Ashley Bencan

Ashley Bencan is a highly energetic leader who values collaboration and impacting organizational change. She is a connector that believes in the power of people. Ashley has worked in education for over 17 years as a teacher, leader, policy maker, coach and advocate. She developed her education acumen, leadership and systems thinking through professional experiences at the New Jersey Department of Education, the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, the School District of Philadelphia and multiple educational non-profits. As a Teach For America educator, she deeply understood the power of a network within her school  and across her district. She wrote and received $40,000 in grants and was awarded a commendation for the Ruth Hayre Wright Teacher of the Year award. It has been through each experience, that she realized her privilege to be connected to so many education professionals and now wants to expand that opportunity to everyone in education.

Dr. Chelsea Collins

Chelsea Collins is a nationally recognized educator, leadership coach, and education advisor who works at the intersection of teaching, leadership, and education policy. She was named the 2016 New Jersey State Teacher of the Year, representing more than 125,000 educators and serving as an ambassador for education at the state, national, and international levels, including studying high-performing systems in Finland and China.

As a classroom teacher, Chelsea helped lead her school out of “focus status” by implementing data-driven, standards-aligned practices that resulted in students performing 25% above the state average in English Language Arts. She later served at the New Jersey Department of Education, where she designed and led the New Jersey Teacher Leader Network, earning national recognition for advancing teacher leadership.

Chelsea is a founding partner of ConnectED Workforce and Knowtion and serves nationally as a Senior Consultant with Learning Forward, coaching leadership teams and managing the Leadership Team Institute. In New Jersey, she leads the Related Technical Instruction Fellowship for the New Jersey Tutoring Corps’ Tutor Apprenticeship Program, directs JerseyCAN’s education advocacy fellowships, co-chairs the New Jersey Council of State Teachers of the Year, and serves on the board of trustees for Rekindle Education.

Chelsea believes in designing systems that foster collaboration so educators, leaders, and families can innovate and improve outcomes for students.

Mariah Thompson

Mariah Thompson (Alston) has spent over a decade in education as a classroom teacher, program specialist, and instructional specialist. Her experience spans from 2nd-5th grade classrooms to district-level work focused on grants, federal programming and funding, and parent engagement. Mariah has always been deeply committed to improving the quality of education and the lived experiences of Black and brown youth and other historically marginalized groups. This mission sparked a curiosity about the systems that drive effective organizations and unleashed a passion for operations, organization, and strategic support. 

Mariah is the founder of Mariah in Full LLC, a strategic administration and consulting brand built on the belief that clarity, strategy and structure free leaders to enact the most impact and do their best work. She partners with educational organizations and small business owners to strengthen their systems and operations so they can focus on the work that matters most. Through Mariah in Full, she serves as a trusted right hand–bringing strategic order and structure to ideas and expanding the capacity to leaders who are ready to take their work to the next level and make their impact sustainable. Mariah holds a BA in Sociology, a BS in Urban Early Childhood Education, and an MA in Teaching from The College of New Jersey, as well as an MA in Education Policy with a specialization in Law & Education from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Jody Spiro, Ed.D.

Jody Spiro, Ed.D. is a nationally recognized leader in education systems change, leadership development, and higher education. She is the Founder and CEO of the Change Leadership Collaborative, which brings together national education leaders to advance transformative practices, and a strategic advisor to Learning Forward, where she developed the Leadership Team Institute and has authored a series of widely read articles on team leadership. She also serves as a senior consultant to the National SAM Innovation Project, designing resources to help principals navigate leadership in polarized environments.

For 20 years, Dr. Spiro was Director of Education Leadership at The Wallace Foundation, overseeing more than $600 million in initiatives across 174 districts in 34 states. Independent research found these efforts significantly improved student achievement in reading and math. Earlier, she held senior leadership roles at the Education Development Center, Soros Foundations, Long Island University, and the New York City Department of Education.

She has authored four books on leading change and teaches graduate leadership and policy courses at Vanderbilt University and Florida Atlantic University.

Diane Cummins

Diane Cummins is an experienced educator and leader who has served the New Jersey education community for over 35 years across K–12 and higher education. She currently serves as an adjunct professor and supervisor of clinical interns at Rowan University and as Co-Director of Academic Advising Services for the New Jersey Center for Teaching and Learning. She has also supported clinical-practice students at Stockton University.

Diane previously spent 14 years as Assistant Superintendent at Clearview Regional High School and 16 years as a secondary English educator, where she also served as department chair, staff developer, and led the district’s instructional coaching program. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with organizations including the NJDOE, NJPSA, and NJEA in various consulting roles.

In 2004, Diane was named New Jersey State Teacher of the Year. She holds a BA in English Education from Glassboro State University, an MA in Reading from Rowan University, and completed doctoral coursework in Educational Leadership at Widener University. While semi-retired, she remains actively engaged in supporting educators and students across New Jersey

Kristen McIntyre

Kristen McIntyre is a mathematics instructional coach and consultant with over 20 years of experience supporting PK–8 educators and school leaders in strengthening mathematics instruction. Her work focuses on implementing high-quality instructional materials, strengthening Tier 1 and intervention systems within MTSS frameworks, and coaching educators in evidence-based practices that promote conceptual understanding, mathematical reasoning, and problem-based learning. She has led district mathematics initiatives in curriculum implementation, data-informed instructional decision-making, and professional learning to improve student outcomes.

Kristen is passionate about instructional coaching as a way to recognize and build on educators’ strengths while supporting meaningful growth in practice. She approaches coaching as a collaborative, responsive, and reflective partnership grounded in trust and respect. Through coaching conversations, classroom support, and professional learning, she works alongside educators to strengthen instructional decisions and support students in developing deep conceptual understanding

Jessica Kelly

Jessica Kelly brings 17 years of experience in education, with a focus on literacy, program implementation, and staff development. At ConnectED Workforce, she supports the design and growth of tutor apprenticeship programs that build capacity and drive impact.

Previously, she served as Executive Director of Programs at New Jersey Tutoring Corps, Inc., where she played a key role in expanding high-impact tutoring across New Jersey and Pennsylvania. She led program implementation, strengthened partner engagement, and developed internal systems to ensure consistency and support staff development.

Jessica began her career as a middle school ELA teacher. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Long Island University and has contributed to reading research through The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk at The University of Texas at Austin

Victoria Berganza

Victoria Berganza brings over 10 years of experience in Learning and Development, with a focus on training design, onboarding, and curriculum development. At ConnectED Workforce, she supports the development of learning experiences and contributes to team initiatives by coordinating projects and supporting leadership in advancing key work.

Previously, she has led onboarding and product training programs, managed learning management systems, and partnered across teams to create clear, actionable training content. She holds a background in education, her work focuses on translating complex information into practical learning that supports performance and consistency.