A Passion For equity and excellence.

We are determined to make Washington, DC, the first public education system where race and income do not predict a student’s ability to thrive and succeed. Meet the passionate changemakers behind CityBridge Education.

Katherine Bradley

Founder & Board Chair

Rachel Evans

Chief Executive Officer

Deidra Bailey

Senior Director, Implementation, CityTutor DC

Savannah Becknell

Manger, Program Operations, CityTutor DC

Gina Burd

Director, Partnerships, CityTutor DC

Leslie Ayorkor Edwards

Senior Project Director, Transforming Teaching Portfolio

Matthew Gasper

Grants Manager, CityTutor DC

Rena Johnson

Chief Program Officer

Arthur McKee

Senior Director, Researching & Learning

Renee Metellus

Project Coordinator, CityTutor DC

Cat Peretti

Executive Director, CityTutor DC

Andrew Plemmons Pratt

Senior Director, Program

Agasthya Pradhan Shenoy

Director, Learning

Jordan Sugick

Communications & Logistics Coordinator, CityTutor DC

Susannah Tsien

Director, Interventions, CityTutor DC

Carla Watson

Chief Operating Officer

Katherine Bradley

Founder & Board Chair

Katherine Bradley is the founder and chair of CityBridge in Washington, DC. The CityBridge enterprises include a family foundation, a policy action fund, and CityBridge Education, a public charity investing in the people and bold ideas that can transform local public education. Bradley chairs the board of the KIPP Foundation, the largest operator of public charter schools in the nation. She also serves on the boards of the DC College Access Program, CityWorks DC, and the National Geographic Society, and she served for 12 years as a trustee of Princeton University, from which she graduated in 1986. She and her husband David have three adult sons and live in Washington, DC.

To contact Katherine Bradley, please email Lauren Russer at lrusser@bradleyholdings.com.

Rachel Evans

Chief Executive Officer

As Chief Executive Officer, Rachel Evans works alongside the CityBridge team, community stakeholders, and external partners to support leaders and incubate ideas that will radically transform the equity and opportunity landscape for DC students.

Prior to joining CityBridge, Rachel was a White House Fellow at the Department of Defense. She began her career in education as a high school English teacher in Baltimore and later joined Teach For America staff as a recruitment director. After serving as a school administrator in the Cristo Rey Network, she started at TNTP (formerly The New Teacher Project) as the Site Manager for the Oakland Teaching Fellows program. Later, she launched TNTP’s statewide expansion from Phoenix into Yuma and the Navajo Nation as the Site Director for the Arizona Teaching Fellows program. In her final three years at TNTP, she built out the organization’s business development function as the Partner overseeing strategic growth.

Rachel currently serves on the board of directors for the White House Fellows Foundation and Association. She has a B.A. in English Literature from Texas A&M University, an M.A. in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University, and an Executive M.B.A. from the Quantic School of Business & Technology. She lives in Brookland with her wife, Stephanie, and their dog, Toby.

Deidra Bailey

Senior Director, Implementation, CityTutor DC

As the Director, Implementation for CityTutor DC, Deidra Bailey (she/her/hers) works with the CityTutor DC team to support school leaders as they work to integrate and implement high-impact tutoring in their schools.

Immediately before joining the CityTutor DC team, she was High School Principal at DC International School (DCI), a dual-language and IB for all charter school in Ward 4. At DCI, she served first as a founding special education and math teacher in the DCI Middle School, and then went on to be the founding Assistant Principal for DCI High School upon its opening in fall of 2016. During her time at DCI, she supported the building of the high school programming, and most importantly, supported the matriculation of DCI’s founding class of students.

Deidra began her career in education in 2009 as a Teacher For America corps member in Washington, DC, as a special education teacher at Anacostia Senior High School. Committed to equitable learning environments for students and ensuring schools have strong teachers, she has served as both a Curriculum Specialist and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness Facilitator for Teach For America Summer Institute, supporting the development of first year teachers. She also served as a founding member of DC Education Coalition for Change, a community made up of families, students, educators, and friends of education that organizes around the needs of students in the District.

Deidra holds a B.A. in Government and International Politics with a minor in African and African American Studies and an M.Ed. in Special Education, both from George Mason University.

Savannah Becknell

Manger, Program Operations, CityTutor DC

As Project Coordinator for CityTutor DC at CityBridge Education, Savannah is responsible for strategic project management and operations for expanding access to high-impact tutoring for DC public school students.

With six years of experience in the nonprofit world, Savannah is passionate about creating sustainable systems to empower programs promoting equity and dignity. Prior to joining the CityBridge team, Savannah was a Program Associate at The Samaritan Women – Institute for Shelter Care where she managed the operations for the Shelter Mentorship Program, an educational program for restorative care providers serving survivors of sexual exploitation.

Savannah also served with Cru City for four years, both in DC and Milwaukee, collaborating with nonprofits and faith-based organizations to engage their communities in justice issues. While working with Cru, she founded and facilitated a pilot program to recruit and launch first-year teachers in Southeast DC. Formerly, Savannah was a contractor with International Justice Mission, a global organization that protects the poor from violence by strengthening justice systems. In her role as Operations Assistant, she supported execution of IJM’s first staff conference, The Gathering.

Savannah graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.A. in Sociology.

Gina Burd

Director, Partnerships, CityTutor DC

As Director of Partnerships for CityTutor DC, Gina builds relationships with local universities and tutoring organizations to strengthen the tutoring ecosystem for public school students in Washington, DC.

Prior to joining CityTutor, Gina led the academic team at Horton’s Kids, a community-based organization that supports children and families in the Wellington Park and Stanton Oaks neighborhoods. In addition to overseeing OST academic programs, Gina focused on school advocacy work. She provided workshops on students’ educational rights for parents and facilitated conversations between parents and school leaders.

Gina taught high school English and directed the school’s Restorative Justice Program in Milford, Massachusetts for 12 years before moving to DC. Gina earned a B.A. in Writing and Literature from Wheaton College and a M.A. in English Literature and Women’s Studies from Brandeis University.

Gina lives with her partner in Park View and paints in her spare time.

Leslie Ayorkor Edwards

Senior Project Director, Transforming Teaching Portfolio

As Senior Project Director of CityBridge’s Transforming Teaching Portfolio, Leslie works with DC schools to drive forward the planning, piloting, and implementation of new models for teaching aimed at making the teaching profession more successful and sustainable. 

Leslie has served as an educator championing equity-centered learning for both students and teachers for over two decades. She is committed to leading in urban school districts to ensure high-quality, antiracist school experiences are the standard for all school communities, especially those that are often marginalized. Leslie’s passion for education started during her tenure as a National Board Certified English Teacher and evolved into increasing her impact in subsequent roles as a Master Educator, Assistant Principal, and Principal-in-Residence.  

Most recently, Leslie has led district-level initiatives as the Director of Leadership Development, pioneering transformative programming through professional learning communities for teacher leaders, assistant principals, Latino/a leaders, and aspiring principals. 

Leslie believes that living and leading liberation begins with interrogating biases, disrupting systemic barriers, and stepping into the power of being a change agent. As a proud mother of two children, Leslie staunchly advocates for whole child and whole adult success as the North Star for every school district.

Matthew Gasper

Grants Manager, CityTutor DC

As Grants Manager, Matthew Gasper (he/him/his) works to ensure the sustainability, growth, and compliance of CityTutor DC.

Prior to joining CityBridge, Matthew served as Manager of Compliance & Systems at PAVE (Parents Amplifying Voices in Education), developing processes, procedures, and data competency across the organization while supporting the organization’s fundraising work and grant management. Previously, he worked at the National War College Alumni Association in support of fundraising efforts, alumni events and outreach, and student and faculty engagement.

A graduate of American University with a B.A. in International Studies, Matt’s first experience engaging in the DC education system was as a mentor and summer teacher at Higher Achievement Program in Ward 1, where he saw the experiences of DC students moving from middle school to high school and the positive impact of strong tutoring programs.

Rena Johnson

Chief Program Officer

As Chief Program Officer, Rena Johnson (she/her/hers) leads CityBridge programming and coordinates across our program lines to increase internal coherence in our approach to advancing equity and opportunity for all children. Before joining the CityBridge team, Rena was a DC Public Schools principal. She led the longest-standing DCPS and charter partnership school, DC Scholars Stanton Elementary, to national recognition for meaningfully engaging families through authentic relationship building.

Rena taught 2nd and 3rd grade in Atlanta, Georgia. Following her classroom teaching, she worked for Teach For America, DC Region as the Manager of District Strategy and served as a Resident Principal with New Leaders For New Schools. She holds a B.A. in History from the University of Virginia and an Ed.M. in Education Policy from Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Arthur McKee

Senior Director, Researching & Learning

Arthur McKee (he/him/his) is the Senior Director of Research & Learning, identifying large-scale challenges in DC’s education system and driving the analysis necessary to craft effective responses. He and his team glean insights from the progress of the entrepreneurs CityBridge supports and the broader initiatives CityBridge leads.

Arthur rejoined CityBridge in May of 2015. From 2011 to 2015, he led the first-ever comprehensive evaluation of over 2,000 teacher preparation programs across the country at the National Council on Teacher Quality. From 2000 to 2010, Arthur helped develop and lead CityBridge’s Early Years Education Initiative, a five-year effort to ensure high-quality early childhood education for all children in the nation’s capital.

Arthur earned a B.A. from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in Russian history from U.C. Berkeley in 1997.

Renee Metellus

Project Coordinator, CityTutor DC

As Project Coordinator, Renee Metellus (she/her/hers) is responsible for strategic project management in support of CityTutor, with a specific focus on expanding and deepening the impact of CTDC Hubs.

She started her career in education as a tutor with City Year in her hometown of Chicago, and then went on to explore public education from different angles, including as graduate assistant for DC Reads at American University, an English teaching assistant with the Teaching Assistant Program in France, and most recently as a parent engagement coordinator with Montgomery County Public Schools.

Renee holds a B.A. in French Studies and Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as an M.Ed. in Education Policy and Leadership from American University. She enjoys exploring hiking spots around the DMV and spending time with her cat.

Cat Peretti

Executive Director, CityTutor DC

Cat Peretti (she/her/hers) has tutored students for more than 20 years, and her experiences personalizing learning to improve outcomes have fueled her career in education policy.

After earning her law degree, Cat was an analyst at the US Department of Education focused on grants management during the Obama administration. She then served as the Director of Policy and Accountability at E.L. Haynes Public Charter School.

In 2015, Cat became the Executive Director of My School DC, the common application and lottery for the District’s public school options. Under Cat’s leadership, the lottery program operated with technical precision as the number of participating families and schools steadily increased. Now, nearly all schools serving grades PreK-12 have opted in to use My School DC and 75% of families with students in DCPS or DC public charter schools have used the lottery system for school access. In 2019, she and her team won the Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation award for innovation in the DC government.

Cat brings keen strategic judgment, strong operational skills, a commitment to educational equity and access, and a deep set of relationships with DC’s educational leaders to the role leading CityTutor DC. She oversees strategy development and overall execution for CityTutor DC with the full support of CityBridge’s team.

Andrew Plemmons Pratt

Senior Director, Program

As Director of Program, Andrew Plemmons Pratt (he/him/his) builds experiences for education leaders to learn equity-centered design tools and apply them to create transformative schools and social ventures. Since joining CityBridge in 2015, he has supported leaders and teacher teams across the District and charter sectors on school redesign, coached school designers on new start charter applications, and led multiple fellowships focused on innovation, design thinking, and race equity. His work is grounded in the belief that schools can disrupt and dismantle systems of oppression.

Formerly, Andrew worked in school partnerships at New Classrooms; taught 7th-grade English as a Teach For America corps member in Prince George’s County, Maryland; and edited a magazine about science policy at the Center for American Progress. He holds a B.A. in English and American Studies and an M.A. in English, both from the University of Virginia. He and his wife are public school parents to two kids and live on Capitol Hill.

Agasthya Pradhan Shenoy

Director, Learning

As Director of Learning, Agasthya leads CityBridge’s efforts to become an organization of continuous improvement by documenting the impact of our work, refining theories of change, and developing data-driven learning agendas.

Prior to joining CityBridge, Agasthya was a Research Scientist at the Harvard Advances in Learning Research Group, where he investigated innovative pedagogical frameworks for online learning and led the curriculum development for a suite of case-based data science courses for Harvard Business School Online.

Agasthya began his career in education as a Teach For America corps member in New Orleans. He eventually moved on to serve as a Program Manager with New Schools for New Orleans, where he coached teachers and leaders in pedagogy and change management, analyzed city-wide achievement data, and developed programs to increase college readiness for high school students in New Orleans.

Agasthya holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and an Ed.M in Technology, Innovation, and Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Jordan Sugick

Communications & Logistics Coordinator, CityTutor DC

As Communications and Logistics Coordinator, Jordan supports the execution of CityTutor’s communications and events strategy, helping to grow awareness of the organization and elevate the projects they support.

Jordan has extensive experience executing communications and graphic design strategies, helping to grow awareness and elevate projects she supports. She was previously the Communications and Events associate for CityBridge Education. Before that, Jordan interned in marketing and social media for two local small businesses, Can I Live, Inc. and The Innovative Academy of Liberal Arts and Sciences (IALAS). There, she created engaging content and assisted in developing their branding. Jordan also served as a Marketing and Communications intern at Destination DC, DC’s premiere tourism organization, where she supported their advertising efforts and organized digital content for their website.

Jordan’s love for social media design stems from the realization that social media platforms have become powerful tools for communication, connection, and influence in today’s world. She finds immense joy in crafting visually appealing, engaging content that resonates with diverse audiences. Through the strategic use of design elements, typography, and multimedia, Jordan aims to create captivating experiences that not only inform but also inspire and promote meaningful conversations.

Jordan holds a B.A. in Communications with a concentration in Advertising and a minor in Digital Marketing from Fairleigh Dickinson University, Metropolitan Campus.

Susannah Tsien

Director, Interventions, CityTutor DC

As Director of Interventions for CityTutor DC, Susannah Tsien (she/her/hers) works  to support and coach school teams and Hubs as they work to integrate and implement high-impact tutoring across the city.

With over 12 years of experience in DC schools—and as a DC native—Susannah is deeply committed to closing the opportunity gap in the nation’s capital. Prior to joining CityTutor DC, Susannah worked as Regional Math Coach at KIPP DC. In this role, she developed curricula and supported elementary leadership and school teams with implementation. As an inaugural fellow in KIPP DC’s DEI Coalition, Susannah partnered with leaders across the network to lead equity conversations and set equity agendas to push KIPP DC’s anti-racism work forward. Susannah began her career as a teacher at KIPP DC: Promise Academy where she taught for several years before moving into instructional leadership.

Susannah graduated from Bucknell University with a B.A. in anthropology and political science.

Carla Watson

Chief Operating Officer

As Chief Operating Officer, Carla Watson (she/her) is directly responsible for operationalizing CityBridge’s strategic plan with an inclusive and equity-centered approach. She helps maintain the organization’s long-term fiscal sustainability, ensures the efficacy and efficiency of our business operations, and stewards our brand, our standard of excellence, and commitment to equity in all that we do.

A dedicated public servant and life-long champion for education equity, Carla began her career as a staff attorney with Legal Services for Children in New York City, where she provided free legal representation for at-risk children and their families denied public benefits and access to appropriate education. Inspired by her work in education law and committed to championing equity for all students in DC, Carla joined DC Public Schools (DCPS) as a Senior Policy Associate in 2008. She spearheaded efforts that successfully navigated the District’s exit from multiple class-action lawsuits while supporting principals, teachers, and other key stakeholders ensuring that students are provided safe, accessible, and fully resourced schools. As Chief Operating Officer for DCPS and more recently as Chief Program Officer for Higher Achievement, Carla provided turnaround solutions and innovative business plans that increased efficiencies, ensured high-quality programming, and helped provide families access to the support and resources they needed to achieve their educational goals.

Carla currently serves on the board of directors for Monument Academy Public Charter School, a weekday boarding school with a mission to empower students, particularly those who have experienced significant adversity, including involvement or risk of involvement in child welfare and/or other social service systems. She has a B.S. in Government and Politics, a J.D. from NYU School of Law, and an Executive Master’s in Leadership from Georgetown University.

External Experts

Anna Kaplan

Design Studio Facilitator

Alexandra Pardo

CityTutor DC Design Sprint Facilitator

Rohini Ramnath

Alumni Chair

Sage Salvo

Design Fellowship Ventures Coach

Melodie Miranda West

Design Studio Facilitator

Micah Westerman

Design Studio Facilitator

LaRita Williams

CityTutor DC Design Sprint Facilitator

Tameca Wood

Design Studio Facilitator

Anna Kaplan

Design Studio Facilitator

Anna Kaplan is a CityBridge Design Studio Facilitator. 

Anna Kaplan is currently the Assistant Principal at Center City PCS Brightwood with over 13 years of teaching experience. Prior to serving in administration, Anna worked as an interventionist, taught grades 2nd, 4th, 5th, and wrote curriculum for her district. Anna is passionate about literacy and loves to share the joy of reading with her students. 

Anna holds a B.A. in Elementary Education from Wake Forest University and an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from The George Washington University.

Alexandra Pardo

CityTutor DC Design Sprint Facilitator

Alexandra Pardo is a CityTutor DC Design Sprint Facilitator.

Alexandra drives the performance outcomes of TenSquare’s school improvement practice. She was the Executive Director of Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School from 2011-2015 and the Academic Director of the school for the five years prior. Under her leadership, the school became the highest performing open-enrollment high school in Washington, DC, and attained unparalleled outcomes on state (DC CAS, PARCC) and national (SAT, AP) standardize tests. The school earned a 2014 National Excellence in Education Award from the National Center for Urban School Transformation and a School Award from the Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color (2013). The school was ranked as the highest performing high school by US World and News Report in Washington, DC, earning a Bronze Award (2012, 2013, 2014).

Her use of data has been recognized nationally by the Department of Education in its Doing What Works series and she is featured in Driven by Data by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo and the upcoming From Good to Great: School Leadership by Jim Collins. Alexandra received a Distinguished Educational Leadership award in 2013 from The Washington Post. She was a mayoral appointee to the DC Community Schools Advisory Committee and a contributing writer of the DC Social Studies Standards. She is an expert on school turn-arounds and her expertise ranges from academics to school operations. An experienced classroom teacher, she has taught at the high school and collegiate level courses in social studies, technology and ESL. A Teach For America alumna, she earned a B.A. in International Affairs from the George Washington University, a M.A. in Teaching from American University, a M.S. in Administration from Trinity University, and a Ph.D. in Education from the George Washington University.

Rohini Ramnath

Alumni Chair

Rohini Ramnath is CityBridge’s Alumni Chair.

Rohini is the 3rd to 5th grade Principal at DC Bilingual PCS. In this role, Rohini works closely with all members of school leadership to ensure that every upper grade student receives a high quality, bilingual education. With 15 years of experience working in charter schools, Rohini has held a variety of roles of increasing responsibility in both operations and instruction.

Rohini began her education career in 2008 as an elementary school teacher in Southeast DC with Teach for America. In 2012, Rohini joined DC Bilingual as data manager and in 2016, transitioned to the role of director of data and accountability through which she managed assessments, compliance, and data systems. In 2019, she took on the role of Principal where she led the school during the Covid 19 pandemic. During her time at DC Bilingual she has built a strong formative and summative data system for all students. Further, Rohini’s support in data and analytics has contributed to DC Bilingual’s continued Tier 1 status, as ranked by the DC Public
Charter School Board.

Rohini has a master’s of arts in teaching from American University, and a bachelor’s of arts in Spanish, Political Science, and International Studies from Iowa State University.

Sage Salvo

Design Fellowship Ventures Coach

Sage Salvo is a coach for Design Fellowship participants in the Ventures pathway.

Sage is the Founder and CEO of Words Liive, Inc., and the Founder & President of Opus World, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit that delivers innovative K-12 learning solutions across the country. He also teaches social innovation and entrepreneurship in higher education at Montgomery College and Prince George’s Community College.

Melodie Miranda West

Design Studio Facilitator

Melodie Miranda West is a CityBridge Design Studio Facilitator. 

Melodie was born in Boston, MA, and identifies as a proud Cape Verdean American. Melodie started her career in Boston Public Schools as a Humanities and Special Education teacher after graduating from Boston College with her B.A. and M.A. in Education. With an undeterred work ethic and a commitment to social justice, Melodie thrived as a classroom teacher and teacher leader in Boston. Melodie transitioned into school leadership after attending the University of San Diego and earning a second M.A. in a leadership preparation program. Melodie has served two high schools as an Assistant Principal with Green Dot Public Schools in Los Angeles. She has also served at a comprehensive and application high school with DC Public Schools and is currently the Assistant Director of Partnerships for Urban Teachers. Melodie is committed to recreating equitable K-12 public schools to ensure post secondary opportunities for all students, especially first generation students of color. Melodie loves spending time with her two daughters, Sarai and Noah, and husband, Theron, in Washington, DC.

Micah Westerman

Design Studio Facilitator

Micah Westerman is a CityBridge Design Studio Facilitator. 

Micah has been in education for over 20 years in a variety of roles, and currently serves as the Principal at Center City Public Charter School’s Petworth Campus in Washington, DC. His previous roles include Director of Curriculum and Special Education for the Fort Frye School District and Assistant Principal and Co-founding Teacher at KIPP Summit Academy in the Bay Area. Micah earned his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and his M.A. in Educational Leadership from the Principal Leadership Institute at UC Berkeley. He has participated in a variety of CityBridge programming since 2016 and is excited to be working with them again in this new role to give back after so many wonderful experiences!

LaRita Williams

CityTutor DC Design Sprint Facilitator

LaRita Williams is a CityTutor DC Design Sprint Facilitator.

LaRita leads academic services and instructional vision for TenSquare. She served as the Academic Director at Thurgood Marshall Academy where she helped maintain the school’s position as the highest-performing charter high school in the District of Columbia.

An expert in outcome-driven professional development, she has facilitated learning seminars for The New Teacher Project, served as School Improvement Leader for TenSquare partner schools, led mathematics and student support teams for multiple school districts in California and the District, and developed math teachers as an instructor at Trinity University. She has over 20 years experience building equity and justice programs, including facilitation of innovative and immersive diversity and inclusion experiences for school districts in California through the National Conference for Community and Justice and Camp LEAD. She continued this work through the creation of comprehensive Cultural Humility professional development for the San Mateo County Office of Education (a system of 23 school districts) to address opportunity gaps.

She began her educational career as a secondary math teacher where her students gained tremendous outcomes demonstrating the highest growth in mathematics on state tests citywide and attaining the highest math proficiency at the high school level. She holds a B.A. in Mathematics from San Diego State University and a M.A. in Education from the American University.

Tameca Wood

Design Studio Facilitator

Tameca Wood is a CityBridge Design Studio Facilitator. 

Tameca is an educational innovator excited about unearthing genius in visionaries and supporting the development of equitable solutions in education. A teacher with more than 15 years of experience in varied educational contexts, she teaches to create habits of healthy discipline and patterns of thinking that support student discovery. Tameca is committed to authoring identity-affirming content that is experientially anchored and integrated across subject areas. A visionary and strategic thinker, Tameca is an educational innovator who aims to empower entrepreneurs through equityXdesign. Ever learning, Tameca is one credit away from her doctoral degree in Educational Leadership.

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