About Us
The Learning Agenda Team
Our national team of consultants are experts in summer and expanded learning and innovative school and program design. We collectively hold extensive experience in: nonprofit leadership and philanthropy, youth program and system development, research and evaluation, and adult learning and group facilitation.
All of our results-focused team members are thoughtful and organized, collaborative, and genuinely interested in expanding the impact of the field. In addition to team members listed here, we regularly partner with other leading minds in education, youth development, and research on our projects. We carefully assess the requirements of each project and provide you with the ideal team to achieve your goals.
Hillary Oravec
Managing Partner
Brenda McLaughlin
Founding Partner
Matt Pilarski
Partner
Monica Armendariz helps youth serving non-profit organizations and schools build their capacity to reach their full potential and amplify their impact in the world. She has over 15 years of experience working in and with youth development programs and initiatives, with specialties in program design, facilitation and training, strategy development, and quality improvement. During the span of her career, she worked inside of and alongside organizations in out of school time, workforce, youth health, and dual generation learning. Most recently, Monica has been helping organizations and professionals intentionally develop, center and practice diversity, equity and inclusion values and approaches in their work.
Monica has been extensively involved in the out of school time ecosystem at the local, statewide and national level. She served as the Program Director and Director of Education for a community based afterschool program in Austin, TX called Heart House, developing nationally-recognized program models and curricula and training systems for the organization that were influential in partner organizations’ program design. She was a Technical Assistance Consultant for Texas 21st CCLC programs in both rural and urban areas across the state, where she supported programs in enhancing program quality and pollinating best practices across grantees. She also served as a leader in the development of the Texas Partnership for Out of School Time (TXPOST)’s Texas Standards of High-Quality Afterschool, Summer, and Expanded Learning Programs and for the Central Texas Afterschool Network (now Learn All of the Time), coordinating major professional development and advocacy events to support OST professionals and advance the field in Central Texas. Later in her career, she joined EngenderHealth U.S. office where she helped manage and formalize Re:MIX, an innovative sex positive and inclusive sexual health program funded through the Office of Adolescent Health, implemented in partnership with Austin charter schools, several local health organizations, and a national evaluation team. Over the course of her career, she has trained or coached hundreds of youth development professionals and co-authored numerous curriculum and implementation materials on various topics in youth programs and non-profit leadership.
During her personal time, Monica enjoys playing with her dog, road trips, at home karaoke with her partner (until in-person karaoke is safe again!), and listening to comedy and true crime podcasts. One of her most favorite things is riding rollercoasters at theme parks across America.
Great things happen when people come together, face-to-face, to solve a problem and learn from one another. As a consultant for The Learning Agenda, Ryan Berlin brings a passion for making connections rooted in the belief that together, we can make a difference in the lives of youth and their families. Ryan brings more than 10 years of experience in the nonprofit field convening networks for peer learning, professional development, and advocacy. Her background in marketing and event management brings an attention to detail and participant experience to her project management work. Ryan leverages her experience to promote adult learning and engagement and youth voice within communities of practice.
Prior to working with The Learning Agenda, Ryan worked with the National Summer Learning Association, most recently serving as the Director of Events where she convened youth advocates from across the country for formal and informal learning opportunities.
Ryan resides in Baltimore, MD with her husband and two daughters. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from George Mason University.
Joe Bertoletti brings over 20 years of experience in working to change the odds for young people through direct service, capacity building, and building systems in the education, human services, and youth development fields. His approach to consulting combines social worker facilitation skills and social justice and ecological frameworks with engineering systems building and problem-solving skills. He has partnered with policy makers, funders, and system leaders using data driven and people centered approaches to build systems of support that inspire and equip leaders and educators to improve their evaluation and assessment practices to ensure high quality instructional practices and high quality settings where young people spend their time. Joe’s bring experience and knowledge based on his proven track record of fee-for-service and philanthropic fund development, client and partnership development, team building and management, building organizational business systems to support scaling of continuous improvement approach and other proven innovations, designing, implementing, and assessing organizational strategy, health and culture, thought leadership, relationship building with a wide range of stakeholders, and customizing supports to ensure long-term client partnerships that have grown to meet the evolving needs of the educational youth serving field.
In 2008, Joe was one of a small team that helped launch and scale the Forum For Youth Investment’s Weikart Center from a small unit that was serving a handful of partners to partnering with over 150 local, state, and national systems in 3 countries by 2020. During his 15-year tenure at the Forum, he has played a role in multiple rigorous research and evaluation projects, multi-year initiatives, nurtured long term partner relationships, and supported organizational development and change management efforts around operations and business systems.
Michelle brings nearly 30 years of experience in the nonprofit and education sectors, with a specific focus on youth development, expanded learning and arts education. She has extensive experience in strategic planning, cross-sector partnership and collaboration, program design, resource development and sustainability, and system building. Whether working directly with school districts, nonprofit organizations, public or private funders, she is focused on addressing the persistent achievement and opportunity gaps that exist among our nation’s young people and developing solutions that bring about positive change.
Toward that end, over the past 15 years, Michelle has worked on the local, state and national level to strengthen out-of-school-time learning programs and systems; build the capacity of the nonprofit youth development sector; facilitate school district-community partnerships and collaborations to support student learning; develop strategic plans and sustainability strategies for school districts, schools, and nonprofits; conduct landscape reviews, asset mapping, feasibility studies; develop scaling/growth plans; and support private and corporate foundations in achieving strategic objectives.
Her recent work includes serving on the Sperling Center for Research and Innovation (SCRI) team as a Design and Implementation Partner supporting Texas Education Association’s ADSY PEP Summer Learning Program. In this capacity, she provides comprehensive multi-year technical assistance and support in strategic planning and implementation to four LEAs in Texas who are designing and implementing high-quality summer programs. As part of the SCRI team, Michelle also provides support to two LEAs implementing high-quality afterschool. Other recent projects include district and nonprofit learning communities; urban school district arts education initiatives; standards-aligned art curriculum writing/development; philanthropic grant management; OST enrichment programming resource tool development; strategic planning and sustainability.
Michelle previously worked for The Prudential Foundation, where she managed the youth development portfolio as part of the foundation’s education strategy. Michelle holds a BA in fine arts and psychology from The Catholic University of America and is pursuing a Master of Education at Johns Hopkins University.
Brytani Cavil is a passionate change agent that has dedicated her professional career to developing organizations capacity to provide equitable support to children and families. She has led youth initiatives providing diverse supports ranging from direct service to professional capacity development. She has a decade of experience in youth development and utilizes her business background to streamline program implementation for her partners. Her work with communities is grounded in anti-racist principles that supports community building with partners through cultural connections, balancing power dynamics in decision making, and promoting a culture of healing through conflict.
Brytani provides full-scope services to her partners and engages them at every step to co-create intended outcomes for their collaborative work. Her goal is to enhance her partners competencies to complete their professional duties as well as promote and support cultural exploration within their roles. She provides tailored learning and capacity development solutions for organizations that are designed to authentically engage youth and adults in their work together.
Her professional interests are centered around crafting prevention and intervention strategies for youth that include youth voice as a central and critical component. Her research interests are diverse, but primarily focus on interdisciplinary strategies of combating the lifelong effects of poverty for underserved communities.
Brytani is an entrepreneur and spends her free time curating content with her children for their first business endeavor, The Brown Book Box, a children’s book subscription service that provides creative learning activities and books highlighting characters of varying identities and abilities to encourage a love for learning in households. She is the loving mother of twin boys and a baby girl and is a passionate leader within her communities.
Kate Coleman, CPA serves as the fractional Chief Financial Officer for The Learning Agenda, overseeing accounting and financial reporting, providing financial planning and analysis, and working closely with the management team to ensure achievement of financial objectives. Kate is the founder and President of Fusion Solutions LLC, an outsourced CFO advisory and consulting firm that helps small businesses with financial strategy and accounting oversight at every stage of the business lifecycle.
Before devoting her work full time to Fusion Solutions LLC, Kate served as an Audit Partner at a mid-size public accounting firm where she worked with privately held companies servicing both commercial and Federal customers.
Kate holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Degree in Accounting from the University of Richmond.
Reed Dyer has been active in the struggle for educational equity for nearly 30 years, working as a teacher, interventionist, literacy coach, curriculum designer, principal, and educational consultant. In his eight years as a Senior Associate for Great Schools Partnership, Reed provided direct, context-specific support at the elementary, middle, and high school level, to traditional district schools, charter schools, alternative education programs and career and technical education programs.
Before working as a consultant and school coach, Reed spent 20 years in public schools across the country. Reed was the principal of a progressive K–5 charter school in Denver, taught in classrooms in New Jersey, New York City, and Maine, and served as a literacy coach and intervention teacher. Through these experiences, Reed developed deep professional interests in the role of child development on quality teaching and learning, the social-emotional development of students within school settings, and the role of race and identity within supportive learning environments. He has presented about literacy, assessment, proficiency-based learning, and parent engagement at the state, regional, and national levels
Reed received a bachelor’s degree in English from Princeton University and earned his master’s degree in education from the University of Maine, where he also trained as a literacy coach with the Maine Literacy Partnership. He lives in Maine with his awesome educator wife and trombone-playing son.
Xochitl Garcia is an experienced educator committed to working with schools and nonprofits to create more equitable learning environments for young people. She brings over 14 years of experience as an educator, curriculum developer, professional development leader, and program manager. Xochitl is the K-12 education program manager at Science Friday, where she focuses on supporting educators (of all types) as they engage students in science, engineering, math, and the arts. She collaborates with educators to develop new science experiments based on current research, leads STEM professional development, and designs programming to increase justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion work in STEM. Xochitl is also an advisory board member for the Center for Antiracist Education, a project of STAND for Children and an education consultant working with districts nationally on educator and leader professional development.
Xochitl was the Manager of Instruction and School Design at Springpoint: Partners in School Design, where she worked nationally to both design and redesign high school models with a focus on equitable design grounded in student and community voices. She was a teacher for seven years in the South Bronx in New York City, where she led work in both Special Education and STEM. Xochitl began her career working with GEAR-UP Project Higher Learning in LAUSD to develop peer mentoring programs to increase support and access to post-secondary opportunities.
Xochitl holds a BA in politics from Occidental College, an MA in leadership and special education from City College of New York, and was a Lehman College Teacher Education for Advanced Science Preparation in Biology Fellow.
Allison Hardt has over 20 years of experience in public policy analysis and research administration. Her 23-year career with the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) begin in 1998 as a graduate intern in the Office of Policy and Research. After receiving her Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Baltimore, she was hired by MDOT SHA to work as a project manager in the Research Division. From 2005 – 2021 she managed a federally funded research program, facilitated relationships with several universities including establishing research agreements and internship programs, and managed MDOT SHA’s participation in national research activities. Allison has served on several national committees and technical advisory panels including four for the Transportation Research Board, part of the National Academy of Sciences. From 2013 – 2021 Allison also served as the Deputy Director of Policy and Research, where she was exposed to policy analysis and development at the state and federal level.
Allison completed her undergraduate studies at West Virginia University and received a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Baltimore. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she currently lives in Millersville, Maryland, with her husband and son.
Dr. Pat Lewis is a veteran educator with over 40 years of experience leading instructional improvement and expanding opportunity for students. Most recently, she served as Associate Superintendent of Schools in Grand Prairie ISD, following prior roles as Deputy Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent of Innovation and School Improvement. In Grand Prairie ISD, Dr. Lewis oversaw a wide range of academic programs spanning curriculum and instruction, special education, bilingual and ESL services, early childhood, career and technical education, and professional development. She led major initiatives including the Additional Day School Year (ADSY), School Action Fund (SAF) grants aligned with the Effective Schools Framework and System of Great Schools, and the launch of in-district charter schools. She also helped develop the district’s Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) program and expanded choice and grow-your-own teacher pathways.
Dr. Lewis began her career as a classroom teacher in Dallas ISD and held instructional leadership roles in both Dallas and Lancaster ISDs. She is widely recognized for her instructional expertise, collaborative leadership, and deep commitment to student success. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Jackson State University, a master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Phoenix, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Texas Tech University.
Sarah Lohnes is a former nonprofit CEO who is passionate about telling memorable stories that generate support for important causes. As a freelance writer, editor, and consultant for nonprofits and foundations, Sarah takes a journalistic approach to help her clients get to the root of why their work matters and how to communicate that purpose effectively. Whether for fundraising, stakeholder engagement or field building, she translates research and data into impactful tools and content across multiple media. Previously, Sarah held progressive leadership roles in a 10-year career at the National Summer Learning Association, culminating as its chief executive officer from 2013 to 2016.
Sarah is a leading national expert on summer learning, authoring numerous white papers and practitioner guides, making regular presentations to state policymaking bodies, and overseeing implementation of multiple state and federal initiatives. She has served as an expert source for NPR, Education Week, Essence Magazine, and the Baltimore Sun, among other media outlets. Sarah is co-editor and co-author of the research anthology, The Summer Slide: What We Know and Can Do About Summer Learning Loss (Teachers College Press, 2016).
Brenda McLaughlin has worked at the intersection of education and youth development research, policy and practice for 20 years, translating key learnings to positively influence the well-being of youth and their families, and strengthen organizations and systems. Her insight and expertise have led nonprofits, school districts, philanthropies and communities to expand their capacity and better serve young people.
As The Learning Agenda’s Founding Partner and Senior Advisor, Brenda offers strategic guidance and coaching, plans and facilitates learning communities and events, engages in research projects, and develops tools and resources to build the capacity of the field. She is currently co-leading the Strategic Use of Summer and Afterschool Set-Asides Community of Practice for the National Comprehensive Center at Westat, and she previously led capacity-building efforts for districts engaged in The Wallace Foundation’s National Summer Learning Project.
Brenda founded The Learning Agenda in 2011, and rejoined the team in 2022 after serving as Chief Impact Officer at BellXcel and launching The Sperling Center for Research and Innovation – a division of BellXcel focused on elevating the quality and impact of summer and afterschool programs nationally. She also served as vice president at the National Summer Learning Association from 2004 – 2011, leading research, evaluation, and strategic initiatives.
Brenda holds a MA in Public Policy from the Johns Hopkins University, and a BA in Spanish and Latin American Studies from the University of Pittsburgh.
Steph Moore has spent 20 years working with extraordinarily brilliant people to help them share their expertise and experiences. With experience planning in-person and virtual events, conferences, and educational webinars as a government consultant, she quickly learned that clear and relatable event information resulted in happier and more engaged participants. Working with the Corporation for National and Community Service, Steph organized convenings, webinars, e-newsletters, and phone clinics for groups, including the Social Innovation Fund grantees, Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service grantees, and SeniorCorps.
Her neighborhood blog passion project led her into the world of social media and writing for online content. The now retired blog won numerous local web awards. Working at NOAA on the Joint Polar Satellite System program, she produced consumer education content and was also charged with keeping the website content fresh and engaging.
Most recently, as a senior web specialist at Johns Hopkins Medicine, she managed the web content for departments and institutional priority areas, creating messaging for both internal and external audiences. Steph also created new websites and converted older sites into a more consumer-friendly mobile-first platform with new architectural structures and content.
Throughout her career, she has found success in quickly learning and adapting messaging and media to meet the needs of different audiences. Steph is finishing her master’s degree in communications at Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Marshaé Newkirk is a career educator with over 20 years of experience serving public school students and families in New York and New Jersey. Her work as a teacher in the South Bronx, NY served as a springboard for a career in educational leadership and advocacy for children in historically marginalized and under-appreciated communities. She is the lead founder of an independent charter school in Newark, NJ, where she served as the School/Executive Director for 8 years. Marshaé currently serves as a leadership coach and trainer for new and aspiring school leaders. In addition, she is an independent consultant offering leadership coaching with a focus on reimagining “best-practices” in schools in order to disrupt the status quo. Marshaé has earned Masters Degrees in Elementary Education and Administration and Supervision from Lehman College and Fordham University respectively, and holds a doctorate in Educational and Organizational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.
Hillary Oravec is the Managing Partner of The Learning Agenda, where she leads capacity-building and strategic planning initiatives in collaboration with state and city agencies, national and regional foundations, nonprofits, and school districts. She led the National Comprehensive Center’s expanded learning strategy and technical assistance for states, and represented the Center in the U.S. Department of Education’s Engage Every Student initiative under Secretary Cardona. As part of The Wallace Foundation’s National Summer Learning Project team, Hillary led the development of the widely used Summer Learning Toolkit and continues to guide The Learning Agenda’s work with state agencies to translate evidence-based guidance and planning tools and deliver technical assistance supporting local education agencies.
Previously, Hillary served as Director of Strategic Initiatives, Research & Evaluation, and Community System-Building at the National Summer Learning Association. Her community engagement and strategic planning work in Birmingham, Alabama helped catalyze support for the state’s afterschool network and establish a summer learning-focused funding collaborative that now supports communities across the state. Earlier in her career, she managed school accreditation and institutional research at Johns Hopkins University and coordinated school-community-university partnerships through the P-12 Project at The Ohio State University.
Hillary holds a master’s degree in Educational Policy and Leadership from The Ohio State University and a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Sociology from Kent State University. She earned the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute in 2009.
Michele Phillips serves as a senior advisor for the Learning Agenda’s Portrait of a Graduate learning community with the Barr Foundation bringing over 17 years of experience in public, urban education. Michele has partnered with the Barr Foundation and Springpoint: Partners in School Design to provide guidance for school leaders in improving student outcomes by using data to create strategic plans for student programming and innovative school design. Through her collaboration with Springpoint, the Barr Foundation and the Urban Assembly network of schools in New York City, Michele has collaborated with dozens of schools nationally to incorporate creative programming solutions, operationalize strategic feedback, and provide ongoing technical support for schools enacting school design and re-design efforts. Her ongoing mission is to support schools in providing all students with equitable access to a relevant and rigorous curriculum through engaging and rich learning experiences anchored in strong, sustainable school design.
Michele also serves as the current Data Specialist & Program Design consultant for the Bronx School for Law, Government and Justice and the Urban Assembly (UA) Bronx Academy of Letters. Prior to consulting, she was an Assistant Principal and full-time Data Specialist overseeing accountability and compliance at the Bronx School for Law, Government and Justice where she began her career as a Spanish teacher in 2002. An alumna of Middlebury College in Vermont, Michele graduated with her B.A. in Spanish and Sociology and her M.A. in Spanish Language & Literature and later, received her licensure in School Administration and Supervision at Massachusetts College for Liberal Arts. Michele currently resides in her hometown of Sturbridge, MA with her three sons and her husband, Kadion.
Matthew Pilarski is an experienced educator most recently working with Connecticut RISE as the Director of Network Success, where he oversaw the school-facing teams responsible for providing high quality professional development, raising student outcomes in all network schools, and using data to drive decision making. Prior to RISE, Matthew was a Senior Director at Springpoint: Partners in School Design, where he worked nationally to both design and redesign high schools models with a focus on equity-based principles, student-centered design, and instructional leadership. Matthew also worked at TNTP as a Partner on TNTP’s Client Team heading up the SanFranciscoPLUS program which focused on helping school leaders develop and retain irreplaceable teachers, strengthen a school’s instructional culture, and understand how to use data to improve student outcomes. Matthew began his career working for two of the largest urban districts in the country as an Instructional Support Leader with Chicago Public Schools on Chicago’s South Side and as both a teacher and a school leader for eleven years in the South Bronx in New York City, overseeing a high school where over 90 percent of students qualified for free and reduced-price lunch.
Matthew holds a BA in English from the University of Michigan, an MA in Secondary English Education from NYU, and an ME in School Leadership from Columbia University’s Teachers College.
Jared Scheck specializes in strategic planning and development in the education and nonprofit sectors with a focus on implementing systems of continuous quality improvement. He utilizes proven project management tactics and design thinking strategies to support school district and nonprofit leaders to plan, improve, and develop concrete steps to achieve their goals.
Jared holds a B.A. with Honors in Psychology from Boston University, an M.A. in Politics and Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Professional Certificate in Philanthropy and Nonprofit Organizations from Northwestern’s School of Professional Studies. Jared has provided consulting for multiple public education districts in their strategic planning, design, and implementation of summer learning programs, working with district leaders across Texas to strategically utilize community partnerships within the region to enhance the quality of their educational programs. Jared is currently advising several organizations through the updating of their service descriptions for marketing and business development, growth, and long-term sustainability. He also supports nonprofits in fundraising and development strategy through planned giving, annual campaign planning, and partnership retention.
Chris Sweeney is a business and community leader with over thirty years’ experience with firms ranging from IBM and Oracle to smaller, entrepreneurial companies and a nonprofit agency called 3 Rivers Connect. He’s an evangelist for regional collaboration and creative uses of information and technology to drive innovation. His consulting practice is focused on advancing educational innovation in K-12 as well as nonprofit/civic sector transformation initiatives through work with leadership teams in articulating their vision and translating it into an actionable plan that can be successfully implemented.
Chris currently leads the Pittsburgh Personalized Learning Network (PLPGH), a network of 25+ school districts in SWPA to build awareness and accelerate the implementation of personalized learning strategies in the region. He formerly served as the President and COO of OnHand Schools, a mission-driven education services company that developed EdInsight, a student performance suite used by over 150 districts in Pennsylvania. Prior to his role at OHS, Chris was CEO of 3 Rivers Connect (3RC). 3RC was a civic sector agency that helped non-profit organizations use innovative technology and better information to optimize the delivery of their services and improve the lives of underserved communities in southwestern PA.
A passionate youth and community advocate, Katie Willse‘s work is rooted in her personal goals to build strong communities that provide positive opportunities for all youth and families. As a Senior Consultant for The Learning Agenda, Katie brings over 15 years experience in the nonprofit field. Her background in out-of-school time and youth development runs a full spectrum from working in a direct service capacity to developing and managing community programs and leading organizational development. Katie leverages her experience to support clients with program development and management, meeting planning and execution, and professional development design and facilitation.
Prior to joining The Learning Agenda, Katie Willse worked with the National Summer Learning Association, most recently serving as the Chief Program Officer where she steered the organization’s core work and strategic development. In her time with NSLA, Katie also led the development of community and national system-building initiatives that supported program capacity building and scaling summer learning opportunities across communities. In addition to summer learning, her expertise in youth programs includes mentoring, youth development and youth employment.
A resident of Austin, TX, Katie has lived in and worked with organizations in cities across the country including Baltimore, Boston, Madison (WI), Miami, New York City, and Sacramento. Katie holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and communications with an emphasis in rhetorical studies and interpersonal communication from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The Learning Agenda Difference
We are true partners, taking the time to understand your organization’s unique needs.
Your mission is our mission.
We’re passionate about educating and supporting the development of under-served youth and closing the opportunity gap, and we understand the field.
It’s where we came from and what we continue to do.
We get you.
We’re up to speed quickly because we’ve worked in organizations and environments like yours. We’ve navigated the field, tackled issues like yours and we’re well-connected.
We work to help you do what you do better – with greater knowledge, capabilities and efficiency.
We’re with you all the way.
We won’t hand off strategies that you don’t have the capacity to implement.
We’re part of your team from vision through implementation –managing the initiative and collaborating with you, and building your team’s capacity and confidence throughout the process.
If you are interested in partnering with The Learning Agenda, contact Hillary Oravec at hillary@thelearningagenda.com. We welcome opportunities to diversify our team and expand our network!
“When we started the project, I expected The Learning Agenda to bring knowledge of programs and facilitation expertise, but the full and thoughtful commitment of the team to help our client, our team, project participants and the OST field itself was outstanding. The project benefited from the deep knowledge of The Learning Agenda team about OST programming, current challenges and trends, and the network of experts/trainers brought to bear on the project.”