Using ESSER Funds to Create Sustainable Investments in Students

November 17, 3:00 pm ET

Join education, nonprofit and foundation leaders to discuss the opportunities created by the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund. We'll highlight efforts toward sustainable investments that districts can maintain and improve over time, rather than relying on philanthropic funding, once ESSER funds run out.

Speakers:
Dr. Andi Fourlis, superintendent of Mesa (AZ) Public Schools; Dr. Kent McGuire, program director of education at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; Jonathan Travers, managing partner at Education Resource Strategies; Holly Williams, associate superintendent of Mesa (AZ) Public Schools.

This event is intended for members and other education grantmakers. The session will run for one hour.

There is no cost to attend this Grantmakers for Education program. Registration closes 15 minutes prior to the program time. Thank you for your patience; we review each registration in advance.

About the Speakers

Dr. Andi Fourlis
Superintendent
Mesa (AZ) Public Schools

Dr. Andi Fourlis is the superintendent at Mesa Public Schools. Her career began in 1992 as a teacher in the Washington Elementary School District in Phoenix. She joined the Scottsdale Unified School District in 1996 where she spent 19 years as a teacher, director, executive director and assistant superintendent. In 2015 she joined the Arizona Science Center as the Chief Learning Officer. In 2017 she joined Mesa Public Schools as the assistant superintendent of teaching and learning and later served as deputy superintendent.

Throughout her career she has used strategic thinking to ignite meaningful learning for students and adults. Andi’s education includes a bachelor’s degree in elementary education with a focus on English as a Second Language from Arizona State University, a Master’s degree from Northern Arizona University, and a doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies from Arizona State University. It was during her doctoral work that she truly learned the power of public education and its impact on social justice and social cohesion.

She is a native of Arizona and began her schooling in Mesa Public Schools. She and her husband, Ted, have been married for 29 years and they have three daughters.

Dr. Kent McGuire
Program Director of Education
William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

Kent McGuire is the Program Director of Education at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. He leads the investments of our teaching and learning and open educational resources strategies, with a focus on helping all students succeed in college, work and civic life. Kent is a veteran of the national education movement for public education.

Previously, Kent was the President and CEO of the Southern Education Foundation, an organization committed to advancing public education in the American South, with a focus on equity and excellence. Prior to that, he served as the Dean of the College of Education at Temple University and was a tenured professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies.

From 2001 to 2003, Kent was a senior vice president at the Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation, where he split his time between research projects on school reform and directing its department on education, children and youth. He has also been an education program officer at the Pew Charitable Trusts and directed the education program at the Lilly Endowment. Kent served as Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education from 1998 to 2001.

Kent earned his Ph.D. in public administration from the University of Colorado, an M.A. from Columbia University Teacher’s College, and a B.A in economics from the University of Michigan. He serves on the boards of the Wallace Foundation, the Institute for Education Leadership, and the Panasonic Foundation.

Jonathan Travers
Managing Partner, Consulting
Education Resource Strategies (ERS)

Jonathan is responsible for ensuring that ERS’s footprint in the field maximizes our organization’s impact. This includes guiding our consulting project work in ways that respond to the felt needs of system leaders and that push toward transformational change in our partner school systems, while also ensuring that our work contributes to broader organizational and field knowledge around resource allocation, resource use, and school and system design.

Jonathan is also responsible for ERS’s CFO Strategy Networks, having led the ERS Aspen CFO Strategy Network since 2015 and having launched our California, Texas, Washington, and Large Countywide Consortium CFO Strategy Networks over the last 5 years. He is the lead author of The Strategic CFO, which serves as anchor curriculum for these networks.

Over the last 15 years, Jonathan has led projects in more than 20 of our nation’s largest districts, including resource equity diagnostic work in Dallas and Montgomery County, school funding system design work in Atlanta and Cleveland, and implementation support work in Charlotte and Denver. In 2017, he led the creation of the Alliance for Resource Equity, a partnership with the Education Trust. He’s authored dozens of publications and is regularly quoted in EdWeek, The74, and other media.

Prior to joining ERS, Jonathan cultivated his commitment to educational equity and the strategic use of resources as the Vice President of Finance and Administration at Teach For America, Budget Director of the D.C. Public Schools, an analyst in the Education Branch of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and as an elementary teacher in the Compton Unified School District.

A graduate of Yale College and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Jonathan spends time outside of work rock climbing and cheering at his sons’ performances and competitions.

Holly Williams
Associate Superintendent
Mesa (AZ) Public Schools

Holly Williams is the Associate Superintendent for Mesa Public School in Mesa, AZ. She began her career as a high school English teacher and Dean of Students in the Chandler Unified School District. Holly has been a part of Mesa Public Schools for 22 years and has served as an Assistant Principal and High School Principal before transitioning to a district-level position. As a district-level leader, Holly has been the Assistant Superintendent for Special Education, an Area Assistant Superintendent (East Area and High Schools) and the Chief of Staff. Holly graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English from Arizona State University and a master’s degree from Northern Arizona University. Holly serves on the National Board for the Speech and Debate Association, the COPA Health Board of Directors and has previously served on the Arizona Adult Resources Board of Directors.