The Institute is an independent organization within the UT System and therefore ultimately governed by the UT System Board of Regents. The executive director reports directly to the Chancellor. An Advisory Council, comprised of university, business, foundation, education, and community leaders, provides advice and support to IPSI. In addition to the executive director (Marina Walne), the management team includes four directors (Tammy Kreuz, Karen Nelson, Matt Orem, and Heather Zavadsky), an Associate Director of Research & Evaluation, several project coordinators and program managers, and a business manager.
Dr. Marina Walne, Executive Director, is responsible for overseeing current and future public education projects, including TRACK and related projects, Early College High School projects, Texas Reading First, the TEA-UT System liaison, and pending proposals, if funded.
Dr. Tammy Kreuz, Director for Educator Quality Initiatives, is responsible for the successful implementation of the Texas Teacher Advancement Program (TAP), a $25 Million Teacher Incentive Fund grant from the US Department of Education, and a state-level technical assistance program aimed at supporting Texas school districts who are implementing an educator performance pay program.
Dr. Paula Moeller, Director of College Readiness Initiatives, leads initiatives to promote college readiness among Texas students by: refining key practices to help campuses meet the needs for students at risk for failure in Algebra I, providing technical assistance for grants in excess of $66 million to support algebra readiness and accelerate learning opportunities in core content areas, creating student support materials in an online environment which promote college readiness in the area of mathematics, and creating middle school mathematics interventions that have the potential to serve over 150,000 students.
Karen Nelson, Director of Academic Foundation Initiatives, manages the implementation of support and professional development for the 700 Reading First schools in Texas, supervising five Project Managers and 64 Reading Technical Assistance Specialists. In addition, Karen supports other statewide initiatives in pre-K through 5th grade.
Matt Orem, Director of College Access Initiatives, is responsible for leading the development and implementation of the early financial aid estimator, TexasCollegeMoney.org, and the National Association of State Land Grant Colleges College Costs Calculator for the Voluntary System of Accountability. He leads the Café Con Leche parent support network and UT Volunteer Corps for College outreach and public awareness programs and is also the Director for the College for Texans Web Portal development at Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Dr. Heather Zavadsky, Director of Policy & Communication, is responsible for working with UT System and its 15 institutions to create the infrastructure, tools, and products to connect and inform educators and policymakers on college readiness, access, and success.
Dr. Marina Walne |
Executive Director |
|
Dr. Tammy Kreuz |
Director of
Educator Quality Initiatives |
512-322-3757
|
Dr. Paula Moeller |
Director,
College Readiness Initiatives |
512-499-4393
|
Karen Nelson |
Director of
Academic Foundation Initiatives |
512-499-4245
|
Matt Orem |
Director of
College Access Initiatives |
512-499-4266
|
Dr. Heather Zavadsky |
Director of
Policy and Communications |
512-499-4355
|
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Elizabeth Barkowski |
Project Coordinator,
Educator Quality Initiatives |
512-499-4562
|
Tracie Barrs |
Project Coordinator |
512-499-4592
|
Stephanie Barry |
Administrative Associate,
Educator Quality Initiatives |
512-499-4248
|
Nicole Bevilacqua |
Executive Master Teacher,
Educator Quality Initiatives |
512-499-4720
|
Sylvia Castor |
Senior Accounting Supervisor |
512-499-4246
|
Brandon Cornell |
Administrative Assistant |
512-579-5198
|
Roxanna Gonzalez |
Program Specialist,
Reading First |
512-322-3799
|
CJ Keudell |
Business Manager |
(512) 499-4737
|
Tammy Kreuz |
Director,
Educator Quality Initiatives |
512-322-3757
|
Marsha Loyd |
Project Manager,
Reading First |
512-322-3750
|
Natalya Lukashonok |
Administrative Assistant |
512-579-5088
|
Chris Lyons |
Administrative Assistant,
Reading First |
512-499-4629
|
Margaret McCaughtry |
Project Manager,
Reading First |
512-499-4327
|
Lisa McDow |
Administrative Associate |
512-322-3747
|
Keri McDonald |
Program Specialist,
Educator Quality Initiatives |
512-499-4720
|
Sonia Mercado |
Graphic Designer,
Reading First |
512-579-5122
|
Daryl Michel |
Project Manager,
Reading First |
512-579-5031
|
Paula Moeller |
Director,
College Readiness Initiatives |
512-499-4393
|
Karen Nelson |
Director,
Academic Foundation Initiatives |
512-499-4245
|
Matt Orem |
Director,
College Access Initiatives |
512-499-4266
|
Cynthia Padilla-Flores |
Senior Accountant |
512-579-5093
|
Erich Pelletier |
Program Manager,
Digital Media and eLearning |
512-579-5181
|
Gonzalo Robles |
Program Coordinator,
College Access Initiatives |
512-499-4364
|
Anissa Rodriguez |
TAP Regional Coordinator,
Educator Quality Initiatives |
512-499-4512
|
Faith Stevens |
Project Coordinator
Academic Foundation Initiatives |
512-499-5146
|
Joanna Taylor |
Project Manager,
Reading First |
512-322-3751
|
Brett Turner |
Graduate Research Assistant
Educator Quality Initiatives |
512-579-5060
|
Michael Volonnino |
Graduate Research Assistant
Educator Quality Initiatives |
512-579-5038
|
Marina Walne |
Executive Director,
IPSI |
512-499-4672
|
Emily Watson |
Program Coordinator,
College Access Initiatives |
512-579-5020
|
Debra White |
Program Specialist |
512-499-4308
|
Anette Yanez |
Administrative Associate,
Reading First |
512-499-4705
|
Heather Zavadsky |
Director,
Policy & Communications |
512-499-4355
|
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