieving Accountability, Equity, and School Reform, published in 2008. Her work has appeared in Harvard Educational Review, Teacher’s College Record, Publius, and Educational Researcher. She is a former Fulbright Scholar to Afghanistan and received her Ph.D. in political science from the University of Chicago. gsunderman@ceee.gwu.edu

Barbara Hicks, M.Ed., Senior Research Associate at GW-CEEE, is the assistant director of the MAEC and the technical assistance coordinator to the state of Delaware. As assistant director, she manages the work of the technical assistance coordinators in the MAEC service area. Ms. Hicks has experience in mathematics and science education, and applied linguistics with an emphasis on language acquisition. At GW-CEEE, she facilitated the state system of support self-assessment in collaboration with the Delaware Department of Education. Ms. Hicks has coordinated state professional development networks for teachers of mathematics and science in partnership with state departments of education. She has worked with a national network of educators to create professional development resources, and has facilitated professional learning communities at several schools engaged in action research. Her work has appeared in the Journal of Staff Development. She has a Masters degree in middle grades education from Mercer University and a Bachelor of Science in applied psychology from the Georgia Institute of Technology. bhicks@ceee.gwu.edu

Janet Brown, M.A., is a Senior Research Associate at GW-CEEE and the Pennsylvania technical assistance coordinator for the MAEC.  She has over 20 years of experience as a teacher, trainer and educational program and product developer.  For the past few years she has provided technical assistance to the Pennsylvania Department of Education on supplemental educational services and teacher quality.  As a specialist in literacy and parent involvement at GW-CEEE, Ms Brown assisted the Office of the State Superintendent of the District of Columbia and the National Institute for Literacy in the development of parent publications that effectively ‘translate’ state standards and research-based practices for families.  She is also part of the GW-CEEE team that provides training and technical assistance to the Latino Literacy Institute, a National Council of La Raza network of middle and high schools serving Latino youth.  Prior to joining GW-CEEE, she taught at the middle and community college levels and was a research team member with the LAB at Brown University’s Learner Centered Schools project and with the Office of Educational Research and Improvement’s Study of Parent, Family and Community Involvement in the middle grades.  Ms. Brown holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Virginia and an M.A. in English Linguistics with an emphasis on the teaching of reading from George Mason University. jbrown@ceee.gwu.edu

Donna Carr, Ed.D., is the Virginia technical assistance coordinator for the MAEC at GW-CEEE. As the Virginia coordinator, Dr. Carr coordinates technical assistance and training to address equity issues and improve access to a rigorous education for all students.  Dr. Carr brings an extensive background in public education to the MAEC including experience as a remedial reading resource teacher, federal program coordinator, staff development coordinator, special education director, and assistant superintendent. During her years in West Virginia and Virginia, she developed expertise in curriculum development, remedial and developmental reading, school improvement, and federal programs.  She wrote several school improvement planning guides and provided school improvement technical assistance to districts.  She recently co-authored an article on engagement rates of middle school students for the School Science and Mathematics Journal.  Dr. Carr earned an Ed.D. in education leadership from West Virginia University. She has served as adjunct faculty member for various colleges in West Virginia and presently serves as a special member of the graduate faculty of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and as adjunct professor for the University of Virginia, Hampton Roads Center.  Dr. Carr currently serves as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Title I Specialist for the Appalachia Regional Comprehensive Center (ARCC) and rural specialist for the Rural Education Center at Edvantia (RECE). donna.carr@edvantia.org

Megan Dolan, Ed.D., is a Senior Research Scientist at GW-CEEE where she is the Maryland state technical assistance coordinator for the MAEC. As the Maryland coordinator, she collaborates with a team of specialists to provide expert support to districts in Maryland to address equity issues that impact student achievement. Dr. Dolan also coordinates with state divisions to ensure that coherent and comprehensive services are targeted to high need districts. She has a broad range of experience developing and providing professional development and technical assistance designed to accelerate achievement for minority and low-income students. Prior to joining GW-CEEE, she was a curriculum coordinator for the Department of Defense PK-12 schools and the associate director for the Region V Area Center for Educational Enhancement at Florida Atlantic University. Dr. Dolan has conducted research on scale-up, capacity building, school improvement policy, and teacher education. She holds an Ed.D. in curriculum and instruction from Florida Atlantic University. mdolan@ceee.gwu.edu

Elsie Kirton, M.Ed., is a Senior Research Assistant at GW-CEEE and the MAEC technical assistance coordinator for Delaware and the District of Columbia.  In this capacity, Ms. Kirton coordinates technical assistance and training to address equity issues and improve access for all students to a supportive and rigorous learning environment.  She brings a wealth of experience that spans over three decades with Fairfax County Public Schools as a teacher, elementary counselor, school based and district level administrator to the position.  Ms. Kirton has served as a trainer for the Virginia Education Association and the National Education Association.  Prior to joining the staff of GW-CEEE, she served as the Minority Achievement Coordinator for Charles County Schools in Maryland.  She holds a  B. S. in Early Childhood Education from Appalachian State University, a M. Ed. in Administration from George Mason University and has completed post graduate work at Virginia Tech in School Counseling.    ekirton@ceee.gwu.edu

Adriane Williams, Ph.D., is the West Virginia technical assistance coordinator for MAEC. As technical assistance coordinator, Dr. Williams works with West Virginia districts to address the challenges they face providing an equitable and rigorous education for all students. Her experience working for and with urban districts during her time at the Council of the Great City Schools in Washington, D.C. provides her with both the skills and the knowledge to assist leadership in addressing district challenges.  In addition, Dr. Williams is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership Studies at the West Virginia University. Dr. Williams received her M.Ed in Secondary Education from the George Washington University and her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Educational Policy Studies. dr.adrianewilliams@gmail.com