Institute on Leadership: We
deliver professional and peer learning for annual, select cohorts
of Wheelhouse Fellows — campus presidents, superintendent/
presidents and district chancellors. We focus on leading
change, performance analytics, individual and organizational
agility, and research and policy know-how. Throughout, we build
lasting peer networks. Learn more about the Leadership
Institutes here.
Actionable Research: We bring research to
practice by disseminating timely, digestible, independent briefs
to decision-make audiences at the state, regional and local
levels. Download our research briefs:
Before joining Wheelhouse, Ms. Cooper served as an independent
consultant and as longtime advisor on pre-K-to-14 education
issues for the leader of the California State Senate. In that
role, she shaped and shepherded the Pro Tem’s education agenda,
provided counsel on education budget matters, and led multi-year
campaigns to increase quality pre-kindergarten opportunities for
low-income children, reduce the number of high school dropouts,
and strengthen high school-post-secondary pathways.
Michal Kurlaender investigates students’ educational pathways, in
particular K-12 and postsecondary alignment, and access to and
success in postsecondary schooling. She has expertise on
alternative pathways to college and college readiness at both
community colleges and four-year colleges and universities. In
addition to working with national data, Kurlaender works closely
with administrative data from all three of California’s public
higher education sectors–the University of California, the
California State University and the California Community College
systems.
Betsey Friedmann is a postdoctoral researcher at the California
Education Lab and Wheelhouse Center. She received her Ph.D. in
Education with an emphasis in School Organization and Educational
Policy from the University of California, Davis. Her research
focuses on issues related to college access and success,
including financial aid and transfer pathways from community
colleges.
Anna Lawrence comes to Wheelhouse with over 18 years of
experience with nonprofits and government agencies. Prior to
coming to UC Davis, Anna was an Assistant Program Director for
AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps. There, she did
outreach and developed service-learning projects in four states
and supported leadership development programming for 18-24 year
olds. She has worked in event production, foster care, youth
mentoring, education, grantmaking, and was an AmeriCorps
volunteer, as well. Anna obtained her M.A.
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