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Raise Your Hand Texas Names New Leadership, Augments Policy, Research and Programs StaffRaise Your Hand Texas recently announced Alison Badgett as its executive director, following Dr. David Anthony's retirement after five years at the helm. Badgett previously served as director of research and strategic development for the organization and was selected after a comprehensive search, during which she filled the interim executive director role. Prior to joining Raise Your Hand, Badgett was the executive director of several public policy and advocacy organizations. Badgett is currently pursuing a doctorate in global education from the University of Southern California. She has a master's degree from Columbia University Teachers College in philosophy and education, a bachelor's degree from Princeton University in politics, and is a graduate of the Lawrenceville School. Raise Your Hand also added significant depth to its Programs, Policy, and Research teams with four new hires, bringing the total staff count to 16. Ann Smisko joins the Raise Your Hand senior leadership team in August as deputy director of policy and programs. With a career that began as a teacher in Boston public schools, she joins from Dallas Independent School District, where she served as deputy superintendent, and before that, chief of academic improvement and accountability. She also served in multiple roles at the Texas Education Agency (TEA), including associate commissioner for school improvement and educator initiatives, and worked for Austin ISD as assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. Smisko also was associate vice chancellor for public schools for the Texas A&M University System. She has a Ph.D. in educational administration from UT-Austin, a master's in education from Boston College, and a bachelor's degree from Pennsylvania State University. Amanda Brownson, whose career also started in teaching, joined Raise Your Hand in June as director of research and policy from TEA, where she was director of state funding. She also worked as an associate for Moak Casey & Associates, where she analyzed education-related legislation and conducted research in the areas of school finance and accountability. She has a Ph.D. in educational policy and planning, a master's degree, and a bachelor's degree all from UT-Austin. Cody Huie joins Raise Your Hand in August as director of leadership development from the Region 13 Education Service Center (ESC (News - Alert)), where he managed implementation of several programs, including school turnaround efforts, district leadership training, and a capacity-building program for rural schools. He began his career as a special education teacher. Huie has a master's degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at UT-Austin, and a bachelor of arts from UT-Austin. Marcela Andrés, who joined Raise Your Hand in July as program director, served as operations manager for KIPP Austin Public Schools, where she helped found and manage four KIPP schools. She also served as an Education Pioneers fellow, focusing on parent engagement strategies, planning, and implementation, and worked as a teacher in Mexico. Andrés recently received her master's degree in education from Harvard, and has a bachelor of business administration in finance from the Bill Munday School of Business at Saint Edward's University. She is fluent in Spanish and English. About Raise Your Hand Texas Raise Your Hand Texas is a non-profit, non-partisan organization advancing public education by igniting fiercely innovative leadership and advocacy for our state's 5 million+ students. We invest in best-in-class programs to develop innovative leaders for Texas public schools, and lead research-driven public policy advocacy that elevates the quality of Texas public education, ensuring that our economy remains strong and Texas' future remains bright. Visit RaiseYourHandTexas.org to learn more. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160725006040/en/ |
