Learn4Life Team Members
Executive Director
Ken is the founding Executive Director of Learn4Life. Previously Ken served in several roles at Fulton County Schools including Superintendent and Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer. Ken arrived from Los Angeles where he served as the Chief Operations Officer for Green Dot Public Schools. Green Dot Public Schools is an award winning charter management organization serving over 10,000 students in Los Angeles and New York. He was also a White House Fellow and served as a senior policy consultant to the US Secretary of Education. As a manager at Deloitte Consulting, he led process redesign, strategic planning, and financial management projects for Fortune 500 companies. Ken serves on several boards in metro Atlanta including Junior Achievement, the Atlanta-Fulton County Library Foundation, the Get Georgia Reading Cabinet and is an alumni of the Aspen-Pahara Fellowship and Leadership Atlanta. Ken received his BA in Economics from the University of Michigan, his MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and his Doctorate in Education Leadership from Georgia State University. Ken was elected to the Atlanta Board of Education in 2023, serving District 3. Outside of work, Ken enjoys biking on the Beltline, cheering on Michigan athletics, and serving as a proud parent to his three Atlanta Public Schools students.
Director of Strategy & Development
Rebecca is the Director of Strategy & Development at Learn4Life, where she leads cross-sector efforts to support regional gains in early literacy and middle grade math outcomes by identifying and scaling ‘Bright Spots’ – strategies that are having uncommon success in supporting traditionally underserved students. In this role, Rebecca facilitates stakeholders through data, factor, and landscape analyses, all centered on equitable outcomes. Before joining Learn4Life, Rebecca served as an instructional coach and special education coordinator in KIPP Metro Atlanta Schools. Rebecca began her career with Teach For America as a high school teacher in Los Angeles Unified School District and, later, Atlanta Public Schools. She also served as a department chair and built student swim teams and journalism programs. Rebecca earned a BA in Humanities from Walla Walla University, an MA in Special Education from Loyola Marymount University, and a PhD in Educational Administration and Policy from the University of Georgia. Her dissertation research examined the role of collective impact on regional postsecondary gains for students of color. Her research interests include federal education policy, teacher effectiveness, education finance, and school de/re-segregation. Outside of work, Rebecca can be found on trails or in lakes with her golden retriever, and rock climbing.
Community Engagement Manager
Damian is the Community Engagement Manager at Learn4life, where he is currently leading and supporting efforts to remove barriers to college access for traditionally underserved metro area youth, building relationships with cross-sector partners throughout the region, and participating in public engagement activities to highlight the work of Learn4Life. Previously, Damian served as an Assistant Principal at KIPP Atlanta Collegiate High School, where he managed math, culture, and counseling departments, and spearheaded initiatives to engage students and families and improve academic outcomes. Damian arrived from Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he served as Dean of Students and Dean of Math and Science, at Achievement First Bridgeport Academy Middle School. Prior to that, Damian was a Special Education Teacher, Department Chair, and championship-winning Boys’ Basketball Coach at KIPP Academy Lynn Middle School in Lynn, Massachusetts. Damian is a TRIO/Upward Bound alumnus and first-generation college graduate, who earned his BA in Sociology from Brown University, and his Masters in Social Work from University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy & Practice. Outside of work, Damian is an alumni mentor for The Bruce Wells Scholars Upward Bound program, and enjoys resistance training, listening to autobiographies, and spending quality time with friends and family.
Project Manager
Yolanda is a Project Manager at Learn4life, where she is currently the point person for coordinating, tracking progress, problem solving, and reporting for critical components of Learn4Life’s work, most specifically the Literacy and Justice for All initiative. Prior to joining Learn4Life, Yolanda served as the Director of Community-Based Programs at Scottdale Early Learning Inc. (SEL), where she managed several community outreach initiatives. During her tenure at SEL, Yolanda managed a federally-funded home visiting program, providing early learning, family well-being services, and community resources through First Steps to over 100 families in DeKalb County. In addition, she oversaw the READY School, a part-time early learning and family engagement program serving the refugee community within Clarkston and Stone Mountain. Yolanda earned her BS in Counseling and Human Services from Point University, and her Master’s in Education Law with a concentration in Primary and Higher Education from Nova Southeastern University. Outside of work, Yolanda enjoys going on adventures with her daughter and playing volleyball.
Project Manager
Tenicia is a Project Manager at Learn4Life where she supports the growth and development of the Change Action Networks, which are central to the collective impact work of Learn4Life. Before joining Learn4Life, Tenicia was in a rotational project, strategy, and operations management program. During her time in the program, she supervised teams, managing capacity, overseeing process implementation, and developing direct reports through SMART goals. Additionally, she created a process to identify pattern and themes in qualitative data related to racial equity in relation to employee experience. Prior to that, Tenicia served as a Teach for America Corp Member in Atlanta Public Schools and taught kindergarten, second, third, and fourth grade. Tenicia was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. Tenicia was a dual-sport athlete in college, graduating from Clark Atlanta University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. She earned her master’s in Nonprofit Management at Columbia University. Outside of work, Tenicia loves to explore new restaurants, practice Pilates, travel anywhere with a beach, and read.
Community
- Mindy Binderman, Executive Director, GEEARS
- Dr. Dana Rickman, President, Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education
- Milton Little, President and CEO*, United Way of Greater Atlanta
- Santiago Marquez, CEO, Latin American Association
- Belisa M. Urbina, CEO, Ser Familia
- Dr. Janelle Williams, Co-Founder and CEO, Atlanta Wealth Building Initiative
- Lauren Koontz, CEO/President, YMCA of Metro Atlanta
Pre-K-12 education
- Dr. Gyimah Whitaker, Superintendent, City Schools of Decatur
- Dr. Bryan Johnson, Superintendent, Atlanta Public Schools
- Dr. Mike Looney, Superintendent, Fulton County Schools
- Chris Ragsdale, Superintendent, Cobb County School District
- Dr. Grant Rivera, Superintendent, Marietta City Schools
- Dr. Anthony W. Smith, Superintendent, Clayton County Public Schools
- Dr. Devon Horton, Superintendent, DeKalb County School District
- Dr. Calvin Watts, Superintendent, Gwinnett County School District
Government
- Anna Roach, Executive Director*, Atlanta Regional Commission
- Dennis Lockhart, Former President and CEO†, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Business
- Ann Cramer, IBM Corporation, Retired
- Kevin Greiner, President and CEO, Gas South
- Katie Kirkpatrick, President and CEO*, Metro Atlanta Chamber
- Keith Parker, President and CEO, Goodwill of North Georgia
- Lisa Smith, VP of Community and Economic Development, Georgia Power
- Sylvia Russell, Former President†, AT&T Georgia
- David Scheible, Former President and CEO†,Graphic Packaging International
- Al McRae, President, Bank of America Atlanta
Higher education
- Dr. Glen Cannon, President, Gwinnett Technical College
- Dr. Timothy Renick, Executive Director, National Institute for Student Success, Georgia State University
- Dr. Kathy Schwaig, President, Kennesaw State University
- Dr. Victoria Seals, President, Atlanta Technical College
- Dr. David A. Thomas, President, Morehouse College
- Dr. Georj L. Lewis, President, Clayton State University
- Dr. Kamau Bobb, Senior Director, Constellations Center for Equity in Computing, Georgia Tech
Philanthropic
- Atiba Mbiwan, Executive Director, The Zeist Foundation
- Frank Fernandez, President*, The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
- Teresa Rivero, Senior Program Officer, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- Gabrielle Sheely, Executive Director, Tull Charitable Foundation
*Indicates Executive Committee members. The Executive Committee is made up of established nonprofit organizations with a shared commitment to strengthening our region.
†Indicates Executive Champions. Executive Champions are senior members of the metro Atlanta business community who bring their leadership and influence to support the Learn4Life vision.
Core Team
The Core Team is a group of cross-functional leaders who support implementation and communication across sectors to eliminate silos and deliver results.
- Dr. Jennie Welch, Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement
- Tim Cairl, Senior Director of Educated Workforce, Metro Atlanta Chamber
- Mike Carnathan, Researcher, Atlanta Regional Commission
- Cori Cain, Associate Vice President, United Way of Greater Atlanta
- Dr. Hanah Goldberg, Director of Research & Policy, GEEARS
- Tommy Pearce, Executive Director, Neighborhood Nexus
- Dr. Robert Gaines II, Director of External Affairs, GPEE
- Ayana Gabriel, Vice President of Community Impact, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta