President & CEO
Marcela Andrés is the author of Purposeful Education Connections, a speaker, and change agent. As the President and CEO of designEDengagement, she partners with diverse organizations to develop, implement, and scale culturally responsive programs across the U.S. With nearly 20 years of success in education and business, Marcela has a proven record in driving measurable outcomes. Her experience spans strategic planning, program development, commercial risk management, policy codification, and leadership development—all with a focus on underrepresented students, families, and communities.
Before leading designEDengagement, Marcela led the research, design, and rollout of a statewide initiative in Texas, equipping school principals and staff with skills to build leadership capacity and foster innovative partnerships with stakeholders. She holds a Master of Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Saint Edward’s University, where she also earned certifications in project management (PMP). Her commitment to transforming family and educator partnerships is central to her work, ensuring improved student outcomes through meaningful collaboration.
Victor Castro
Outreach Outreach Strategist
Director of Programs
Mayra Garcia was born and raised in Dallas, TX, and is a first-generation high school and college graduate, giving her firsthand insight into the challenges often encountered by students from similar backgrounds. Her focus is on driving systemic changes to make higher education accessible to all, regardless of background, while reshaping perceptions around high-quality education.
She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Development and Family Sciences from The University of Texas, with research experience in Social Psychology, where she focused on prosocial behavior. Her passion for supporting underrepresented communities inspired her to volunteer extensively in community and school initiatives during her undergraduate years.
At designEDengagement, Mayra is dedicated to advancing the mission of reimagining family engagement and amplifying student voices. She applies her design thinking expertise to create intentional strategies and foster meaningful connections that enhance community impact.
Connect with Mayra: LinkedIn
Research Engineer
Fernando was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and moved to Corpus Christi Texas when he was 5. He’s a first-generation American, both of his parents moved from Mexico to the US.
Fernando graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. Currently, Fernando is a second-year bioengineering Ph.D. student at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His research is on anti-aging with a focus on muscle and lung regeneration.
Fernando is passionate about making the school system in the US equitable and easily accessible. He would like to support underserved families and communities receive high-quality education and learning opportunities. During his time as an undergraduate student, he volunteered to teach science concepts to elementary school students in the Austin Independent School District and has interned with designEDengagement since January of 2021.
Connect with Fernando: LinkedIn
Experts in Residence
Connect with Dr. Cuevas: LinkedIn
Expert in Residence
“Working alongside students, families, and educators to make education more just, accessible, and equal is one of the greatest honors—learning from each other, in partnerships, is where real change happens."
Dr. Stephany Cuevas is an interdisciplinary education scholar with expertise on family-school-community partnerships, college access and success, and Latinx education. She is also an expert on supporting immigrant and undocumented families. Her work seeks to bridge research with practice to support underrepresented students, their families, and the educators who work with them; she is committed to actively expose and combat issues of inequality. Dr. Cuevas also works with schools and school districts, out-of-school organizations, and nonprofit community organizations, offering trainings and curriculum, professional development sessions, and doing evaluation work in her areas of expertise.
Dr. Cuevas is the author of Apoyo sacrificial, sacrificing support: How undocumented Latinx parents get their children to college (Teachers College Press) and a co-author of Everyone Wins! The Evidence for Family-School Partnerships and Implications for Practice (Scholastics). She holds a Bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and a Master’s and Doctorate of Education from Harvard University.
Dr. Martha C. Franco
Expert in Residence
Dr. Martha C. Franco is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at California State University, Long Beach. Broadly, her research examines the various ways in which inequality can impact the everyday life of immigrant students and their families, especially Central American unaccompanied minors. Dr. Franco has worked in K-12 school settings, higher education, and research. Her professional experience in these different settings has helped her develop expertise in program evaluation, program design, and implementation. Additionally, her personal experience as a first-generation college graduate allows her to intimately understand educational inequality and work towards equitable solutions for all students. She holds an A.B. in History and Ethnic Studies from Brown University, an Ed.M. in higher education and a PhD in education both from Harvard University.
Expert Consultant Hub
Marlene Arroyo
Senior Consultant
Marlene Arroyo is a highly experienced HR executive and trainer specializing in leadership development, cultural transformation, and employee engagement. Featured in Forbes for her exemplary leadership, Arroyo has over 17 years of experience, including as Senior Vice President of People Operations at Liftoff Mobile (a high growth tech company in Silicon Valley).
Arroyo has led impactful organizational leadership training programs that support high-performance teams and foster agile, inclusive cultures that drive employee recruitment and retention. An expert in workplace cultural transformation, Arroyo has a consistent history of markedly improving retention across a variety of organizations, with an impact as high as a 35% reduction in turnover, as well as significant increases in employee satisfaction and leadership diversity. Currently consulting as a Fractional Head of People, she designs tailored, experiential learning programs for startups and growth-stage companies, emphasizing actionable skills and values, compliance best practices, and cultural transformation. Arroyo holds an MBA from the Simmons School of Management and a Strategic HR Leadership Certification.
Consultant
Dave Edyburn, Ph.D., is Senior Research Scientist and Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and formerly Professor and Associate Dean for Research at the College of Community Innovation and Education, University of Central Florida. His research and teaching interests focus on the use of technology to enhance teaching, learning, and performance in the context of assistive technology, learning sciences, and universal design for learning. He is engaged on on-going grant writing, equity innovations, product development, and project evaluation.
Connect with Whitney: LinkedIn
Whitney Henderson
Senior Consultant
Whitney Henderson brings to this project prior consulting experience with StriveTogether, as well as more than 17 years as an organizational leadership coach, instructional expert, award-winning teacher, and school principal. She currently leads StriveTogether’s Leading Change in Systems Course (working with Brynn Pendrak and subject matter expert Ashley Stewart) and was the lead on the organization’s Policy Leadership Course. This prior organizational experience helps supercharge the DE consulting team’s work as thought partners in this project.
In her role as Chief Program Officer at EdNavigator, she leveraged her expertise in designing and leading professional development and instructional coaching to help clients assess needs and develop strategies for organizational improvement and program effectiveness. Henderson has facilitated workshops and training sessions for client staff and guided leaders to achieve partner management and team culture goals, as well as working with teams to create engaging coursework in a variety of media. Her extraordinary success as an educator earned her the first ever Fishman Prize for Superlative Teaching, a $25,000 award given annually to just four teachers nationwide. She was also chosen by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans to be featured in their “Celebrating African American Educators” initiative. Henderson earned her Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Columbia University, Master of Education degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and her Bachelor of Arts from Jackson State University.
Connect with Donovan: LinkedIn
Consultant
“My work is important to me because I believe systems can be changed, when we honor the lived experiences of the most vulnerable among us who navigate those systems. When it comes to education, that requires us to center the narratives of children and families, who for far too long, have existed at the margins of equity and opportunity. ”
With nearly 20 years of experience in college-access, student and family engagement, research, and nonprofit management, Dr. Livingston has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to equity and opportunity in education. Drawing on personal experiences as well as scholarship, Dr. Livingston examines the role of culture, hip-hop and spoken word poetry in student experiences in higher and postsecondary education. More specifically, Dr. Livingston is interested in understanding how poetics – rooted in Black lyrical and oral traditions – serve as a catalyst for student success and systemic change in colleges and universities. In addition, Livingston’s areas of expertise include educational leadership, critical hip-hop pedagogy, and hip-hop-based qualitative research methodologies.
Dr. Livingston has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, master’s degrees from Columbia University and Harvard University, and a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Educational Leadership & Cultural Foundations.
Connect with Dr. López Caldwell: LinkedIn
Consultant
"Everyone deserves to feel a sense of belonging. When individuals feel valued and included, they not only thrive themselves but also contribute to the thriving of communities and society as a whole. My lifelong commitment is to actively contribute to creating a world where everyone feels a strong sense of belonging, enabling them to thrive and continue to make positive impacts.”
Academic & Data-Driven Adult Learning Expert: Dr. Ana María is a distinguished social scientist, belonging to the less than 2% of Latinx individuals holding a Ph.D. She is certified by the International Coaching Federation and is renowned for her advisory roles with numerous C-suite leaders and HR departments. Her expertise lies in leveraging both qualitative and quantitative data to provide research-backed tools and strategies for effective adult learning.
Leadership Specialist: With over 15 years of experience, Dr. Ana María excels in leading diverse organizations and boards. She has a proven track record of spearheading shifts in organizational culture and adeptly managing crises such as COVID-19 and Hurricane Ida. Her leadership, coaching, and facilitating skills enable her to navigate challenges with finesse, ensuring organizational resilience and growth.
Cross-Cultural Practitioner: Fluent in English, Spanish, and intermediate in Portuguese, Dr. Ana María is committed to fostering improved cross-cultural understanding and community impact. Her approach emphasizes empowerment, guiding clients to break through barriers while promoting common ground to mitigate polarization. Dr. Ana María's work is characterized by a dedication to inclusivity and satisfaction within diverse communities.
Connect with Grisel: LinkedIn
Grisel Maldonado
Consultant
"Driven by the vision of a more equitable world, we strive to unlock the potential of organizations as they work with and for communities, paving the way for transformative and impactful change.”
Grisel Maldonado is a social impact driven coach and consultant dedicated to empowering organizations to flourish and drive transformative change. She specializes in crafting mission-aligned strategic pathways and fortifying executive teams, enhancing the resilience and capacity of social impact organizations. Grisel leads this work through Avanza Strategies, and also coaches leadership teams to achieve impact through The Bridgespan Group’s Leading for Impact (LFI) and Creating an Adaptive Plan (CAP) programs, and has similarly coached executive teams at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, IGNITE program. Prior to coaching and consulting, Grisel founded several postsecondary success entities aimed at dismantling inequality by bolstering youth of color with the tools they need to achieve their highest aspirations. Her work has included driving admissions at Brown University and founding research-based departments and initiatives at the Noble Network of Charter Schools, Northwestern University, the University of Chicago’s Urban Education Institute, and Chicago Public Schools.
Grisel is a proud Chicago native focused on unlocking the power of social impact organizations that work with and uplift low-income, Black, and Latinx communities that have been systematically excluded and institutionally oppressed. She received a B.A. in History and Hispanic Studies from Brown University and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. She is a proud alumnus of the Surge Institute Fellowship, member of Education Leaders of Color and Señoritas Latinas Unidas, Co-President of the Brown University Club of Chicago, and served on the board of Instituto del Progreso Latino. She was recognized on the 2019 Negocios Now list of Latinos 40 Under 40 for her leadership in the Chicago area and is part of the CatalystEd Postsecondary Expert Network with the Gates Foundation.
Connect with Ines: LinkedIn
Ines Mato
Consultant
Ines Mato has 14 years of professional experience in strategic planning, data analysis, research, project management and communications. Her work on strategic plans for nonprofits and cities has improved stakeholder engagement and organizational performance. Before becoming a consultant, she served as the Director of Research and Strategic Planning for the Beacon Council, Miami-Dade County’s official economic development partner. She led comparative analysis and leveraged data with the purpose of creating jobs in the Miami area, helping attract new businesses to the area and fostering community growth.
Mato holds a bachelor’s degree of Science in Journalism from University of Florida and a graduate degree in Public Administration from Florida Atlantic University. She is a bilingual professional who is able to transcend cultural barriers. She is also certified in data analytics by Google and trained in facilitation.
Connect with Araceli: LinkedIn
Araceli Simeon
Consultant
“Children need teachers and parents to trust each other and work together to address their socio-emotional needs, improve student attendance, and infuse joy into the learning process. It is only through student-centered partnerships that we will ensure student success and school improvement.”
Araceli is a passionate advocate for fostering family and community engagement in education, a skilled bridge builder, and a network weaver. Araceli helped establish the Parent Organization Network since its inception in 2005 and has served as leader of the organization since 2013. Also, she co-leads the California Family Engagement Network (CA-FEN) focused on statewide policy change. Prior to PON, Araceli worked for a decade at MALDEF directing its National Parent School Partnership (PSP) program. For five years she consulted for the Center for the Study of Social Policy, a contractor of First 5 LA to support its Best Start Program, a placed-based initiative in Los Angeles County to build supportive communities where children and families can thrive. She graduated from the California State Polytechnic University, at Pomona, with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and received her master’s degree in public policy from the University of Southern California. She is a mother of two multilingual children in public high school.
Connect with Angel: LinkedIn
Consultant
A good designer will help a company get to where they want to go. A great designer will push a company to where they should go.
Ángel R. Rosa has eighteen years of experience as a Graphic Designer and thirteen years in editorial design. He believes creativity is the solution to the most complex problems. Design is a part of every day life and it is seen in a variation of shapes, forms, and colors. Through his work, he is discovering new solutions and creating unique experiences that allows the expression of visual communications. His array of experiences include graphic design, publication, branding, and campaign.
With a deep art background in visual arts since High School, he specialized in painting and sculpture. He earned his associates in drafting, learning technical and industrial drawing. He studied at Texas State University at the school of Fine Arts with a concentration of Communications Design.
Connect with Kerry: LinkedIn
Consultant
"How wonderful that no one need to wait a single moment to change the world"
- Anne Frank.
Kerry is CEO of BloomED based in Richmond, VA. BloomED partners with organizations in the education ecosystem to advance innovation and create transformational systems. BloomED fast forwards your organization’s impact through business development and organization change within teacher workforce, family engagement, the future of work and democracy initiatives--designing with and building on the strengths of all students, families, and educators.
Prior to consulting, Kerry was a founding member of the leadership team to grow Urban Teachers (now City Teaching Alliance) to the second-largest teacher residency in the country, training teachers in Baltimore, DC and Dallas. Before joining Urban Teachers, she worked directly for 3 CEOs over 6 years at Baltimore City Public Schools. She has her B.A. from Dartmouth College, her Masters in Public Policy from Georgetown University, and Ed.D. in Education Policy and Leadership from American University.
Connect with Missy: LinkedIn
Consultant
“It is so important to mentor administrators so they can develop confidence in their craft which results in smart, solid, in-the-moment decision-making. They need a thought partner to navigate the journey to student success.”
Missy is a retired educator with 34 years of experience in the field. After teaching for 17 years, her path took a turn, and she joined the administrative ranks. Missy was blessed with the opportunity to be a turnaround school principal and attributes that experience as being her catalyst to pursuing a career in leadership coaching. Her passion for coaching and supporting principals and executive leadership was the motivation to create her own business, MGW Educational Consulting after retiring. MGW's work has had a strong focus on instructional leadership. Launching the instructional influencer in all her principals is her goal so our scholars can thrive and be happy.
Missy holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from The University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Education in Teaching from Schreiner University with a focus in educational leadership.