Teaching Team

Eyal’s work and views are shaped by his professional roots in community organizing and youth mentoring, as well as his personal upbringing in a bilingual Latino immigrant home. At Learning Heroes, he leads efforts that support school and systems leaders in building more meaningful partnerships with families, and a body of research investigating the impact of family engagement on school outcomes.

Shana brings more than 20 years of experience in family and community engagement, PreK-12 education, and family services. A former elementary school teacher, Shana most recently was the Family Engagement Director with Baltimore City Public Schools where she took pride in being the voice of families as a district leader.

Zenzile Riddick is the Knowledge Capture Process (KCP) Lead for FELI. As the KCP Lead, Zenzile is responsible for recording and codifying insights from FELI participants and coaches. The data she collects and analyzes informs the continuous improvement of the FELI structure and curriculum. She is currently a PhD candidate at Harvard University, where she received advanced methods training in qualitative and quantitative data analysis.

Andrew is committed to family and community engagement at all levels of the system. He has experience in a variety of school settings, as well as state education agencies and non-profit organizations. Andrew is a former social studies teacher, and middle school co-founder/principal in his hometown of El Paso, Texas.

Brandon has seventeen years as an educator in the Baltimore City Public Schools, including eight years as a principal. Brandon’s expertise lies in transformational leadership, guiding urban schools with data-driven and effective instructional methods to enhance student outcomes, both academically and socially with an emphasis on family and community engagement.

Michael is a visionary leader dedicated to transforming education and communities. As an award-winning principal, he was featured in the book ‘Breakthrough Principals’ and recognized by Innovate Public Schools for exceptional school culture and outstanding academic results.

Michael has been in education for 27 years, including eight years as a principal and seven as the Director of Family and Community Engagement and Multilingual Services in the Cajon Valley Union School District in El Cajon, California. Michael is passionate about family engagement and the myriad positive impacts that it creates for students.

Ron is an educational consultant based in Iowa City, Iowa. As the child, husband, and father of K-12 educators, schools have always been an important part of Ron’s life. A proud graduate of Purdue University and the University of Iowa, Ron has over 40 years of experience working as a mental health clinician, a school administrator, and a consultant to agencies in many states and internationally.

Rochelle is currently the proud principal of Arundel Elementary, a community school in Baltimore City Public Schools. She has over twenty years of experience serving as a special education teacher and transformational leader. She works diligently with her staff to create a hope-filled culture for students and engage families, authentically and intentionally. Her school team has been recognized for using family engagement as an educational strategy to improve outcomes for students. Rochelle believes educators have a professional responsibility to educate, empower and partner with families to enhance the school community.