FUTURE CHIEFS
Andrea Castañeda has 15 years of experience working in public education at the district and state levels. Castañeda has designed and led academic programs in areas that include middle and high school education, career and technical education, virtual learning, charter schools, and school turnaround. Her diverse program experience is complemented by operational experience, including developing and managing large system budgets, redesigning a state education funding formula, and negotiating collective bargaining agreements. Communication and community engagement have been a cornerstone of Castañeda’s approach to public education service.
At the district level, Castañeda worked closely with student and parents to develop and run school-based programs. At the state-level, she designed a statewide conversation about public education that engaged thousands of Rhode Islanders and resulted in a five-year strategic plan. Castañeda is the mother of two public school children and lives in Rhode Island. She has degrees in education policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Brown University and is an alumna of The Broad Academy.
Watch Andrea share her personal story
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Jack Elsey is the executive director of the Detroit Children’s Fund. Prior to this role, he served as the chief schools officer for the Education Achievement Authority of Michigan, a district charged with turning around some of Detroit’s historically lowest performing schools. Under his leadership, EAA schools experienced student growth results that outperformed state averages. Elsey has also served as chief of innovation and incubation at Chicago Public Schools, assistant superintendent of Detroit Public Schools, and chief schools officer of Detroit Rising College Prep Schools. He began his career as a middle school teacher in the South Bronx as a member of the Teach For America corps.
Watch Jack share his personal story
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Angélica M. Infante-Green, a member of Chiefs for Change’s first Future Chief cohort, is the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education for the State of Rhode Island. In this role, she oversees the activities and staff of the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), working to make the state’s schools the best in the nation. Prior to joining RIDE, she served as the Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Instructional Support.
Infante-Green began her career as a bilingual classroom teacher in the South Bronx. Since leaving the classroom, she has served in a variety of roles focused on improving instruction for all students, particularly students who are multilingual learners. She held several leadership positions for the New York City School Department before working at the state level, and was a member of the first cohort of the Chiefs for Change Future Chiefs program.
As a first-generation American, Infante-Green considers her first day as a teacher a life-changing moment when she realized her personal calling. Having herself learned English in school, and as the parent of a child with special needs, she has fought to replace a “deficit” view with an “enrichment” view for students who need more. Infante-Green earned an M.A. in Education and in School Administration & Supervision from Mercy College. She is married and has a son and daughter.
Watch Angélica share her personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
Kunjan Narechania, a member of Chiefs for Change’s first Future Chief cohort, was appointed as CEO of the Louisiana Recovery School District (RSD) in 2017, where she oversaw the unification of schools in New Orleans and statewide school improvement efforts under the Every Student Succeeds Act. She previously served as Chief Operating Officer for the Louisiana Department of Education. In this capacity, she was responsible for managing the internal operations at the Recovery School District in New Orleans and for leading the portfolio office at the Department. Prior to this role, she was the Vice President, Teacher Support and Development at Teach For America from 2009 to 2011, and she has held several other leadership positions within Teach For America in Chicago and in North Carolina since 2003. She started her career as a teacher in Durham, North Carolina, where, by her third year teaching, her students achieved the highest math scores at her school. Narechania holds a Bachelor’s in Biology and Psychology from the University of Illinois and currently resides in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Watch Kunjan share her personal story
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Vanessa Rodriguez began her education career as a bilingual elementary school teacher in the Bronx and as the school chapter leader for the United Federation of Teachers. She joined Citizens of the World after serving as the Chief Talent Officer of Newark Public Schools, where she led the implementation of a ground-breaking pay-for-performance teacher contract. Newark Public Schools has 64 schools, 7,000 employees, and a student population of 37,444 — and it is the largest school system in New Jersey.
Previously, Rodriguez was the Chief Executive Officer of District 79 Alternative Schools and Programs for the New York City Department of Education. This district is a unique citywide network of more than 300 alternative schools and programs serving more than 65,000 disengaged, over-aged, under-credited students. Rodriguez also served as Chief of Staff and Chief Operating Officer of District 79, and she led talent development and strategic planning for the district. Prior to District 79, she was the National Director of Recruitment and Admissions for New Leaders, where she helped school districts across the country recruit and select exemplary school leaders. She has also worked in various capacities with Teach For America, including leadership roles in Houston and New York City.
Watch Vanessa share her personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
Christopher Ruszkowski, a member of Chiefs for Change’s first Future Chief cohort, was named Secretary of Education in New Mexico in July 2017. He first joined Governor Susana Martinez, Secretary Hanna Skandera, and the New Mexico Public Education Department in April 2016 as Deputy Secretary, Policy & Program. In this role, he oversaw the state’s academic priorities, policy agenda, and research agenda. His portfolio of work included state standards and assessments, school accountability, school turnaround, educator quality, college & career readiness, early childhood/early literacy, and charter schools. In 2017, he co-led the development of the NM state plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)—which has been nationally recognized as one of the best state plans in the country.
Previously, Ruszkowski served for six years at the Delaware Department of Education under Governor Jack Markell, building the Teacher & Leader Effectiveness Unit as Chief Talent Officer/Associate Secretary and co-leading the implementation of the state’s Race to the Top plan under President Barack Obama. He collaborated with districts and charter schools across the state in developing their local activities, launched multiple innovative programs with non-profit organizations and institutions of higher education, and worked with the Professional Standards Board and State Board of Education in constructing policy frameworks. During his tenure in Delaware, his team focused on improving policies and practices across the educator effectiveness continuum: educator preparation, licensure/certification, recruitment, placement, evaluation, professional learning, and teacher-leader career pathways. Throughout his time in Dover, the state invested significant resources in job-embedded coaching for principals and school-based professional learning for educators, including protected time for teacher collaboration and multiple new teacher-leadership opportunities.
Born in Chicago, Ruszkowski (or “CR”) is a first-generation American whose father arrived in the U.S. in 1950. He is the product of K-12 public schools, and began his education career as a middle school social studies teacher and basketball coach at John F. Kennedy Middle School in Miami, FL. He then worked in a variety of district, non-profit, and charter school contexts, supporting and training novice teachers through Teach For America, working within Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the Louisiana Recovery School District with TNTP, and serving within the San Francisco Unified School District as a Fellow with Education Pioneers. Ruszkowski attended the University of Minnesota on an Evans Scholarship and holds a B.A. in Political Science. He holds an M.A. in Educational Policy, Organizational, and Leadership Studies from Stanford University.
Watch Christopher share his personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
Talia Shaull is the Chief Talent Officer for Uncommon Schools. She is the former Chief Talent Officer at Tulsa Public Schools, where she led the talent management strategy for the district. Prior to this role, Shaull also served as the Executive Director for Teacher and Leader Effectiveness where, along with a talented team of educators and national experts, she led the initial implementation of a comprehensive teacher evaluation system to accurately track teacher performance.
Shaull’s past experience includes working in both non-profit and corporate environments in the areas of organizational development, marketing, and business development. Shaull has a Bachelor’s degree in International Business from Oral Roberts University and a Master’s degree in Organizational Development and Project Management from the University of Oklahoma. She is a member of Leadership Tulsa Class 40, serves on the Teach For America – Greater Tulsa board, and is involved with several community organizations in the Tulsa area. In her spare time, she loves to travel with her husband Tom and their son Ethan, a proud 2nd grader in Tulsa Public Schools.
Watch Talia share her personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
De’Shawn Wright has spent over 15 years serving in senior leadership roles in the public and private sector. He currently serves as the Senior Manager for Public Policy at Uber Technologies, where he manages public affairs, policy, and communications in the Tri-State Region. Prior to this, Wright was President/CEO of Keystone Consulting LLC, a consulting firm he founded in 2015 to provide strategy, policy, management, and operations support to a diverse range of organizations and leaders in the nonprofit, government, and private sector.
Wright was appointed by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo in November 2012 to serve as the Deputy Secretary for Education, the highest- ranking education post in the Executive Chamber of New York State Government. In this capacity, he was responsible for developing and implementing the Governor’s statewide education agenda, overseeing an annual budget of more than $20B and managing the administration’s collaborations with the State Department of Education, State University of NY, City University of NY and the Higher Education Services Corporation.
Prior to joining the Cuomo Administration, Wright was appointed by Mayor Vincent C. Gray in December 2010 to the post of Deputy Mayor for Education in Washington, DC, where he created a citywide birth- to-24 strategy that included early education, K- 12, post-secondary education and workforce development. As Deputy Mayor, Wright’s portfolio included DC Public Schools, the Office of State Superintendent for Education, the Public Charter School Board, and the University of DC/DC Community College.
Wright previously served as the Chief Policy Advisor to Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker (2006-2010) and as a Policy Analyst in NYC’s Office of Operations (2002-2003) under Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. Wright also held several senior management positions in the NYC Department of Education during the tenure of Chancellor Joel Klein (2003-2006) and was a founding partner of the Newark Charter School Fund, launched with $20M from the Gates, Walton, Fisher, and Robertson Foundations in 2008.
Wright attended James Madison University as an undergrad and earned a Master in Public Administration degree from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service in 2002.
Watch De’Shawn share his personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
COHORT 1
Cohort at-a-Glance
- 75% leaders of color
- 100% current or former state and local education leaders
- 100% committed to ensuring all students have a quality education
Future Chiefs Programming
Nominate a Future Chief
Future Chiefs in the News
Watch Future Chiefs Launch
COHORT 1
Cohort at-a-Glance
- 75% leaders of color
- 100% current or former state and local education leaders
- 100% committed to ensuring all students have a quality education
Future Chiefs Programming
Nominate a Future Chief
Future Chiefs in the News
Watch Future Chiefs Launch
Andrea Castañeda has 15 years of experience working in public education at the district and state levels. Castañeda has designed and led academic programs in areas that include middle and high school education, career and technical education, virtual learning, charter schools, and school turnaround. Her diverse program experience is complemented by operational experience, including developing and managing large system budgets, redesigning a state education funding formula, and negotiating collective bargaining agreements. Communication and community engagement have been a cornerstone of Castañeda’s approach to public education service.
At the district level, Castañeda worked closely with student and parents to develop and run school-based programs. At the state-level, she designed a statewide conversation about public education that engaged thousands of Rhode Islanders and resulted in a five-year strategic plan. Castañeda is the mother of two public school children and lives in Rhode Island. She has degrees in education policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Brown University and is an alumna of The Broad Academy.
Watch Andrea share her personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
Jack Elsey is the executive director of the Detroit Children’s Fund. Prior to this role, he served as the chief schools officer for the Education Achievement Authority of Michigan, a district charged with turning around some of Detroit’s historically lowest performing schools. Under his leadership, EAA schools experienced student growth results that outperformed state averages. Elsey has also served as chief of innovation and incubation at Chicago Public Schools, assistant superintendent of Detroit Public Schools, and chief schools officer of Detroit Rising College Prep Schools. He began his career as a middle school teacher in the South Bronx as a member of the Teach For America corps.
Watch Jack share his personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
Angélica M. Infante-Green, a member of Chiefs for Change’s first Future Chief cohort, is the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education for the State of Rhode Island. In this role, she oversees the activities and staff of the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), working to make the state’s schools the best in the nation. Prior to joining RIDE, she served as the Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Instructional Support.
Infante-Green began her career as a bilingual classroom teacher in the South Bronx. Since leaving the classroom, she has served in a variety of roles focused on improving instruction for all students, particularly students who are multilingual learners. She held several leadership positions for the New York City School Department before working at the state level, and was a member of the first cohort of the Chiefs for Change Future Chiefs program.
As a first-generation American, Infante-Green considers her first day as a teacher a life-changing moment when she realized her personal calling. Having herself learned English in school, and as the parent of a child with special needs, she has fought to replace a “deficit” view with an “enrichment” view for students who need more. Infante-Green earned an M.A. in Education and in School Administration & Supervision from Mercy College. She is married and has a son and daughter.
Watch Angélica share her personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
Kunjan Narechania, a member of Chiefs for Change’s first Future Chief cohort, was appointed as CEO of the Louisiana Recovery School District (RSD) in 2017, where she oversaw the unification of schools in New Orleans and statewide school improvement efforts under the Every Student Succeeds Act. She previously served as Chief Operating Officer for the Louisiana Department of Education. In this capacity, she was responsible for managing the internal operations at the Recovery School District in New Orleans and for leading the portfolio office at the Department. Prior to this role, she was the Vice President, Teacher Support and Development at Teach For America from 2009 to 2011, and she has held several other leadership positions within Teach For America in Chicago and in North Carolina since 2003. She started her career as a teacher in Durham, North Carolina, where, by her third year teaching, her students achieved the highest math scores at her school. Narechania holds a Bachelor’s in Biology and Psychology from the University of Illinois and currently resides in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Watch Kunjan share her personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
Vanessa Rodriguez began her education career as a bilingual elementary school teacher in the Bronx and as the school chapter leader for the United Federation of Teachers. She joined Citizens of the World after serving as the Chief Talent Officer of Newark Public Schools, where she led the implementation of a ground-breaking pay-for-performance teacher contract. Newark Public Schools has 64 schools, 7,000 employees, and a student population of 37,444 — and it is the largest school system in New Jersey.
Previously, Rodriguez was the Chief Executive Officer of District 79 Alternative Schools and Programs for the New York City Department of Education. This district is a unique citywide network of more than 300 alternative schools and programs serving more than 65,000 disengaged, over-aged, under-credited students. Rodriguez also served as Chief of Staff and Chief Operating Officer of District 79, and she led talent development and strategic planning for the district. Prior to District 79, she was the National Director of Recruitment and Admissions for New Leaders, where she helped school districts across the country recruit and select exemplary school leaders. She has also worked in various capacities with Teach For America, including leadership roles in Houston and New York City.
Watch Vanessa share her personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
Christopher Ruszkowski, a member of Chiefs for Change’s first Future Chief cohort, was named Secretary of Education in New Mexico in July 2017. He first joined Governor Susana Martinez, Secretary Hanna Skandera, and the New Mexico Public Education Department in April 2016 as Deputy Secretary, Policy & Program. In this role, he oversaw the state’s academic priorities, policy agenda, and research agenda. His portfolio of work included state standards and assessments, school accountability, school turnaround, educator quality, college & career readiness, early childhood/early literacy, and charter schools. In 2017, he co-led the development of the NM state plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)—which has been nationally recognized as one of the best state plans in the country.
Previously, Ruszkowski served for six years at the Delaware Department of Education under Governor Jack Markell, building the Teacher & Leader Effectiveness Unit as Chief Talent Officer/Associate Secretary and co-leading the implementation of the state’s Race to the Top plan under President Barack Obama. He collaborated with districts and charter schools across the state in developing their local activities, launched multiple innovative programs with non-profit organizations and institutions of higher education, and worked with the Professional Standards Board and State Board of Education in constructing policy frameworks. During his tenure in Delaware, his team focused on improving policies and practices across the educator effectiveness continuum: educator preparation, licensure/certification, recruitment, placement, evaluation, professional learning, and teacher-leader career pathways. Throughout his time in Dover, the state invested significant resources in job-embedded coaching for principals and school-based professional learning for educators, including protected time for teacher collaboration and multiple new teacher-leadership opportunities.
Born in Chicago, Ruszkowski (or “CR”) is a first-generation American whose father arrived in the U.S. in 1950. He is the product of K-12 public schools, and began his education career as a middle school social studies teacher and basketball coach at John F. Kennedy Middle School in Miami, FL. He then worked in a variety of district, non-profit, and charter school contexts, supporting and training novice teachers through Teach For America, working within Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the Louisiana Recovery School District with TNTP, and serving within the San Francisco Unified School District as a Fellow with Education Pioneers. Ruszkowski attended the University of Minnesota on an Evans Scholarship and holds a B.A. in Political Science. He holds an M.A. in Educational Policy, Organizational, and Leadership Studies from Stanford University.
Watch Christopher share his personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
Talia Shaull is the Chief Talent Officer for Uncommon Schools. She is the former Chief Talent Officer at Tulsa Public Schools, where she led the talent management strategy for the district. Prior to this role, Shaull also served as the Executive Director for Teacher and Leader Effectiveness where, along with a talented team of educators and national experts, she led the initial implementation of a comprehensive teacher evaluation system to accurately track teacher performance.
Shaull’s past experience includes working in both non-profit and corporate environments in the areas of organizational development, marketing, and business development. Shaull has a Bachelor’s degree in International Business from Oral Roberts University and a Master’s degree in Organizational Development and Project Management from the University of Oklahoma. She is a member of Leadership Tulsa Class 40, serves on the Teach For America – Greater Tulsa board, and is involved with several community organizations in the Tulsa area. In her spare time, she loves to travel with her husband Tom and their son Ethan, a proud 2nd grader in Tulsa Public Schools.
Watch Talia share her personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
De’Shawn Wright has spent over 15 years serving in senior leadership roles in the public and private sector. He currently serves as the Senior Manager for Public Policy at Uber Technologies, where he manages public affairs, policy, and communications in the Tri-State Region. Prior to this, Wright was President/CEO of Keystone Consulting LLC, a consulting firm he founded in 2015 to provide strategy, policy, management, and operations support to a diverse range of organizations and leaders in the nonprofit, government, and private sector.
Wright was appointed by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo in November 2012 to serve as the Deputy Secretary for Education, the highest- ranking education post in the Executive Chamber of New York State Government. In this capacity, he was responsible for developing and implementing the Governor’s statewide education agenda, overseeing an annual budget of more than $20B and managing the administration’s collaborations with the State Department of Education, State University of NY, City University of NY and the Higher Education Services Corporation.
Prior to joining the Cuomo Administration, Wright was appointed by Mayor Vincent C. Gray in December 2010 to the post of Deputy Mayor for Education in Washington, DC, where he created a citywide birth- to-24 strategy that included early education, K- 12, post-secondary education and workforce development. As Deputy Mayor, Wright’s portfolio included DC Public Schools, the Office of State Superintendent for Education, the Public Charter School Board, and the University of DC/DC Community College.
Wright previously served as the Chief Policy Advisor to Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker (2006-2010) and as a Policy Analyst in NYC’s Office of Operations (2002-2003) under Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. Wright also held several senior management positions in the NYC Department of Education during the tenure of Chancellor Joel Klein (2003-2006) and was a founding partner of the Newark Charter School Fund, launched with $20M from the Gates, Walton, Fisher, and Robertson Foundations in 2008.
Wright attended James Madison University as an undergrad and earned a Master in Public Administration degree from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service in 2002.
Watch De’Shawn share his personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
