Prior to joining the Department, Mr. Guerrero served at the state level as former Executive Director of American Indian Education at the Oklahoma State Department of Education. Mr. Guerrero brings a wealth of knowledge on topics regarding how to build and sustain meaningful partnerships with tribal communities. His portfolio includes tribal gaming regulatory management, state K-12 education policy, and local nonprofit administration.

Victoria has worked at the U.S. Department of Education (ED) for 12 years in multiple offices across ED. She started in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, supporting States to meet the assessment and accountability requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education of 1965, as amended. From there, she supported policy development in the Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development (OPEPD), oversaw a team of research analysts conducting evaluations of various ED programs in the Policy and Program Studies Service in OPEPD, and finally returned back to OESE to oversee a team of analysts charged with supporting grantees to build and use evidence in their ED-funded grants. 

Patricia Meyertholen joined OME in June of 2010, bringing with her over twenty years-experience working with the Migrant Education Program (MEP). Prior to joining the Department, Ms. Meyertholen did just about everything related to the MEP, including working for the MEP at the Texas Education Agency for 15 years, directing a 17-state consortium grant for migrant secondary aged out-of-school youth, and working for the Indiana MEP as a recruiter, tutor, program evaluator, and assistant director. Before working in the Indiana MEP, Pat taught high school Math and Spanish for a number of years in Indiana, California, and Louisiana. Ms. Meyertholen received a B.A. in Secondary Education from Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, and an M.A. in Spanish Literature from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. Currently, Pat serves as the Group Leader for the MEP.

Jenay Morrisey is a Management and Program Analyst with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Non-Public Education. In this role, she assists in developing federal education program regulations and guidance and provides technical assistance that serve to promote program responsiveness and effectiveness relating to the equitable participation of private school students and teachers under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Prior to joining the U.S. Department of Education, she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco where she taught English and life skills courses and developed programs promoting women’s involvement in higher education and extracurricular activities. Ms. Morrisey earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Master of Arts in Counseling and Guidance from the University of Missouri. 

Faatimah Muhammad is the Director for the Impact Aid Program. Prior to joining the Department, she worked as an Instructional Systems Specialist for the U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity and as an Assistant Director for AVID Center, Colorado. She also held various positions in DeKalb County Schools System, Georgia.

Hamed Negron-Perez is the Group Leader for the Title IV-A Student Support and Academic Enrichment Group (SSAE) in the Office of Safe and Supportive Schools. He is the Program Manager for ED’s School Emergency Response to Violence (SERV) grant program and serves as the Contract’s Office Representative for the Title IV-A TA Center. Hamed is a former Secondary School Principal and Science Teacher with over 14 years of experience. And, retired from the US Navy Reserves after 25 years of service.

Leslie Poynter is the Group Leader for the Rural Education Achievement Programs (REAP) at the U.S. Department of Education (Department). She brings to this role experience as a program officer in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education as well as in the Office of Special Education Programs. Prior to joining the Department, Leslie taught at a junior high school near Phoenix, Arizona. Leslie holds a B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara; an M.Ed. from Arizona State University; and a J.D. from the University of California, Davis.

Patrick Rooney is the Director of School Support and Accountability. He oversees several key components of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), including 21st Century Community Learning Centers; Title I, Part A; Title I, Part D; Title II; Title III; State Assessment Grants; Competitive Grants for State Assessments; McKinney-Vento Homeless Education; Well-Rounded Education through Student-Centered Funding; and 21st Century Community Learning Centers Out of School Time Career Pathway programs. Together, these programs award more than $20 billion annually to states and districts.

Prior to this, Patrick was the Deputy Director in the Office of State Support from 2014 to 2018, where he oversaw many of these same programs. Patrick previously helped lead the work of the Reform Support Network, providing technical assistance to states implementing comprehensive Race to the Top reforms, and the Race to the Top Assessment program, which provided grants to groups of states to develop new assessments aligned to state’s college and career ready standards. Patrick also worked in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education supporting states implement their accountability and assessment systems. 

Patrick previously worked in the DC Office of State Superintendent of Education, where he was a senior policy advisor and worked on a variety of K-12 issues in the District of Columbia. He started his career as a statistician in the National Center for Education Statistics, analyzing education trends for a variety of topics in the Congressionally mandated annual report, The Condition of Education. 

Danielle Smith serves as Director for the Office of Program and Grantee Support Services in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) at the U.S. Department of Education.  Ms. Smith oversees technical assistance programs serving all States and U.S. territories including the Comprehensive Centers Program, the Equity Assistance Centers, and other national technical assistance centers. Ms. Smith leads planning, implementing, and evaluating technical assistance activities and coordinates OESE’s support to grantees. Ms. Smith previously led technical assistance initiatives in the Office of State Support for Elementary and Secondary Education Act programs including Title I, Title II Part A, Title  III, ESEA flexibility, School Improvements Grants, Race to the Top, and Equitable Access including in the State Support Network, the Equitable Access Support Network and the Reform Support Network.