Who We Are

Jeff Livingston

Partner

Jeff is a founding Partner of EdSolutions and leads education innovation and philanthropy initiatives with a focus on underserved students, and actively promotes increased diversity in education leadership. What motivates Jeff is partnering with mission-based organizations to implement proven Market-Informed Impact innovations which reach K12 students who will benefit most.

Jeff spent more than a decade as a senior executive at McGraw-Hill Education. Most recently, he was Senior Vice President of Education Policy and Strategic Alliances.

During Jeff’s time at McGraw-Hill, he variously held general management and leadership roles including responsibility for Intervention, Career and Technical Education, Supplemental Publishing, Advanced Placement, Adult Basic Education, Workforce Training, Fine Arts and College Readiness. Prior to McGraw-Hill Education Jeff was a successful entrepreneur with specialties in instructional technology and marketing to urban school systems. As Co-Founder, of Achieva.com, Jeff helped to build the largest provider of online test prep and college prep for American high schools. Achieva.com was sold to the Kaplan K-12 Learning Solutions, a division of the Washington Post Company, in 2001.

Education: B.A., Harvard University, MA

Beth Mejia

Partner

Beth is a founding Partner of EdSolutions and leads EdSolutions’ product strategy & customer experience efforts. Beth believes deeply in the power of the market to positively impact underrepresented students.

Beth has spent over two decades steeped in the education market leading the acquisition, development, marketing and deployment of high quality, educational products and services. After spending time as a high school ELA teacher, Beth moved into educational publishing and served in executive leadership roles at Macmillan, Pearson, McGraw- Hill & Triumph Learning. She has managed large cross-functional teams in product development and marketing and launched dozens of leading K-16 products. She brings both a product and pedagogical perspective to every project.

Education: M.A., University of West Alabama, AL; B.A., Bethany College, WV

Jay Bakhru

Partner

Jay Bakhru is a founding partner of EdSolutions where he leads initiatives focused on the intersection of education markets, innovation, and social impact. What motivates Jay is the opportunity to improve the education system in ways that benefit underserved students.

Prior to EdSolutions, Jay served as a consultant in Deloitte Consulting’s strategy practice, an SVP of marketing in Citigroup’s consumer group, the CEO of an Ed Tech company, and as the head of K-12 Marketing at Educational Testing Service. Outside of his work at EdSolutions, Jay is active in the education ecosystem, serving as the chair of the Wharton Education Network, a judge for the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education business plan competition, an advisor and investor in several education technology companies, and a contributing writer at EdSurge and Forbes. Jay began his career as a middle school English teacher.

Education: BA Brown University, MBA Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, MA in Education Policy from Teachers College at Columbia University with a thesis on the role of Market Dynamics on K-12 Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

JJ Babb

Senior Associate

JJ is a Senior Research Associate at EdSolutions where she specializes in applying qualitative and quantitative market research findings to help organizations improve programming, products, and services to drive more equitable outcomes for students.

With a background in journalism, JJ spent 13 years teaching a variety of courses in secondary language arts. Her last position, working with students who had been expelled from high school, drove her to earn a doctorate in education equity (executive leadership). Her dissertation focused on disproportionalities in expelled and out-of-school suspended student populations in a suburban district in the Denver, CO, area.

JJ believes true change and education improvement must be driven by the overall system- including classrooms, philanthropic education foundations, and education product suppliers. While data and research are powerful tools, their true impact comes from the stories they tell and the changes they drive. Organizations within the education space must be able to see the contextual implementations of market research to find practical and solution-focused methods to make changes in students’ learning.

Education: B.S., Colorado State University, CO; M.A., Northwestern University, IL; EdD, University of Colorado-Denver, CO

To-Nasia Cohen

Operations Manager

To-Nasia serves as the Operations Manager at EdSolutions, where she is responsible for supporting and executing operational initiatives at every level in the organization. In her work, she strives to create harmony between process and people. She is skilled in strategy development, process improvement, and tech and software implementation.

To-Nasia joins EdSolutions with a background in K-12 education operations. She was responsible for overseeing the non-instructional functions, services, and staff that provided scholars with an unparalleled educational experience. She opened a school in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, and has led school teams in New York and New Jersey.

To-Nasia is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Data Analytics from Western Governors University.

Education: B.S.B.A., Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ

Aidan Davis

Analyst & Program Coordinator

As an Analyst for the Markets Matter Professional Learning Team and Operations team, Aidan Davis develops and execute strategic plans focusing on enhancing content, services, and process. Aidan’s day-to-day involves overseeing the management of tools, resources, and Google sites for our clients.

Aidan is driven by the opportunity to design streamlined and data information management systems using UX principles and best practices. Working with mission-driven partners aligns perfectly with her passion for creating efficient and user-friendly solutions.

Before joining EdSolutions, Aidan delved into indie publishing. She also pursued a Masters in Information Science at the University of Toronto, solidifying her role as a process nerd.

Away from work, Aidan enjoys reading, running her book club, and product research

Education: B.A in Political Science Colgate University, M.A in GRSJ University of British Columbia, M.A in Information Science University of Toronto(pursuing)

Anjeli Doty

Senior Associate

Anjeli Doty is a Senior Research Associate at EdSolutions, where she conducts market research and analysis. Anjeli collaborates with project and consulting teams to translate data into actionable insights, develop best approaches, and deliver strategic solutions and recommendations.

Across her career, Anjeli works to leverage data to inform policy and practice in education, and to increase equitable access to learning opportunities and career pathways. She believes in shaping an educational system in which all students can thrive and maximize their potential. Towards this, she leverages her experience in leadership and management, systems and data, and strategic communication.

Anjeli formerly worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where she built key community partnerships and supported regional education and economic development in collaboration with the LANL Foundation. Anjeli designed and managed the New Mexico Governor’s STEM Challenge, a statewide high school design challenge launched with private and public partners. Following that success, she helped develop a regional stakeholder network and digital platform to advance PK-12 STEM education and college pathways in New Mexico. Before joining the education sector, Anjeli worked in technical science communications and public relations.

While at Harvard, Anjeli supported the Strategic Data Project at the Harvard Center for Education Policy Research where she helped plan and execute professional development programming for data strategists.

Education: Ed.M., Harvard Graduate School of Education; B.A., Montana State University

Bailey Duhé

Senior Associate

Bailey is a Research Associate at EdSolutions where she utilizes a mixed methods approach to produce data-driven insights in support of educational equity.  

Prior to joining EdSolutions, Bailey worked as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consultant, specializing in program evaluation and coaching for educators dedicated to fostering more inclusive and equitable learning environments. Bailey holds a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder, where she conducted primary research on the representation of multiracial/multiethnic identities within demographic data and in contemporary US culture. 

Bailey’s perspective as a social scientist and anthropologist informs her ability to expertly dissect and analyze complex, often ambiguous structures and center the people within them. At EdSolutions, Bailey is passionate about producing grounded research that generates impact for students in under-resourced communities.  

Education: B.A., Millsaps College, MS; M.A., Univerity of Colorado Boulder, CO; Ph.D., University of Colorado Boulder, CO

Mackenzie Flynn

Senior Engagement Manager

Mackenzie Flynn is a Senior Engagement Manager at EdSolutions, where she supports foundations and other mission-based organizations. She specializes in producing actionable, market-based insights and recommendations for organizations looking to scale their impact in K-12 education through strategic investments.

Mackenzie is most passionate about increasing access to high-quality public education, as she believes it is the greatest lever we have for positive change. To that end, her career has been centered around impact strategy, including roles as the Chief of Staff for the Maine Charter School Commission and the Associate Director of Growth for KIPP Northern California. Throughout her career, Mackenzie has served as a consultant to a number of organizations in the education sector, including foundations, venture philanthropies, government agencies, and other non-profit organizations. Prior to shifting her focus to impact strategy, Mackenzie taught elementary school in Brooklyn, NY and Denver, CO.

Education: M.A., Stanford University Graduate School of Education; B.A., Elon University

Samantha Larkin

Associate

Samantha Larkin is a Research Associate at EdSolutions, where she supports clients with data-backed insights on education policy, market trends, and their impacts on students and educators. 

Before joining the team at EdSolutions, Samantha worked in research and content development for sociologists and mission-driven organizations striving to create opportunities for priority students in and out of the classroom. Her research has centered on early learning, trends in the children’s publishing market for underrepresented communities, and improving educational outcomes for justice-impacted students and their families. Her approach to this research emphasizes mixed methods, where quantitative data is strengthened by the authentic experiences of those involved.    

Having come from both nonprofit and academic research environments, Samantha is motivated by the desire to understand all the forces influencing a child’s education, whether that be policy, the market, or social convention. Understanding the full education landscape to inform action is the key to changing our students’ futures, and she is thrilled to be part of the innovation in progress at EdSolutions.

Education: B.A., Yale University 

Janaye McGrew

Senior Associate

As a Senior Research Associate, Janaye McGrew conducts research and analysis to deliver strategic, data-driven solutions to organizations committed to educational equity and improving student outcomes.

Janaye believes that all students deserve liberating, affirming learning environments. She’s excited about the opportunity to support organizations that are instrumental in creating those environments.

Prior to EdSolutions, Janaye was a revenue operations consultant in the technology industry. Subsequently, she led data management and analysis initiatives at Detroit Children’s Fund as an Education Pioneers Fellow. Janaye’s work at Detroit Children’s Fund allowed the organization to better elevate its programs and demonstrate the organization’s impact both internally and externally. Janaye also worked as a tutor in Brooklyn elementary and a debate teacher on Rikers Island.

Education: B.S., University of Florida

Emily McLane

Director of Research

Emily is the Director of Research at EdSolutions, where she leads our team of Research Associates responsible for building our internal knowledge base, and gathering and synthesizing research to support project work. In addition to leading the Research team, she periodically works as an Engagement Manager responsible for executing projects.

Emily has about a decade of experience in the education sector in the United States and abroad, where she has taught in K-12 and higher education. Previously a full time teacher, she continues to make time to teach courses to non-native English speakers at the University of Strasbourg schools of Law and Business. She also sits on the Editorial Board of the Journal for Education Law and Policy.

As a Teach For America alum, Emily is passionate about education and proud to continue her work as part of the movement towards educational equity through her work with EdSolutions.

Education: B.A., Lawrence University, Wisconsin. M.S., Fordham University, New York

Allison McNamara

Senior Director of Market Insights

As the Director of Market Strategy at EdSolutions, Allison McNamara delivers strategic, innovative, and sustainable solutions to mission-focused clients based upon the proven Market-Informed Impact framework. Allison’s deep background in content acquisition and customer insights, her pedagogical understanding of content, and 15+ years of field experience make her a masterful co-developer of instructional and learning materials in support of customer needs.

Having led content teams at Pearson and McGraw-Hill Education and the Market Development team at Triumph Learning, Allison knows how quality instructional content is acquired, created, and developed by providers as well as how customers evaluate it. Operating at the intersection of product creation, messaging, and market development in the education market shapes Allison’s distinctive perspective and informs her ability to bring together stakeholders to develop, execute, and deliver products that focus on customer experience and drive impact.

Education: B.A., Trinity College, Connecticut

Natasha Mir

Engagement Manager

Natasha is an Engagement Manager at EdSolutions. She specializes in supporting mission-based organizations in the K-12 education market in the development of sustainable growth strategies. She is passionate about education products and services that create equitable, transformative change and improved outcomes for young people.

Natasha has over a decade of experience in the education sector. She began her career as a first grade teacher and has worked in public schools in Mississippi and New York City as an educator. Prior to joining EdSolutions, Natasha spent six years working with schools in New York City within the NYC Department of Education as a Community School Director and Senior Community Schools Director. She implemented wraparound services for students and families, collaborated with school leadership teams, and managed school-based staff to create change strategies focused on equity, attendance, mental health services, social-emotional learning, and postsecondary readiness.

Education: M.P.A., New York University, Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, B.A.

Tracy Neiman

Senior Associate

As a Research Associate at EdSolutions, Tracy supports a mission-driven research team in building and synthesizing knowledge that promotes educational equity and student achievement.

Tracy has nearly a decade of experience at the intersection of communications and education, having most recently served as the Assistant Director of Communications at The Spence School. She’s also held multiple roles at the New York City Department of Education, from overseeing strategic communications for the DOE’s Office of Student Enrollment to teaching high school social studies as a Teach for America corps member. Before teaching, Tracy served on the communications team for New York Assistant Speaker – Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs.

In every role, both in the classroom and outside of it, Tracy has gained insight into the state of public education in the U.S. Tracy is passionate about serving students and families and is proud to continue this work at EdSolutions.

Education: B.A., CUNY Macaulay Honors College – Hunter College, NY. M.S., Fordham University, NY

Tochukwu (Tochi) Okoye

Senior Associate

Tochi provides insights about educational products and markets to help clients make smart investment choices that can improve students’ success. Tochi believes that the resources available to students potentially influence their achievements. She is interested in making a difference in how students, teachers, and families are supported within and beyond the classroom through evidence-based policies and market-informed interventions.

She has almost a decade of experience working across project management, research, evaluation, and consulting with a focus on education and skills for employability in Sub-Saharan Africa and the US.

As an EdPioneers Fellow with the Illinois Board of Higher Education, Tochi managed an innovative grant process to pilot competency-based early childhood education programs. She worked at the BCG Centre for Public Impact and Centre for Public Research and Leadership, where she evaluated a program on public sector innovation and piloted a novel curriculum implementation framework, respectively. She also worked extensively at the British Council, managing its largest International Education Marketing Portfolio in Africa.

Education: BSc (Ed) Human Kinetics, University of Benin,  MPA., Columbia University 

Nicole Parma

Engagement Manager

As an Engagement Manager, Nicole leads market insights and strategy projects to help mission-driven education organizations launch and scale sustainably.

Nicole’s experience spans sales & partnership development, learning & development, people management, and product management at mission-driven education and edtech companies. She most recently led the Apprentice Manager product vision and strategy at Multiverse, a professional apprenticeship program provider. Previously, she led Employer Partnerships at Flatiron School, a technical bootcamp, taught English as a second language in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and supported K-12 schools and districts to build global education programs through EF Education First.

Nicole leverages her client-facing and product strategy experience to deliver robust insights and recommendations that help organizations meet their business goals while creating lasting social impact. She is passionate about scaling innovative education and workforce development solutions that increase access to high-quality learning opportunities and meaningful careers.

Education: B.A., Brown University, Rhode Island

Jonathan Perry

Senior Engagement Manager

Jonathan Perry is a Senior Engagement Manager at EdSolutions, where he supports foundations and other mission-based organizations to achieve their impact using market-informed strategies. He specializes in providing actionable insights to help foundations, NGOs, and edtech companies refine their strategies, uncover new opportunities, and drive transformational change in K-12 education.

Jonathan’s career has been focused in driving equity to access to high quality education both in the U.S. and abroad through policy design, program evaluation, strategic planning, and K-12 systems management. His prior roles include Director of Enrollment for KIPP: Public Schools in Northern California, Education and Social Protection specialist at The World Bank, and policy consultant to several national government agencies across Latin America, including the National Ministry of Education in Colombia and the Mexican Institute for Social Security.

Education: MEDL, Broad Center at Yale University School of Management; MA, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University; BA, Tufts University

Andrea Scheive

Director of Markets Matter Programming

Andrea is Director of Market Strategy and co-creator of the Markets Matter Professional Learning Program. Working alongside fellow market experts, she creates meaningful engagements for a variety of organizations in need of business education and technical assistance. Motivated by the opportunity to support and serve mission-based organizations at the forefront of impact, she has a wide-range of business knowledge and a strong ability to build strategy that engages and delights the end-user, providing them the tools necessary for future sustainability.

Having spent her entire career in the education space, with over a decade in educational publishing at McGraw-Hill Education, Andrea specializes in product development and market development, working on a variety of traditional and tech products, in both core and supplemental. She successfully created and led a market development strategy for a first-generation tech program over the course of three years, leading to broader adoption within the company and received the Market Development Manager of the Year award in 2019. She deeply understands the importance of listening to the market and customer need, ensuring the development of products with impact.

Education: B.A., North Central College, Illinois

Casey Stisser

Associate

Casey is a Research Associate at EdSolutions where she is responsible for conducting foundational desk research, informing the consultation of both single organization and philanthropic ventures as they seek to make an impact in education through innovation and service.

Casey has over ten years of experience in the education sector where she has taught in both K-12 and higher education settings. Since leaving the classroom, she has spent time in the tutoring space where she is able to continue her teaching practice while she works alongside the incredible team at EdSolutions in its mission to create change by supporting the needs of all students.

As a Teach for America alum, Casey is passionate about ending educational inequity and believes strongly that access to a high-quality education is a fundamental right for all.

Education: B.A., Sam Houston State University, Texas. M.F.A. in Creative Writing, California State University, San Bernardino, M.S., Fordham University, New York

Alex Vinci

Senior Director of Operations

As the Senior Director of Operations at EdSolutions, Alex is responsible for the day-to-day prosperity of the business as well as long-term growth and strategy planning. From the financials to people operations, she is invested in making sure that everyone that works with or for EdSolutions has a good experience. She finds it particularly special when the team unlocks a new market insight for a client, or when an employee says this is the best place they’ve ever worked, because she knows that that synergy is impossible without a strong operational function.

Alex’s career in Education started as a Community Director in a Harlem middle school. She then opened up an elementary school in Flatbush, Brooklyn for Success Academy Charter Schools and eventually she took on a more central role for the company. There she led cross-functional teams to improve and scale business operations and talent development across all 47 schools.

While her career may sit further away from the classroom now, Alex knows that at the end of the day there are children on the other side of our work. In understanding that, she can thoughtfully support EdSolutions and our clients in driving positive impact for those that need it most.

Education: B.A., Iona University, NY

Ilse Wolfe

Insights Lead

Ilse delivers strategic market insights to each project, enabling clients to make well-informed decisions around their growth strategies. With a firm belief that market development means getting your product ready for the market and the market ready for your product, Ilse brings perspectives from both the supply- and the demand- sides of the equation.

Ilse’s extensive market knowledge is built on managerial positions in marketing at Pearson and John Wiley & Sons, as well as 15+ years consulting in both K-12 and Higher Education.

Ilse’s interest in public education and philanthropy extends beyond her professional life, she has served on her local Board of Education and has recently founded Power of Clean Water, a nonprofit connecting schools and students to the global water crisis.

Education: B.A., Miami University (OH)

Margo Wright

DIRECTOR OF MARKETS MATTER PROGRAMMING

As Senior Director, Margo co-leads the Markets Matter Professional Learning practice for EdSolutions and advises forward-thinking foundations on educational strategy with a focus on the role of public policy in driving systemic change and outsized educational outcomes for underrepresented learners.

Margo centers her work around leveling the playing field for all learners and catalyzing learning as a tool for transformational change.

She is also the founder of Yenko, an innovative financial aid planning tool that uses predictive analytics, real-time goal planning and productivity tools to help college students stay on track academically and financially. She previously served as Senior Manager for College Readiness and College Success at the Harlem Children’s Zone, overseeing seven programs and over 5000 students. She is also a founding member of Innovation for Equity which focuses on leveling the playing field for all learners.

Education: A.B., Harvard College, MA and M.B.A, Stanford Graduate School of Business

Jessica Gersh Wylie

Engagement Manager

Jessica is a Senior Research Associate at EdSolutions. She specializes in conducting quantitative research to deliver meaningful insights to her strategic project teams.

Jessica is passionate about generating social impact and is drawn to this work as she is able to combine her financial background with her love for education. She is thrilled to continue her work in transforming educational equity at EdSolutions.

Jessica joined EdSolutions with an extensive background in elementary teaching and senior school leadership in both New Orleans and Harlem. As a Teach For America alum, Jessica has dedicated her career to generating impact for underserved students.

Education: M.Ed., Johns Hopkins University, B.A., Tulane University

Jaya Yoo

MANAGING DIRECTOR OF CLIENT ENGAGEMENTS

Jaya uses her deep experience in launching product lines, portfolio management, and strategic communications to lead a team of education market experts to offer business planning and technical assistance services designed specifically to help mission-based organizations navigate the complexities of the preK-16 market. The team focuses on bringing rich market insights to help those organizations identify unique market opportunities that generate sustained growth and impact.

Jaya’s career has been immersed in communications and education. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President at Learning A-Z, a K-5 literacy-focused edtech. She built and led high-performing teams across product management, user experience and product design, content development and customer experience and successfully led the launch of two new “flagship” products and multiple customer-focused product enhancements. Prior to that, as Chief Product Officer at LEAP Innovations, Jaya led the scaling of the research, design, and impact of LEAP’s work. Jaya has spent much of her career at McGraw Hill, leading teams in K-12 literacy acceleration and literacy, professional development, college and career readiness, adult education and workforce development, and international markets – all while actively building out products, targeting key audiences and recognizing how best to reach them through progressively evolving marketing channels.

Education: M.A., The Ohio State University; B.A. Miami University, Ohio

Shirley Zhang

Associate

Shirley is a Research Associate at EdSolutions where she conducts analyses and develops research plans to provide innovative, data-driven solutions to mission-driven organizations dedicated to education equity.

As a current Education Pioneers fellow, Shirley is looking forward to learning how EdSolutions leverages change in the education space and how she can discover her voice in this mission. Shirley believes in the transformative power of equitable education and is motivated to ensure accessibility of educational resources to students who need them the most.

Prior to EdSolutions, Shirley was a project manager and data analyst within her role as a management consultant. It was in this role where she learned the art of storytelling through quantitative data and the impact it can have on shaping effective solutions. Shirley has also conducted co-design research for various community organizations, as well as worked to build increased awareness of post high school opportunities for New American students.

Education: B.S., The Ohio State University