Nick Rodriguez is the leader of EDI’s K-12 practice. He is responsible for growing and maintaining a network of K-12 education systems that are changing the way they work to serve students. A member of the organization’s founding leadership team, Nick began his work at EDI as its Program Director, where he helped to develop and continuously refine EDI’s tools and practices for serving education leaders. He is also a co-author, with Sir Michael Barber, of “Deliverology 101,” a field guide for education leaders that is the basis of EDI’s approach to implementation. Nick began his career in education over a decade ago when he served as the student member of the California State Board of Education and as a youth advocate and trainer with the California Association of Student Councils. Prior to joining EDI, he was an engagement manager with McKinsey & Company’s education practice, where he advised education leaders on policy and implementation at the district, state, and national level in the U.S. and abroad. Nick holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy from Stanford University and a Master’s degree in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science, where he was a British Marshall Scholar.

Jamila Smith is a Content Lead for Technical Assistance for the Race to the Top States in the U.S. Department of Education. In this role, Jamila manages technical assistance for Race to the Top State grantees through the Department’s Reform Support Network (RSN) and leads the SEA Capacity Building Work Stream. This group serves to strengthen the organizational capacity of the SEAs by supporting their ability to implement and sustain their proposed Race to the Top reforms over time. Prior to joining the Department, Jamila was a Management Analyst for the Office of Naval Intelligence where she conducted a series of human capital studies such as strategic recruitment, skills gap analyses, and succession planning focusing primarily on mission readiness. Jamila also has worked for the U.S. Department of Education’s Risk Management Service, as well as the Title I and Title III program offices, supporting States in assessing their risk to program performance. Jamila’s commitment to education reform was solidified early in her career in her work as a social work advocate for homeless children, where she worked as a case manager for the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia and The Salvation Army’s Turning Point Program for Women and Children as an advocate for coordinated and timely assessment services for elementary aged children. Jamila holds a Bachelor’s degree in American Government from Georgetown University and a Master’s degree in Social Work from the Catholic University of America.

Danielle Smith is a Content Lead for Technical Assistance for Race to the Top States in the U.S. Department of Education’s Implementation and Support Unit. In this role, Danielle manages technical assistance for Race to the Top State grantees through the Department’s Reform Support Network (RSN) and leads the School Turnaround, Stakeholder Communications and Engagement, and Teacher and Leader Effectiveness/Standards and Assessments communities of practice. Additionally, Danielle leads technical assistance evaluation and manages strategic communications projects including the Department’s recently launched PROGRESS website. Prior to joining the Department, Danielle was a Program Manager at Mass Insight Education where she provided support to States and school districts to launch initiatives to turn around their lowest-performing schools focusing on building capacity for strategic planning, developing performance management systems, implementing lead partner market strategies and communications. Previously, Danielle worked at Georgetown University to connect higher education institutions with local communities and increase college access opportunities for all students. Danielle served as the university liaison to the local K-12 school system and community partners as the Director of the Ward 7 Initiative, a strategic community engagement initiative to match university resources to community and school needs and was a leader in the citywide Double the Numbers initiative to dramatically increase high school graduation and college going rates across the District of Columbia. Danielle holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Georgetown University and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy.

Corey primarily manages engagements with K-12 systems, supporting them as they use the delivery approach to improve outcomes for students. She works with education leaders to assess current capacity, set measurable goals and interim targets, plan to achieve those goals, and establish routines to continuously monitor progress and drive implementation. Prior to joining the EDI, Corey taught special education in Nashville, Tennessee. Corey holds a master’s in public policy from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s degree in Special Education from Vanderbilt University.