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Meet the Team

We are educators, strategists, and community connectors united by a shared belief: human connection transforms education. Together, we design purposeful solutions and walk alongside schools and families from enrollment to graduation.

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  • 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.

    Connect with Marcela on LinkedIn

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  • 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.

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  • Consultant

    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 Donovan on LinkedIn

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  • Consultant

    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 Araceli on LinkedIn

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  • Director of Programs

    Mayra Garcia brings a deep understanding of the systemic barriers that can limit access to education, inspiring her work to create equitable opportunities for all learners. She is passionate about driving transformative changes that make higher education accessible to everyone while reshaping perceptions of what high-quality education can and should look like.

    Mayra earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Development and Family Sciences from The University of Texas, where her research in Social Psychology centered on prosocial behavior. Her commitment to supporting underrepresented communities fueled her extensive volunteer work in community and school initiatives during her undergraduate studies.

    As part of the designEDengagement team, Mayra is devoted to reimagining family engagement and amplifying student voices. Leveraging her design thinking expertise to develop intentional strategies and foster meaningful connections to create lasting community impact.

    Connect with Mayra on LinkedIn

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  • 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.

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  • Consultant

    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 Dr. López Caldwell

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  • Consultant

    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 Angel on LinkedIn

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  • 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 on LinkedIn

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  • 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.

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  • Consultant

    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 Grisel: LinkedIn

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  • Consultant

    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 Kerry: LinkedIn

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  • Expert in Residence

    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.

    Connect with Dr. Cuevas on LinkedIn

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  • Senior Consultant

    Whitney Henderson brings to her work more than 17 years of experience as an award-winning teacher, school principal and instructional expert. Her career in education began in New Orleans, Louisiana shortly after Hurricane Katrina where she became a founding teacher and eventually 7th-8th grade Assistant Principal at KIPP Central City Academy and 9th grade founding Principal at KIPP Booker T. Washington. Her extraordinary success with students earned her the first ever Fishman Prize for excellence in 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. She later joined the founding team of EdNavigator as Chief Program Officer. There, she was pivotal in developing the national nonprofit’s strategy to support parents and caregivers in enrolling their children in schools and early childhood education programs, navigating special education processes, and much more. She eventually joined the team at Integral Ed as a Senior Advisor to a team of educators, designers, and developers who create engaging coursework in a variety of media for learners of all ages.

    Whitney holds degrees in education from Jackson State University, a historically Black university, Columbia University, and Harvard University. She is a school board member, small business owner, real estate developer, roadtrip enthusiast, and a proud native of East Saint Louis, Illinois.

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  • 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 Ines: LinkedIn

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  • Consultant

    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.

    Connect with Missy: LinkedIn