Our Team

Henry Wellington
Founder and CEO

Henry Wellington is the founder and CEO of Upbeat. After teaching middle school Special Education in New York City district and charter schools, Henry supported education technology companies in their sales and marketing strategies at Whiteboard Advisors. He also played a key role in the implementation of blended learning and evaluation of education technology products for Citizen Schools. Henry enjoys both playing and coaching basketball while also biking around NYC (with a helmet) in his spare time.

Kylie Davis
Chief Operating Officer

Kylie Davis is the Chief Operating Officer at Upbeat. Prior to joining Upbeat’s team, Kylie spent her career in schools. Kylie taught middle school and elementary school in Washington DC, Chicago and New York. During her time in schools, Kylie coached teachers and served on several school leadership teams. Kylie is a Teach for America alumna and obtained her Masters in Education from George Mason University. In her free time, Kylie enjoys traveling, cooking, trying new workout classes, and cheering on the Georgetown Hoyas.

Yanique Francis
Vice President of Sales

Yanique Francis is the Vice President of Sales at Upbeat. She’s an experienced relationship builder, forging alliances in the public school, corporate, and nonprofit sectors. She has spearheaded programs that strive to close the opportunity divide facing underserved students, providing them with the skills, experience, and support to achieve their professional and educational goals. In her personal life, Yanique serves as a Career Coach. In her free time, Yanique enjoys road biking, traveling, and cooking Jamaican food.

Kate Chizek
Director of Marketing

Kate Chizek is the Director of Marketing at Upbeat. Prior to joining Upbeat's team, Kate worked as an elementary special education teacher in Tulsa and Chicago and as a recruiter for a substitute teaching organization. Kate is a Teach for America alumna and obtained her Masters in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago. In her free time, Kate enjoys running, hiking with her dog, and enjoying the outdoors.

Dallas Yeatts
Program Manager

Dallas Yeatts is a Program Manager for Upbeat. Prior to joining the team, Dallas worked as both a high school special education teacher in New York City public schools and as an ESL teacher in Budapest, Hungary. She is a Teach for America alumna and holds a Masters in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education, as well as a Masters of Public Administration from Georgia College. In her free time, Dallas loves traveling, reading, and cheering on her hometown Georgia Bulldogs!

Zac Calhoun
Partnerships Manager

Zac Calhoun is the Partnerships Manager at Upbeat. Prior to joining the team, he recruited teachers and nurtured school partnerships for an organization that provides staff for schools across the country. He also spent eight years in the classroom as a teacher and instructional coach. Zac is passionate about the teacher experience, particularly for those working to eliminate the opportunity gap, and is interested in scaling excellent support for educators and their students. In his free time, Zac enjoys golf and tennis, podcasts, and trying new types of food.

Ahmad Smith
Business Development Manager

Ahmad Smith is a Business Development Manager at Upbeat. Prior to joining Upbeat's team, Ahmad spent his career in New Orleans charter schools. He was a founding kindergarten teacher, dean of instruction, and assistant principal at KIPP East Primary. During his time in schools, he coached and developed teachers to improve student outcomes. Ahmad holds a B.A from Southern University - New Orleans and an M.A. from Relay Graduate School of Education. In his free time, he enjoys the outdoors, traveling, and spending time with his adorable golden-doodle, Beaux.

Dr. Lois Berlin
Leadership Coach

During her more than forty years in education, Dr. Lois Berlin taught middle school special needs students for five years near Aberdeen, Scotland and then became a teacher in the Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) in the US. During her 24 years in ACPS, she served as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, and Associate Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction. In 2004 she was appointed Superintendent of the Falls Church City Public Schools in Falls Church, Virginia where she served until her retirement in 2011. In 2017, Lois came out of retirement to serve as Interim Superintendent of Alexandria City Public Schools for one year.

Dana Brown
Leadership Coach

Dana Brown, with 43 years of experience in education, serves as a coach to school leaders. Formerly a principal for 16 years, he led successful turnarounds in both high school and 6-12 school settings. Dana has taught at middle and high school levels, directed a city-wide community schools program, and currently teaches at Salem State University in a course on leading school-family partnerships. He holds a Masters in Education Administration from the University of Massachusetts-Boston.

Monica Bintz
Leadership Coach

Monica Bintz has over 20 years of experience as an educator, including time as a teacher and principal in traditional public and public charter schools in Washington, DC, New York City, and North Carolina. She earned a Master’s degree in Education from Hunter College, a Master’s in School Administration from the University of North Carolina, and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee. In addition, she brings over 15 years experience as an anti-racism and DEI facilitator and organizer, and served as a principal mentor for the Chapel Hill/Carrboro City School district. As a school leader she brought a commitment and focus to building positive organizational culture alongside a strong academic program, scoring in the top 10% in state teacher satisfaction on the NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey. In addition, she led significant change management initiatives to improve student experiences and outcomes, resulting in her most recent middle school being named a “School that Works” by the state of North Carolina. She currently works in various capacities providing equity-centered independent coaching and consulting services for organizations, schools, and districts.

Dr. Sue Burgess
Leadership Coach

Dr. Sue Burgess served as a superintendent of schools for 24 years, including stints at King William County (VA), Spotsylvania County (VA), and Dare County (NC). Before becoming a superintendent, she gained experience as a teacher and administrator in Davidson County Schools (NC) and as a principal and director in Hanover County Schools (VA). Sue has been a presenter at state and national conferences, including the American Association of School Administrators and the National School Boards Association. She is a past chairman of the standards committee of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and a former state president of Virginia Alpha Delta Kappa, an honorary sorority for women educators. Dr. Burgess served as an adjunct faculty member at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she taught a course on School Improvement Planning and served as a trained assessor of aspiring principals.

Sharon Marino
Leadership Coach

Sharon is Founder and Principal of Marigold Educational Coaching and Consulting, LLC. Much of Sharon's work involves supporting educators, leaders, and school communities through various coaching and consulting models. Sharon has been an educator in Philadelphia since 1999 where she served as a Teacher, Reading First Coach, Instructional Specialist, and Principal. Under her leadership, her school secured “Community School” designation from the Mayor’s Office of Children and Families, providing students and families access to need-based academic tutoring, medical/mental health resources, technology support services and more. In addition, the school was awarded “Overall School Progress Report Highest Three-Year Improvement” in 2019—2020 after moving from “Intervene” status in 2015—2016 to “Reinforce” status in 2018—2019. Under the umbrella of coaching, Sharon personally mentored 12+ staff members who advanced to become assistant principals, principals, multilingual managers and family and community engagement liaisons. Beyond her consulting practice, she promotes equity in education through her service on the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit Board, the Colonial School District Board, the Colonial Area Anti-Racism Social Equity Alliance (CAARSEA), and Joyful Readers. Sharon is also a member of the Neubauer Fellowship’s Philadelphia Academy of School Leaders.

Isiah King
Leadership Coach

Isiah King is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Re-Imagine Education, Inc, a Milwaukee-based teacher recruitment and development organization. He has served in K-12 schools for over 15 years in various roles which include classroom teacher, dean of students, instructional specialist, founding principal, and district coordinator for equity and culture. Isiah brings best practices he’s learned regarding how to serve historically underserved students at an exceptionally high level. He leads through a strong commitment to diversity and inclusiveness, assisting schools to build critical mindsets and tangible skill sets so school leaders can implement that vision with a high level of success. Isiah has completed the National Institute for Urban School Leaders program at Harvard Graduate School of Education. He serves in his local community on the Advisory Board for the YMCA of Greater Milwaukee.

Dr. Emily Kalejs Qazilbash
Leadership Coach

Dr. Emily Kalejs Qazilbash is a Professor of Practice in Education at Brown University. Her teaching and research interests include urban education policy, teachers unions, and teacher recruitment and retention. Before Brown, she most recently served as Chief Human Capital Officer in the Boston Public Schools. After beginning her career as a teacher in Baltimore and Boston, she conducted research focused on issues of teacher quality and worked on issues such as educator evaluation, labor-management collaboration, school reform efforts, and Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) programs. She holds a master’s degree and doctorate in education policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a BA in political and social thought from the University of Virginia.

Christina L. Lesh
Leadership Coach

Christina L. Lesh has 25 years of instruction and leadership experience including elementary and intermediate level special education instruction, serving as a Director of Student Services (K-12) and as a Principal (K-8). She has also served as a Regional Director and Program Director for a national education non-profit, focused on empowering district partners toward consistently positive impacts of English Language Arts curriculum and professional learning on educator effectiveness. She is passionate about coaching leaders as they create sustainable systems that position teachers as experts to create equitable impact for all students.

Chris Spence
Chief Technology Officer

Chris Spence has been a web and mobile application engineer with expertise in educational technology, accessibility, and pedagogy. Before pursuing a Master’s degree at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, he taught high school science and coached athletics for seven years in the Massachusetts public school system. Chris has since held a teaching fellowship in the Technology, Innovation and Education Masters program at Harvard, and has developed teaching and learning technologies for a variety of contexts in the educational space. Now a resident of Cape Cod, Chris enjoys riding his motorcycle, tending to his three beehives, and spending time with his wife and golden retrievers on the beaches of Orleans.

Dr. Brenda Tanner
Head of Leadership Coaching

Dr. Brenda Tanner is a retired superintendent who led two school districts in Virginia. During her tenure as an administrator, Dr. Tanner also worked as both a Chief Academic Officer and Chief Personnel Officer in South Carolina and has consulted on principal and superintendent evaluation models. She served on the nonprofit board of the Northwest Evaluation Association. In addition to her K-12 experience, she has worked at the University of Virginia, teaching in the area of leadership and school administration while also directing the Curry School’s school and university professional development consortium.

Dr. Matt Kraft
Director of Research

Dr. Matthew Kraft is an Associate Professor of Education and Economics at Brown University. His research and teaching interests include the economics of education, education policy analysis, and applied quantitative methods for causal inference. His primary work focuses on efforts to improve educator and organizational effectiveness in K–12 urban public schools. Previously, he taught 8th grade English in Oakland USD and 9th grade humanities at Berkeley High School in California. He holds a doctorate in Quantitative Policy Analysis in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education as well as a master’s in International Comparative Education and a B.A. in International Relations from Stanford University.

Justine Martinez
Program Manager

Justine Martinez is the Program Manager at Upbeat. Justine worked as a Bilingual Literacy teacher for four years with New Haven Public Schools, before transitioning to operational roles at a New York City charter school and temporary housing shelters. She is an alumna of Teach For America and obtained her Masters in Education from Johns Hopkins University. In her free time, Justine enjoys hiking with her dog, traveling to new cities and reading.

Andrew Saturno
Program Manager

Andrew Saturno is a Program Manager for Upbeat. Prior to joining Upbeat, he spent eight years at public schools in Chicago as a special educator, team lead, instructional coach, and assistant principal. Andrew is passionate about honoring and uplifting every member in a school community’s experiences to improve outcomes. He holds a B.A. from the University of Michigan and a M.Ed. in K-12 Special Education from Dominican University. In his free time, Andrew loves rooting for Chicago and U of M sports teams, biking or running, and playing board games.

Mahamadou Jagana Program Operations Associate

Mahamadou Jagana is a Program Operations Associate at Upbeat. Prior to joining Upbeat's team, Mahamadou has worked as a social studies teacher in New York City. In addition to teaching, he has worked as a postsecondary manager, helping students in planning for their lives after high school. Mahamadou holds a B.A from Le Moyne College and an M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University. In his free time, Mahamadou enjoys watching collegiate and professional sports, working out, and traveling.

Keyli Peralta
Program Operations Manager

Keyli Peralta is a Program Operations Manager at Upbeat. Keyli worked as a middle school science and elementary English Language Arts teacher for the Philadelphia School district, before transitioning to supporting educators in the nonprofit sector in New York City. She is a Teach for America alumna and obtained her teaching certification from the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education. In her free time, Keyli loves to cook, try out new coffee shops, and spend time with her family and friends.

Brook Williams
Business Development Manager

Brook Williams is a Business Development Manager at Upbeat. Prior to joining Upbeat's team, Brook spent her career working as an educator for North Carolina Public Schools. She has worked with all age groups from Pre-K through High School, serving in various roles such as: special education teacher, ELA teacher and Intervention Coordinator. Brook holds a BA in Communications from St. Augustine’s University, as well as a M.A.T. in special education and English-grades 6-12 from Liberty University. In her free time she enjoys traveling, trying new foods and spending time with her family.

Dr. Phillip Luck
Leadership Coach

Dr. Phillip Luck has 27 years of K-12 education experience, which includes serving as a teacher, principal, and Human Resources Director for Leadership Staffing in Atlanta Public Schools. In addition, Phillip has served as a Managing Director with Teach for America-Metro Atlanta, Program Manager with the Georgia Department of Education, and a part-time instructor in Education Leadership with Georgia State University. Phillip earned a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Tuskegee University, a Master’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Minnesota, and a Doctorate degree in School Improvement from the University of West Georgia. In his free time, Phillip enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, and playing golf.

Dr. Eric Cunningham
Leadership Coach

Dr. Eric Cunningham currently serves as Superintendent for Halifax County Schools in North Carolina. He previously served as Associate Superintendent for Administration and Operations within Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools and the Assistant Superintendent for Administration at Caroline County Public Schools. He completed his Doctorate in Education at the University of Virginia in Superintendency and Educational Systems. He also services on the Board of Directors for the American Red Cross in Rocky Mount, NC.

Luqman Abdur-Rahman
Leadership Coach

Luqman Abdur-Rahman has nearly 20 years of experience in K-12 education, starting as a high school math and physics teacher and soccer coach. He has served in numerous leadership roles in middle and high school as an academy leader, assistant principal, principal, and principal coach. He has worked primarily in turnaround schools, and he understands the importance of compassion, restoration, and empathy when working with the staff, students, and families in schools within underserved communities. He is a champion of both restorative and trauma informed practices, and he worked for years as a DEI facilitator and consultant. He completed his master’s in educational leadership from Teacher’s College at Columbia University. His focus as a leader was the creation of a rigorous academic program and a strong school culture that encourages instructional risk taking and innovation. He has a passion for leadership development and principal coaching, as he recognizes that ethical, courageous, and equity centered leaders are the lever of change needed to make schools better for all children.

Dr. Ginger Featherstone
Leadership Coach

Dr. Ginger Featherstone served Deputy Superintendent for Leadership and Planning in Martin County (FL). During her career she gained experience as a high school science teacher, cheerleading coach, student activities director, assistant principal, principal and Director of Secondary Education. She has presented at State and National conferences including the National Summit for Principal Supervisors, ICLE Model Schools Conference, Wisconsin and Nevada State Leadership Conference, and Just Read Florida. In addition to her K-12 experience, she served as the district chair for Wallace/FAU’s University Principal Preparation Institute (UPPI) and on the Florida Commissioner’s SELECT Committee focusing on Level I and II Florida Leadership Standards. 

Dr. Karen Peace
Leadership Coach

Dr. Karen Peace retired from the Caddo Parish School Board as the Teacher Recruiter. She began her career with Caddo in 1990 teaching Kindergarten and  2nd grade at Newton Smith Elementary and Shreve Island Elementary. In 1998, she became Instructional Coordinator and then in 2003, Principal, both positions at Shreve Island Elementary School.  In 2006 Dr. Peace moved to the Caddo Parish School Board office becoming Elementary English Language Arts Supervisor and then Elementary Area Director of School Performance.  She has served as an adjunct professor for Centenary College and LSUS-S. She attended Centenary College, earning her Bachelor of Science in Education in 1990 and received her Masters in Education in Elementary Administration in 1993, also at Centenary.  She received her Ph.D in Curriculum and Instruction in 2000 from LSU-Baton Rouge. Dr. Peace belongs to many professional organizations including Louisiana Association of School Executives, Northwest Reading Council, and Louisiana School Supervisors Association. She currently serves as the Past President of the Louisiana Association of School Executives. Through her involvement in professional organizations, she has made numerous presentations around the district, state and country. In addition to being active in professional organizations, she is active in the community serving as President of the Shreveport-Bossier Chapter of the LSU Alumni Association, as well as being a member of the Junior League, Shreveport Mayor’s Women’s Commission and numerous committees at her church. Karen and her husband, Brad, reside in Shreveport where they are active members in First United Methodist Church.  They enjoy traveling, spending time with family and friends, and cheering on the LSU Tigers.  

Dr. Elaine Fogliani
Leadership Coach

Dr. Elaine Fogliani brings more than 40 years of service in public education to the role of Leadership Coach. This experience includes teaching elementary, middle, and high school, and serving in leadership roles at the building, district, and state levels. Elaine proudly served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Micronesia.  She taught English as a Second Language.  She earned her master's degree and a Ph.D. from the School of Education at the University of Virginia.  At Longwood University, she served as the Executive Director of the Southside Virginia Business and Education Commission.  She collaborated closely with employers and Virginia's Community College system to create a blueprint for a workforce development system for Virginia. Elaine served six years as the superintendent of schools in Westmoreland County, Virginia. Her colleagues honored her in 2009 by selecting her as the Virginia Region III Superintendent of the Year. In October of that year, the School of Education at the University of Virginia additionally honored her with its Outstanding Superintendent Award. She served on the faculty at the University of Virginia. Elaine’s leadership includes service as the Executive Director of Women Education Leaders in Virginia (WELV), ending in July 2022 her twelve-year tenure of service.  She plans to dedicate future years of her career writing, coaching, and serving in ways that will improve schools and the classroom experience for teachers and students.

Dr. David Gaston
Leadership Coach

Dr. David W. Gaston is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Gaston Educational Consulting, LLC, a Virginia-based educational consulting firm specializing in organizational dynamics and leadership training, strategic planning, curriculum and instruction support and private-public sector partnerships.  Dr. Gaston’s educational career allowed him to serve as a classroom teacher, elementary, middle, and high school assistant principal and principal and central office administrator with the York County School Division, Hampton City Schools, and Williamsburg-James City (WJCC) County Public Schools in Virginia for 24 years. He was named the Division Superintendent for Charles City Public Schools in Charles City, VA in 2014 and served the Charles City County community in this capacity until 2020, when he retired after 30 years of public service.

Dr. Joni Poff
Leadership Coach

Dr. Joni Poff has over 35 years of experience in PK-12 public education earning a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from Radford University and a doctorate degree from Virginia Tech.  As a classroom teacher for 16 years, she taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels in both general education and special education classrooms.  This included working in rural, urban, and suburban school systems.  Her administrative experience also included positions in both general education and special education.  As an administrator, she had a wide range of responsibilities that included school improvement planning, curriculum supervision, management of federal programs, and development and implementation of innovative student services.  Some of the district initiatives she led include a middle school summer transition program, a parent education exposition, a multi-tiered intervention system, an adolescent literacy program, and the opening of a STEM-H Academy.  Additionally, she was responsible for the regulatory and financial management of Title I, Title III, and Special Education programs. These experiences afforded her the opportunity to work within different organizational structures and with a variety of agencies and individuals.  She continues to stay connected to education through teaching graduate courses for teachers and administrators and consulting with school systems on a variety of issues.

Dr. Theresa West
Leadership Coach

Dr. Theresa West brings extensive experience to the table including teaching elementary, middle, and high school, and serving leadership roles at each level, including her work as principal in turning around two elementary schools and working as a director in Fairfax County Public Schools where she worked with her Assistant Superintendent in supporting and evaluating 27 schools.  She is passionate about coaching school leaders.  She completed her leadership coaching program at Georgetown University and has earned a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coaching Federation.  By building on the positive and listening to school leaders, she provides support as leaders focus on strategic planning, building creative and welcoming cultures with a focus on student learning.  

Taryn Landin
Leadership Coach

Taryn Bailey Landin brings over 30 years of educational experience to the Leadership Coach  position. She has served in many roles including elementary and high school teacher, assistant  principal, principal, Human Resource Director, Assistant Superintendent, and Chief of Schools in  El Paso, Texas. She also served as the Director of Elementary Instruction and Chief of Staff to  the Superintendent in Las Cruces, New Mexico. During her tenure as Assistant Superintendent  and Chief of Schools her primary responsibility was coaching and developing strong campus  leaders. She accomplished this by establishing positive relationships, building on strengths, and  creating focused goals with principals. Taryn earned a Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Texas El Paso and a Master’s degree in Education Administration from Sul Ross  State University. She is passionate about creating innovative and stimulating educational  environments where students, teachers and leaders thrive. In her free time, Taryn enjoys  spending time with her grandchildren and helping to develop them into life-long learners.