Board of Directors
LINDA BROWN
A leading charter school supporter, Linda Brown views charter schools as the engine that drives all schools to higher standards. She works along with education entrepreneurs as they break new ground in education reform. Ms. Brown founded the organization in 1993, and her work has been critical to the initial success of charter schools not only in Massachusetts but across the country. In addition to acting as the organization’s lead fund developer, Ms. Brown also works one-on-one with Fellows on issues related to governance, fund development, and mission. Before joining Building Excellent Schools, Ms. Brown was Associate Head of School at an independent school in Massachusetts.
CAROL CHANDLER
Carol Chandler is a senior partner in the law firm of Stoneman, Chandler & Miller LLP, and has practiced labor and employment law for more than 20 years. She has significant experience in dealing with issues which arise in the daily interaction of management and employees, and frequently lectures on employment and labor law issues at legal forums, before industry associations and management representatives of individual employers. Carol represents a large number of firms, corporations and employer associations in varied industries including construction, hospitality, communications, manufacturing, high technology, finance, and real estate management. Prior to beginning the practice of law, she served as Deputy Director of the City of Boston’s Office of Civil Rights and chaired the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women. She has served on numerous charitable and education boards, including the Lalor Foundation, Planned Parenthood of Massachusetts, and the Norbulingka Institute, USA. Carol is a graduate of Vassar College and Suffolk Law School.
MARK CULLITON
As Chief Executive Officer of College Bound Dorchester (formerly Federated Dorchester Neighborhood Houses), Mark Culliton is responsible for the organization’s financial, organizational and programmatic strength. A Dorchester resident, Mark brings extensive experience in leading educational endeavors in under resourced communities having previously served as the first Executive Director of Uphams Corner Main Streets and as the Chief Operating Officer of BELL, a non-profit organization that provides after-school and summer enrichment programs to 1,500 elementary school children in Boston, New York and Washington, D.C. Previously, he served as Vice President of Business Development for Lighthouse Academies, where he was responsible for developing new charter schools and helped to grow the organization from one school serving 120 students into a network of schools that serves more than 2,300 students in nine campuses. Mark was also the inaugural chair of the founding board of Boston Preparatory Charter Public School, founded by BES Fellow Scott McCue. He holds a BA in History from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the Yale School of Management.
STEPHEN KRAMER
Stephen Kramer is considered a thought-leader in the field of education with particular expertise in grades K-12 and the transition to college. He serves as the Managing Director of the European division of Bright Horizons. Stephen has overall responsibility for Bright Horizons operations and growth in the United Kingdom and Ireland. He recently transitioned from a leadership role at the parent company based in the United States. Before joining Bright Horizons, Stephen founded and led College Coach, a leading education company that successfully partners with leading multinational companies including AstraZeneca, IBM, Morgan Stanley, and PepsiCo. His company was acquired by Bright Horizons in 2006. Previously, he initiated and led the education practice at Fidelity Ventures, the venture capital arm of Fidelity Investments. While at Fidelity Ventures, he invested in and consulted to a number of education service companies. Prior to his experience at Fidelity, Stephen was a consultant with Arthur D. Little, where he directed high growth organizations in the areas of strategy and operations. He studied at the London School of Economics and graduated with highest distinction from Babson College and the Harvard Business School. Stephen sits on a number of corporate and non-profit boards in addition to Building Excellent Schools.
ANITA LANDECKER
Anita Landecker is Executive Director of ExED, a nonprofit organization that develops and manages public charter schools in inner-city neighborhoods in Southern California. Before joining ExED in 1999, Anita was Regional Vice President for the western operations of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), the largest community development organization in the nation. During her 12 years at LISC, Anita was also the Managing Director of the California Equity Fund (CEF), a LISC subsidiary, which syndicated the benefits of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit. While at LISC and CEF, she raised more than $500 million for investment in affordable housing in inner-city neighborhoods. She has taught at UCLA and the University of Southern California, served on the Los Angeles Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation Land Trust, CD Tech, and Menorah Housing Foundation. Anita earned an MS in urban planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
STEVEN WILSON
Steven Wilson is a Senior Fellow at Education Sector in Washington, DC. He is a former Executive Vice President for Product Development at Edison Schools and Senior Fellow at the Center for Business and Government of the John F. Kennedy School of Government. His book, Learning on the Job: When Business Takes on Public Schools, examines the first decade of private management of public schools and was awarded the Virginia and Warren Stone Prize. Steven founded and currently serves as CEO of Ascend Learning, a NYC-based non-profit urban charter school management company. He was special assistant for strategic planning for Massachusetts Governor William Weld. He advised the governor on education policy during the passage and implementation of the state’s 1993 comprehensive education reform act. He also oversaw the administration’s privatization programs and drafted the governor’s plan to reorganize state government. Steven’s earlier book, Reinventing the Schools: A Radical Plan for Boston, led to the establishment of the Massachusetts charter school law, which he drafted.
SHANTELLE D. WRIGHT
Shantelle D. Wright is the Founder and Head of School of Achievement Preparatory Academy, a District of Columbia public charter school that opened its doors in 2008. Achievement Prep’s mission is to prepare students in grades 4-8 to excel as high-achieving scholars and leaders in high school, college and beyond. In its first year of operation, Achievement Prep scholars were some of the highest-performing children in the District, with 82% of Achievement Prep scholars scoring advanced or proficient in math on the 2009 DC CAS, and 100% of Achievement Prep’s 5th grade scoring proficient or advanced. Achievement Prep was founded as a direct result of Shantelle’s work as a Building Excellent Schools Fellow in 2006-2007. Before entering the Fellowship, Shantelle served as an administrator at an urban public charter school in Washington, D.C. She also practiced commercial real estate law for several years in the District of Columbia. Shantelle holds a BA from Hampton University and a JD from the George Washington School of Law.