Our Leaders

Dan is our newest team member joining our team and family in January 2021 as Chief Operating Officer. He is working with us to ensure we provide a consistently high quality full and lasting education to our existing scholars while working to prepare the organization for continual improvement and growth. Dan brings his passion for serving others, his purpose driven mindset, and his talents of leadership, stewardship, and eagerness for learning to us.

Dan previously was Chief Mission Officer at Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin and Metro Chicago.  At Goodwill, Dan led the core Mission Services and Mission Operations of more than 1,450 employees which served over 45,000 individuals and helped individuals into almost 8,000 jobs annually across government, education, healthcare, manufacturing, and service industries.   He managed a $120M budget across two states that serves a diverse population of individuals with disabilities and other barriers to employment.  Dan has been with Goodwill for 10 years, joining in June 2010. Previously, Dan spent 14 years in Management Consulting supporting clients in Manufacturing, Health Care, and Financial Service industries with IT systems, process, and new product launch projects.   Dan has a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and Management Information Systems from University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.

Jeremy joined the team in January 2014 and served as the schools controller before taking on the role of CFO. Previously at CliftonLarsonAllen, a top ten CPA and consulting firm, Jeremy focused on providing assurance services to clients in the nonprofit, construction and employee benefit plan industries. In addition, Jeremy worked with several national clients that participate in school choice programs.

Jeremy received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He is a member of the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants (WICPA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). Jeremy also serves on the board of 4C For Children Milwaukee and previously volunteered his time as a basketball coach at HOPE Christian High School.

Glenn joined the national team in September 2011. He is responsible for school budgeting, financial controls and reporting, and new school facilities financing. Glenn has successfully completed several property and facility transactions resulting in new, high performing schools supporting the needs of children.

Glenn brought his experiences and talents to Open Sky Education following a successful career in the public accounting field. Glenn was a partner at Big Four accounting/consulting firms and most recently at Baker Tilly, the world’s eighth largest accounting and consulting network where he served in the Office of the CEO, led the firm’s Strategy Committee, and served on the Executive and Management Committees. He founded and led the Baker Tilly consulting practice, growing the practice from two consultants to more than 400, and led several industry start-up activities. During Glenn’s 10-year tenure at Baker Tilly, the firm grew from $75M in revenue to over $400M in revenue. Glenn has extensive experience in leadership and in particular, managing organization growth in the areas of information systems, risk, finance, planning, and operations. He served several Fortune 500 Companies as clients.

Glenn received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his master’s degree from Marquette University both in the area of business administration.

Erica shares her gifts of communication, organization and efficiency with the entire national office team and assists the chief officers with scheduling, communications, and project management. She also coordinates committee meetings, travel arrangements, board documentation and various other projects.

Erica’s background includes 12 years at Mount Mary University where she held various leadership positions within the marketing and public relations office. Her primary responsibilities included recruitment publications, website management, advertising and communications. Erica’s efforts helped secure record enrollment for the college for many of the years she served the institution. Erica also worked for two years in public affairs at two Milwaukee area hospitals upon her graduation from college.

Erica holds a business administration degree with emphases in human resources and marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Andrew is an educational entrepreneur who believes we are living at the most opportunistic time in the history of the world to be in the field of advancing Christian education.  Through his work he aspires to chase God’s vision enjoying the adventure, privilege and responsibility of serving Him by serving His kids.

He is driven to ensure all children have access to excellent learning opportunities which maximize their potential to fulfill Greater Purpose and live flourishing lives. His passion is to contribute to building an educational ecosystem which will close global and national achievement gaps, build deeply held, internally driven character, and provide faith formation as an integral part of education for all who desire it regardless of a family’s income or where they live.

Committed to this mission, he began his career as a teacher serving students at the high school and college levels while finishing his Ph.D. in educational mathematics. In 2006, he joined what has now become Open Sky Education and serves its Executive Chair/CEO. Through his time at Open Sky, he has supported the growth of the HOPE Christian Schools network and has helped to launch and grow multiple new divisions including the EAGLE College Prep charter schools, Compass after school programs, the Character Formation Project, School Services and the Microschools Initiative.

In addition to his work at Open Sky Education, Andrew works to advance this mission for children by participating in a variety of speaking engagements as well as serving on the boards of mission-aligned organizations including School Choice Wisconsin, School Choice Wisconsin Action, the Institute for Missional Visioning.

Dr. Jack Preus is an educational leader with a passion for engaging teachers, school leaders, and ministries in advancing Christian education through innovation and creating sustainable models. Jack strives to leverage creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit to bring the Gospel to students in communities who do not currently have access to faith-based schools.  

Committed to this mission, he began his career as a teacher, coach, and administrator serving students at Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, CA, while finishing his Doctorate in Educational Leadership at UCLA.  In 2014, he joined Open Sky Education as a National Director. He has since supported the team to advance its mission nationally by growing its school networks (HOPE Christian Schools and EAGLE College Prep public charter schools) and its Christian wraparound programs (Compass Educational Programs). Currently, Jack is working on launching a low-risk, low-cost national network of Christian microschools.

In addition to his work at Open Sky Education, he also works to advance this mission for children by participating in various national speaking engagements and committees.

Tracy Allen has over 20 years of experience in education, training, and leadership. She has a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Northwest Christian University and a master's degree in Educational Leadership from Grand Canyon University. She has been with Open Sky Education since 2012 when she joined our team as the founding Dean of Students at EAGLE Harmony (now EAGLE Phoenix South). Tracy then founded the EAGLE College Prep Mesa campus in 2013. After 6 years as the founding principal, she moved into her current role as the Student Support Services Manage for Open Sky Education, Arizona region.

As the Student Support Services Manager, Tracy works closely with the school leaders, finance team, and academic teams to ensure federal and state compliance for all special programs including Special Education, Title I, and English Learners. She ensures grant applications and funding are complete and assists the finance team with annual budgets and financial reviews. She is passionate about student achievement and makes it her goal to ensure that school leaders have the resources they need to ensure each student has the best educational opportunities possible. 

Lisa is passionate about education and literacy and focused on utilizing best practices to inspire students to be problem solvers. She attended the University of Arizona where she majored in Molecular and Cellular Biology. After an early experience working with students with emotional and behavioral disorders, she quickly returned to school to complete a M.ED. in Special Education at Grand Canyon University. She has dedicated her career to working with students that have learning differences. She has worked with students from kindergarten to high school in self-contained settings, alternative schools, private day placements, Title One schools, and with ELL learners.

In her current role, Lisa works with local site leaders to ensure the delivery of the Open Sky vision, instructional philosophy, goals, and objectives-customized to the needs of each school site. The regional team works to streamline school operations allowing school leaders to grow their instructional leadership, school culture, and community relationships. She creates opportunities for school leaders across school sites to collaborate and learn from one another and supports the development of school leaders as reflective practitioners. Lisa confers with, coaches, and advises leadership and instructional personnel concerning instructional methods, best practice techniques, and special programming, in compliance with state and federal guidelines.

Lisa earned her M.Ed. in education leadership through Northern Arizona University.

Yesenia Fitzhugh has been with EAGLE College Preparatory Schools since 2009 and has served as a teacher, dean, and founding principal in her time thus far.  In November 2020 Yesenia transitioned into a regional leadership role with EAGLE Arizona and will be growing the role of Director of Operations expanding her talents for building sustainable systems across the region.  

Mary Lou leads the Arizona region’s Compass Preschools as well as Compass Before- and After-School Care Programs.

Mary Lou began her career as a paralegal in the insurance industry in Houston, TX and changed course when she discovered an unexpected passion for education. Having teaching experience in grades Pre K through 12, she entered administration as a Founding Principal of a Christian school in Massachusetts and then served in Phoenix, AZ as a Preschool Director and Elementary Principal.

Mary Lou has an associate’s degree in paralegal studies from Beal College in Bangor, ME, a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies, and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Western Governors University, Salt Lake City, UT. She is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in organizational leadership from Grand Canyon University, Phoenix, AZ.

Kyle has been leading the development and implementation of systems at all levels of Open Sky Education since 2011. His primary focus is to ensure that the organization operates at the intersection of effective and efficient and is prepared for growth. In his time with Open Sky, he has coordinated the design and implementation of our academic model, streamlined technology infrastructure, and improved data management and reporting.

Kyle’s background includes a combination of education and business experience. Previously, he led inventory management, process improvement, and purchasing at a Waukesha, WI-based manufacturing company. Prior to his work in the private sector, Kyle served as a Program Director with Teach For America New York City, managing and training elementary teachers in grades PreK – 2. He began his teaching career as a TFA NYC ’04 corps member where he taught 3rd grade at PS 79 in the Bronx.

Kyle received his master of science degree in education from Pace University and a bachelor of science degree in business from the University of Minnesota.

Kathy brings over 30 years of experience from multiple industries including defense, insurance, manufacturing, consulting and non-profit.  She is passionate about finding cost effective and creative solutions to solve system integration issues.  Her joy comes from implementing automated processes that free up our employees to utilize their gifts and talents in the most impactful way.

Kathy believes that we are all given gifts and talents and she quips that she was given the “gift of geek”. She works to share that gift in ways that provide data and analytics to our teams so that they can work to provide the best education to all of our students district wide.

Kathy graduated from Valparaiso University with a bachelor of science in Electrical Engineering.
 

Diamante is our point person for all application customer support questions.  She works tirelessly to solve issues for all of our school and regional personnel and to provide them access to the training and support they need to use various applications.  She works daily with many of our vendors and holds them accountable to providing timely and helpful answers to our staff. 

Diamante also has a very strong attention to detail that she uses to document and fine tune the Data and Application Team’s policies and procedures.  She has been foundational in getting documentation set up that allows our team to complete tasks in a timely and repeatable manner.

Diamante joined the Open Sky Education team in 2019 with a diverse background in customer service and human resources. 

Jeff joined the Open Sky team in 2019, bringing with him the educational background, the executive experience, and the passion for excellence his role as National Director of Facilities demands.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Certified Public Accountant, Jeff’s initial employment experiences were in public accounting, where he attained manager level, and a nationally acclaimed real estate management and development company, where he served as Controller of Asset Management. He then served on the executive teams of three manufacturing companies—as Executive Vice President of Finance, Vice President of Sales, and Principal.

Trevor is responsible for the complete accounting cycle for all legal entities under Open Sky Education’s management. Trevor assists in creating and meeting budgets and consistently sought cost-saving measures to help reduce overall cost per student while continuing to improve the quality of services offered. In his first two years with the organization, Trevor streamlined the audit process and achieved 100 percent compliance for the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. Additionally, Trevor has created policy and procedure designed to increase efficiency and productivity within the organization and works to secure financing for multiple building projects.

Since graduating from University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 2002, Trevor has developed a strong financial background working in the financial services industry as a controller for a major restaurant management company and as accountant and director of business for an H & R Block subsidiary.

Trevor is currently pursuing a master of science degree in professional accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Linda leverages her 20+ years of accounting experience to help the finance team achieve its goals. With technical expertise in accounting for consolidations, financial reporting and forecasting, Linda plays an integral part in the annual audit as well as reporting on the day to day operations of the organization. She gained valuable skills and knowledge from her many years as divisional controller with Zilber Ltd., a national diversified real estate company in Milwaukee and before that in public accounting.

She graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee with a bachelor of business administration in accounting. Linda is a member of the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants (WICPA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

Sarah has more than 15 years of experience in payroll and human resources management. At Open Sky Education, she supports the organization with a variety of human resources functions including payroll administration, compensation, employee benefits, tax related operations, labor regulations, and process improvement.

Prior to joining Open Sky Education, Sarah was the Payroll Manager for a multi-state construction organization. She is experienced in the complexities that come with a multi-company and multi-state work environment. During her tenure at Construction Resources Management, she played an integral role in numerous database implementations and system upgrades and was an essential contributor in developing and streamlining processes to create a more efficient payroll department.

Sarah is currently working towards gaining the Certified Payroll Professional designation from the American Payroll Association, as well as a bachelor’s in psychology with an emphasis on child and adolescent development from Southern New Hampshire University.

Janet joined Open Sky Education in November of 2013 as an accounts payable manager specialist.  Previously, Janet worked for 15 years at MillerCoors in the finance area, where she was responsible for reporting and analysis activities for planning purposes, budgeting and month-end close.  Prior to that she worked five years for Wisconsin Electric Power Company as a financial analyst.

Janet leverages her cross-functional experience in managing invoice results, variance analysis and implementing processes that allow for disciplined financial management and cost transparency. Janet holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater.

Jonathan serves as the Schools Accounts Payable Manager at Open Sky Education. 

Miranda began working with Open Sky Education several years ago as an intern. After graduating from University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, studying for the CPA exam, and working with CliftonLarsonAllen, a top ten CPA and consulting firm she accepted the open invitation back to Open Sky Education to work on our Finance Team as Financial Analyst. 

Jody Olson joined the Open Sky Education team in December 2019 as our National Director of Enrollment Management. Jody is passionate about the value of education and works closely with all our schools to ensure we deliver a consistent parent experience that aligns to the outstanding education and care we provide our scholars.

Jody brings 20+ years of education experience in the areas of enrollment, admissions, marketing, branding, business development, strategic planning, training, and operations. Jody earned her bachelor of science in management with an emphasis in sales and marketing as well as her master of science in management with an emphasis in human resources degree from Cardinal Stritch University.

Erica joined the Open Sky team in June of 2013 as Director of Operations for HOPE Christian School Fortis. After four years, Erica moved into the Regional Director of Operations role, leading the school-level operations in the Wisconsin HOPE Christian Schools to ensure operational excellence and compliance. In 2020 Erica joined the Open Sky team as Senior Financial Analyst, collaborating with schools on their budgets and financial performance. In 2021 Erica moved into her current role as National Director of Operations. She supports the national and regional teams on operations, compliance, and process improvements to better serve schools and families.

Erica received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After graduation, she taught high school foreign language as a Teach For America corps member in New Orleans. She returned to Wisconsin in 2013 and has stayed in the Open Sky family ever since. Erica is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.

Amanda Bell-Greenough joined EAGLE College Prep in 2019, following three years of service as a Principal in both the charter and traditional public school systems. Her career began in Hazelwood School District, where she taught 1st and 2nd grades for four years. After leaving Hazelwood, Mrs. Greenough moved to St. Louis Public Schools, where she served as a classroom teacher and Academic Instructional Coach.  Her administrative career began with her position as Director of Curriculum & Instruction and Principal at Preclarus Mastery Academy.  She then served as Principal in Riverview Gardens School District prior to joining the EAGLE family.

Mrs. Greenough grew up in St. Louis, MO.  She received her undergraduate degree from University of Missouri – St. Louis in Elementary and Early Childhood Education.  She earned her Master of Arts degree in 2010 and Educational Specialist degree in 2012, both focused in Educational Administration from Lindenwood University.

Mrs. Greenough views a collaborative school environment as the key to creating successful teachers and students. She believes partnerships with parents and community partners are essential to enriching the experience at EAGLE Fox Park.

Kayla is a Nashville-native now serving in St. Louis as principal of EAGLE College Prep Gravois Park. She works to lead the school’s efforts of sustaining an achievement-oriented and joyful culture. She previously served as the Dean of Students at EAGLE College Prep Fox Park and Dean of Scholars at Purpose Preparatory Academy – a high performing charter school in Nashville. Kayla was a part of the Purpose Prep’s founding team and spent five years establishing a strong foundation for students in Tennessee.

Kayla earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies/Elementary Education from Middle Tennessee State University, graduating Magna Cum Laude. She also obtained her Master’s Degree from Middle Tennessee State University in Curriculum and Instruction, graduating Summa Cum Laude.

Angela is a native of Louisiana and has resided in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the past 32 years. She is a wife and has three adult children and four grandchildren. Angie earned her bachelor’s degree from Alverno College in Professional Communication & Business Management and recently completed her Master’s Degree in Innovative Leadership at Wisconsin Lutheran College. Angela’s professional career experience ranges from Human Resource Management, Corporate Recruitment, Administrative & Executive Administration in the non-profit and corporate sectors and today the field of education in which she worked at Milwaukee Public Schools for 6 years in middle school special education as a Deaf & Hard of Hearing Educator and Calvary’s Christian Academy School of the Arts as the Principal.

In 2003 Angela joined Calvary Temple church, now Resurrection Power Ministries under the leadership of Apostle Rosie Harvey (King). She served in various areas of ministry as a teacher in the Children’s Church for 9-13 year olds; ministry of help, cups ministry, and continues to work on the Ministry Administrative team, prophetic and intercessory team; and has been a-part of the Special Events team since 2005.

Angela has been a-part of the leadership team of RPM for the past 16 years and continues to invest in leadership development by attending annual leadership conferences through Power & Light Evangelistic Church under the leadership of Apostle Benny & Prophetess Geraldine Dozier, and through the Center for Urban Teaching & Leadership program.

Emily has seventeen years of experience in education and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her role as Founding Principal.

Emily graduated from Concordia University in Nebraska and moved back home to St. Louis where she taught middle school language arts, art, and elementary music at CCLS in Kirkwood and Webster.  She went on to work as a music teacher at Ellisville Elementary in the Rockwood School District. In that position, she made literacy a focus through a grant that allowed her to integrate quality children’s literature into the music program.  She earned the honor of being Rockwood’s Teacher of the Year in 2009, received an Emerson Excellence in Teaching award, and a Character Education Partnership Promising Practice award for a service learning project she created.  Most recently, she held the position of Assistant Principal at Ellisville Elementary.

Emily earned her master’s degree in educational leadership from Lindenwood University and participated in Rockwood’s Administrative Leadership Development program. She is currently pursuing her educational specialist degree in school administration.

Casandra was recently asked to lead HOPE Christian School Via in Racine, Wis., as Principal  in 2020. Casandra began her service in Racine at HOPE Christian School Via in 2015 as the founding second grade teacher. In 2017 she became the Dean of Students and then in 2019 the Dean of Instruction. While at HOPE Via, she specialized in school culture, academics, and building lasting relationships with scholars and families.

Prior to joining HOPE, Casandra completed her student teaching at a public district middle school Bridges program. It was this experience where the Lord opened her heart, and she had a passion to work in urban education. She started her first teaching job at St. Rafael the Archangel where she taught 2nd grade.

Casandra participated in numerous leadership trainings and has had the opportunity to be led by some of the best leaders in today’s education. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Middle School Education grades1-9th and a minor in Geography through Carthage College and received her M.Ed. Administration Leadership from Alverno College. She also holds a Principal & Director of Instruction license in the State of Wisconsin.

Dr. Jonas J. Clark is a native of Lake Charles, LA, and has 16 years of experience in the fields of Early Childhood Education and Social Work. He began his educational training at Dillard University, New Orleans, and continued at Grambling State University, Grambling, LA where he completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development /Early Childhood Education. Dr. Clark later completed a Masters of Education in Literacy Instruction at the University of Missouri-Saint Louis and a Masters of Social Work at Saint Louis University, both in Saint Louis, MO. Continuing his education, Dr. Clark then went on to start his Doctorate of Philosophy at the Loyola University of Chicago, while later completing his Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership, and the University of Phoenix in Los Angeles, CA. Dr. Clark recently completed his post-doctoral certification in School Leadership and Management (CSML) at Harvard University, Graduate School of Education.

He has a wealth of teaching and leadership experience in traditional public schools, private and public charter schools, and early childhood centers. He began his career as a K-5 teacher and has held positions in high performing schools in St. Louis, Houston, Baton Rouge, Chicago, Washington, DC., and Los Angeles. Dr. Clark’s talents have not only been limited to the children and families in the United States, his educational leadership skills have taken him to Punta Gorda Belize, and Port-au-Prince, Haiti. 

Prior to HOPE Fortis, he served in many capacities including Educational Services Lead, Dean of Students, Director of Curriculum and Culture, Assistant Principal, and an Interim Head of Schools.

Dr. Clark is a member of Kappa Delta Pi, International Honor Society in Education, NEA-National Education Association, NAEYC- National Association for the Education of Young Children, Phi Beta Sigma International Fraternity Incorporated, and The AME (African Methodist Episcopal) Faith.

 Deniece Fields Russell has been in the education field for more than 17 years, serving as an educator, leader, motivational speaker, and author.

A native of Milwaukee, she began her career with the Milwaukee Public School system as a middle school English Language Arts teacher. From there, she traveled to the Midwest as a reading/writing curriculum coordinator. She relocated to St. Louis to serve as Assistant Principal for one year before being promoted to Principal of the Confluence Academy Old North Campus where she served for three years, leading a staff of 90 members and more than 1,000 students. She later moved to Chicago where she served as Director/Principal of the Young Women’s Leadership Charter School of Chicago for four years. While there, she received a Principal Achievement Award in the city of Chicago and was honored by the Mayor of Chicago as one of the city’s 82 principals who made “exceptional growth” in one year. In 2014, Mrs. Russell was recruited back to Milwaukee to serve as the first Executive Director of Acelero Learning Wisconsin, a major Head Start organization. Fueled by her true desire to work in urban education and help prepare young people for their life’s work, she accepted the role of Principal at HOPE Caritas in 2018.

Mrs. Russell received her formal education from the Milwaukee Public School system and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee after attending Tuskegee University in Alabama for her first two years of undergraduate study. She holds a Master of Education degree in Educational Administration from the University of Missouri–St. Louis.

A native of the Milwaukee area, Angie Hamilton began working with HOPE Christian High School in 2019 as Dean of Instruction. She accepted the role of Assistant Principal at the high school during semester one of the 2020-2021 school year, and joyfully agreed to take on the role of Interim Principal at HOPE Christian High School for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year and was named full-time Principal for the 2021-2022 school year. 

Urban education has been Angie Hamilton’s passion for the past eighteen years. Prior to joining the team at HOPE Christian High School, Angie taught middle school English language arts, social studies, and science at Our Lady of Good Hope School, St. Charles Borromeo School, Blessed Savior West, and St. Rafael the Archangel School. In addition to teaching, she also served as a teacher leader, coach, mentor, and leadership team member at St. Rafael School. While at St. Rafael, Angie was recognized as one the educators whose 8th grade scholars consistently closed the achievement gap by growing at least 150% in their summative reading MAP testing scores.

Angie completed her formal education in the West Allis/West Milwaukee Schools. She earned a Honors BA in English and Elementary/Middle School Education from Marquette University, where she also participated in a tutoring outreach program within Milwaukee Public Schools. Angie earned a Masters of Arts in Education from Viterbo University, and most recently completed her Master of Arts in Leadership and Innovation in Education from Wisconsin Lutheran College. Angie holds a lifetime teaching license for English and grades 1-9 in the State of Wisconsin, along with her principal license.

Rebecca Hancock has been an educator since she graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University in 2005.  After earning her bachelor’s degree in Education, Rebecca taught in a variety of grade levels from Kindergarten through 8th grade and held a variety of teacher leader roles as she earned a Master of Arts in Education from Northern Arizona University.  These years were very formative in her growth as an educator and provided a solid foundation as she learned about instruction and leadership.  She has been a principal since 2018 and is finishing her Doctorate in Education, which has allowed her to refine her leadership skills and understanding of schools as an organization. In 2021, she was honored to accept the position of principal at EAGLE College Preparatory School South Mountain, where is eager to partner with families, educators and scholars to ensure all EAGLE scholars soar.

Jameela believes that God has a purpose and a plan for every teacher and scholar at HOPE and is very fortunate for the opportunity to help each scholar and teacher reach their full potential. Jameela comes to the role after serving schools in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, bringing a wealth of experience to her new role. She began her educational career as a Teacher Assistant, then progressed to lead teacher, instructional coach, assistant principal, and now principal at HOPE Semper.

Jameela is a graduate of Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, LA where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications. She went on to earn a master’s degree in educational leadership from William Carey University in Gulfport, MS. While serving as Assistant Principal in Gulfport, Jameela also completed the National Institute for School Leadership Program through the University of Mississippi.

Quanisha Major was recently named the Principal of EAGLE Tower Grove South in Spring of 2021. She has over 10 years of experience in the education field as a Teacher,  TFA Corp Member and TFA Manager of Teacher Leadership Development.  Quanisha joined EAGLE College Prep Schools in St. Louis in August 2016 as a Teacher at EAGLE Tower Grove South and was promoted to Dean of Students in 2018.  Quanisha developed a strong Upper Academy character and culture focus and recently expanded her role, providing support to scholars, families and team members.  Quanisha earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio State University, a Master of Arts in Secondary Education and is nearing completion of her second master's degree in Educational Administration from the University of Missouri-Saint Louis. She had a Catalyst Fellowship from Opportunity Trust in 2019-2020. 

Edie is a graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran College where she majored in education.  As a college student she was awarded the “Impact Award” recognizing her leadership and contributions to the mission of the college. As a teacher she continued to demonstrate the importance of teacher as leader, serving at St. Marcus, HOPE Christian Schools, and EAGLE College Preparatory Schools in Arizona. While at EAGLE, she completed her Master’s Degree program in Curriculum and Instruction at Arizona State University (ASU).

Edie moved back to Milwaukee in 2009 to assume another leadership position as Director of Coaching for the Center for Urban Teaching. She mentored first and second year teachers, organized regular small group mentoring meetings, and coordinated the Urban Conference in Milwaukee.

In 2011, Edie returned to St. Marcus where she served as a kindergarten teacher, an instructional coach, Director of Primary, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, and Assistant Principal. In 2015, Edie joined the HOPE team as a Founding Principal. Edie received her master’s degree in educational leadership from Alverno College in 2016.

Stephanie joins the EAGLE College Prep team as Principal of the Phoenix South campus in the Fall of 2021.  Prior to joining the EAGLE team, Stephanie was an elementary and middle school teacher, a district coordinator, a high school assistant principal, and a middle school principal. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Arizona State University, her master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University, and an Ed.S. degree in Organizational Leadership from Grand Canyon University. 

Julie joined EAGLE College Prep Maryvale in 2015 as a first grade teacher. During her time with EAGLE, she has served the Maryvale community as a teacher, Dean of Students, and Interim Principal.  Julie has managed the creation and maintenance of EAGLE Maryvale’s first competitive sports program.  Before joining EAGLE Maryvale, she taught kindergarten, 2nd, and 3rd grade.

Julie is dedicated to growing students in their academics and character values by developing teachers to yield results. She brings knowledge and innovation to EAGLE with 13 years of educational experience.

Julie earned her bachelor’s degree from Ashland University in Ohio in Early Childhood Education. During her undergraduate work, she had the opportunity to teach first grade aboard in Germany.  She also received her master’s degree in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment from Marygrove College and is currently working through her second master’s degree in Education Leadership at Northern Arizona University.

Antionette began her second career in education with EAGLE College Preparatory Schools in 2016. Previously she served the City of St. Louis and various business organizations in the fields of graphic design, marketing, and corporate communications.

She received her bachelor's degree in Visual Communication from Truman State University. She holds a Master of Educational Technology degree, as well as teaching certifications in Online Teaching and Learning, and Science. 

Nicole has been a committed EAGLE College Prep team member in St. Louis serving as Founding Physical Education and Learning Support Teacher at EAGLE Fox Park, and Founding Leadership Team Member at both Tower Grove East and Gravois Park campuses.  Nicole recently graduated from Webster University with a Master of Arts in School Psychology. 

For questions or concerns around McKinney Vento, Special Education, Foster families or Federal Programming, please contact Nicole at (314)202-0301 or at nicole.lampert@eagleprepstl.org

Dr. Miranda Ming, has served in both the education and corporate field and in 2020, she transitioned to EAGLE College Prep Schools, serving K-8 families at the Tower Grove South campus and now as the regional leader. Beginning her collegiate career at Alabama A & M University, but soon returning to the St. Louis area to obtain her Bachelor, Master, and Doctorate degrees all from the University of Missouri St. Louis.

As an educator, she focused on student achievement and engagement by obtaining an average of over 90% Proficient and Advanced College Prep students on the End of Course Exams. Miranda focuses on developing rigorous and engaging instructional practices, while building relationships with staff, students, community members, and parents. She believes that the possibilities for 21st century learners who are working to eliminate barriers are limitless.

She has a love of literature and seeks to change the rhetoric regarding St. Louis through her own writing. She serves as a columnist for Community News and has published a number of editorials and articles. She has co-authored two books, with the most recent co-authored piece being, “Designing Successful Systems: Stories of Change.”

Education, especially urban education and EAGLE’s mission has become one of my greatest passions.  I’m fortunate enough be a founding member of EAGLE and will be completing my 9^th year with the organization.  During my time with EAGLE, I’ve had the opportunity to teach extremely intelligent scholars and help develop some of the most dedicated and amazing teachers in the STL network.  I started my education journey at Missouri Valley College and earned my BS in Exercise Science and Psychology.  After a few years in the business world, I made a career change and returned to school to earn my Master of Arts in Teaching at Missouri Baptist University.  Looking ahead, I’ll be serving the region with ensuring all scholars have the opportunity to access rigorous curriculum and are provided the best quality instruction they deserve.  In doing this, I’ll be focusing on the areas of curriculum, instruction, data analysis, professional development, and creating learning communities for all.  The foreseeable future is full opportunity to move us from good to great, and I am excited and honored to be one partner at EAGLE in moving us in the right direction.  

Cassie joined Open Sky Education as a Senior Human Resources Generalist in the Spring of 2021 after working as an HR Representative in the field of ABA Therapy for over five years. She brings valuable experience to the team with a vast knowledge of human resources and organizational development. Cassie is familiar with providing support and guidance to remote teams and has a keen understanding of performance management and employee relations. She is passionate about serving others and working for an organization with a meaningful mission.

Cassie holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Nick has been a part of the Talent Acquisition team since 2019. He has been working in Recruitment and Talent Acquisition for over four years, working for a number of different clients. He has a passion providing qualified candidates a positive candidate experience and making sure that our schools are filled with the best and brightest teachers around. Nick is a graduate of Marquette University and will be completing his master’s degree in Strategic Human Resources Leadership from Marquette in December of 2021.

Samantha Custodio joined the Open Sky Education Team in August 2021 serving as the National Director of Talent. Samantha has a strong passion for helping others reach their potential and brings her strategic and solution-focused perspective to the team.

Throughout her career, Samantha has helped organizations build the capacity to create high performing teams and cultures. As a key strategic partner to the leadership team, she is responsible for the talent strategy including the design and execution of talent recruitment, total rewards, organizational structure, people development and retention plans.

With over 15 years of progressive and senior leadership experience in human resources, Samantha has partnered with senior management and board level executives to construct innovative talent strategies designed to support growth. She has led talent efforts for midsize and large organizations with thousands of team members across more than 25 states as well as some international locations. She has helped organizations expand their operations across the country, managing the regulatory, structural, and talent management considerations of such diverse workforces. Most recently, Samantha served as the Senior Director of Human Resources for a national nonprofit focused on empowering young emerging artists as young as 15 years old, residing in over 30 states and internationally.

In addition to her senior level human resources certifications, Samantha holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a Master of Business Administration, both from Florida International University. 

With a long-held passion for excellence in education, Steve’s professional career is a blend of business and educational experiences.

Steve previously gained successive managerial experience in marketing, revenue management, and revenue accounting roles. These roles provided him with substantial executive level leadership and management experience in rapidly changing and growing organizations. Concurrently, he authored the supplementary teaching materials for a college retailing textbook on three editions.

Before his transition into business, Steve taught social studies, coached track and field, and helped found a community service club at Glendale High School in Arizona.

Steve holds a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Arizona State University and received his master of business administration degree from Texas Christian University.

Elizabeth joined the Open Sky Education team in Spring of 2018. Elizabeth serves Open Sky Education with over seven years of Human Resources experience in a wide variety of subject areas including employee benefit plan administration, HRIS, talent acquisition, employment immigration, employee relations and project management. She has a true passion for non-profit education from elementary through post-secondary and has spent the majority of her career in Southeastern Wisconsin.

Elizabeth is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire.

Ashley Boyte is a graduate of Culver-Stockton College with a degree in Business Administration. While she majored in Business, working with students has always been a passion. Upon graduation, she joined Teach for America and was placed to teach in Milwaukee. She taught Kindergarten for two years at HOPE Christian School Caritas while attending Cardinal Stritch University. She graduated from Cardinal Stritch University in 2017 with a Master of Arts degree in Urban Education. Upon graduation and finishing her Teach for America commitment, Ashley knew she still wanted to work in a school setting. She sought a role where she could incorporate her business skills with her desire to serve children. Ashley became the School Operations Manager for HOPE Caritas and then transitioned to the role of Regional Operations Specialist and now is serving as Regional Director of Operations for HOPE Christian Schools Wisconsin Region.

In preparation for her new role, Dr. Bartling served in the Wisconsin public education sector for 32 years. Her previous experience as a classroom teacher, district director of curriculum, assessment, instruction and staff development, elementary principal, high school principal, and district superintendent brings to HOPE Christian Schools a depth of practical knowledge about the way students learn and school climate and culture are created. Ellen has been part of the Open Sky Education team since 2014 as she helped develop and lead the Character Formation Project. Ellen earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, master’s degree from Marian University and doctoral degree in urban education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.