About Us

Leadership

About UTRU

UTRU’s Core Values

We are a voluntary network built in service to the partners
We believe in building results-oriented programs with clear and measurable targets
We are committed to candid conversations, feedback and sharing and learning from our mistakes as much as from our successes
We focus on work best served by acting as a network rather than as individual programs
We believe in the core principles of the Residency model, but accept programmatic differences and strive to promote quality rather than particular tactics
Our network is rooted in collective knowledge and early results, and we believe others should have access to and learn from this work
We are committed to finding network-wide metrics that will allow us to speak a “common language” when sharing our results and impact

Our management team and board of directors oversee all of the organization's efforts, ensuring that UTRU continues to deliver on its core values and provide dedicated service to the partners.

UTRU Staff

Anissa Listak, Executive Director

Anissa Listak has 15 years of experience in the private and non-profit sectors. Before founding UTRU in 2007, Anissa worked at the Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL) as Director of Development & Community Relations, where she experienced success in raising several million dollars for their Residency program. Prior to joining AUSL, Anissa worked for City Year, and helped to bring the organization from a $1 million deficit to a surplus through board development, organizational capacity building, marketing efforts and a comprehensive citywide effort to raise awareness of City Year's work. She has direct experience in business and non-profit development, organizational capacity building, fundraising, strategic planning and board development. Anissa has a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the University of Dayton and a Master of Science in Public Service Management from DePaul University. As Executive Director, Anissa directs the daily operations of UTRU, as well as national fundraising efforts, policy and advocacy, and network development.

Tamara Azar, Policy Director

Tamara Azar has focused on state and federal education policy around educator quality, preparation, training, and evaluation for more than 12 years. As a consultant for the US Department of Education she has had extensive experience in education policy and the educator lifecycle, especially the critical role of teachers and school leaders to change school climate and impact student achievement. Tamara's work on the teacher quality provisions of ESEA, HEA, and the Teacher Incentive Fund provides her with a unique K-16 perspective on the impact of well-trained and high-performing teachers. Tamara taught special education for two years in New Orleans with Teach for America. After teaching, she received a Master of Education Policy from the University of Virginia and holds a Bachelor's in English from Mary Washington College. As Policy Director, Tamara is working to develop UTRU's first policy agenda and advocating for network partner programs within the changing landscape of state and federal education teacher policy.

Vernee Green, Residency for Residencies Program Director

Vernee R. Green has nearly 15 years of experience in the education and nonprofit sectors. She has worked as a teacher in Chicago Public Schools, a guidance counselor and Director of the Office of Student Life at a charter school on Chicago's west side, and an adjunct faculty member at Triton Community College and Governors State University. She has also worked on policy issues at the state level. Most recently, Vernee worked in the School of Education at Dominican University, where she was responsible for developing partnerships between the university and school districts throughout the Chicago region and helped to restructure the curriculum with an emphasis on school-based field experiences. Vernee earned a Bachelor of Arts from Illinois Wesleyan University, and a Master of Arts from the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago, where she was a recipient of the McCormick-Tribune Fellowship in Urban and Community Leadership. As the Residency for Residencies Program Director, Vernee is responsible for the development and implementation of UTRU's signature program, the RRP.

Jill Harvieux Pitner, Director of Innovation

Jill Pitner has close to 20 years of experience in education. Before joining UTRU, Jill co-developed the first district based residency program in the country, the Denver Teacher Residency (DTR). As DTR Manager of Program and Curriculum, she collaborated with faculty from The University of Denver Morgridge College of Education (DU) to develop a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction for elementary and secondary math candidates with a focus on Linguistically Diverse Learners and Special Education. Ms. Pitner worked with multiple stakeholders to select host school sites, mentor teachers and adjunct professors, aligning program, curriculum and evaluation to meet the needs of Denver Public Schools' students. Jill has been a staff developer, mentor and teacher at DU and Denver Public Schools. She earned her bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from the University of Iowa and master's degree in Linguistically Diverse Education from the University of Colorado at Denver. As Director of Innovation, Jill identifies and analyzes innovative teacher preparation strategies to communicate alternative approaches to improve teacher effectiveness to our Network Partners.

Christine Brennan, Program Manager

Christine Brennan has worked in urban public education for the past five years. Most recently, Christine served as an English Language Arts Instructional Coach in Chicago Public Schools. In this role, she supported high schools in the implementation of an inquiry-based curriculum. In addition to planning and facilitating citywide professional development, she provided school-based support to teachers in the form of observation feedback, model lessons and co-teaching. She also assisted teachers in the use of formative assessment data to drive instructional decision-making. Before becoming a coach, Christine took an alternative route to teacher certification by participating in the New York City Teaching Fellows program, where she spent two years teaching high school English in Brooklyn. Her background in teaching also includes time spent as a Humanities teacher at Salem Academy Charter School, a school focused on college preparation and service to the community. Christine earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Colby College and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Brooklyn College. As a member of the RRP team, Christine supports and consults emerging Residencies, and takes a lead role in developing and delivering curriculum for RRP institutes.

Shari Dickstein, Program Manager

Shari Dickstein has over a decade of experience in education. She has worked as a social studies teacher in New York City and an adjunct faculty member in Teacher Education at New York University, and is currently completing her doctorate in Education Policy and Instruction at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her research focuses on alternative teacher preparation programs' capacity to develop and sustain efficacious, high-quality teachers for urban schools. At Harvard, Shari worked as an Advisor for the Teacher Education Program, providing school-based instructional support to candidates and mentors in various school settings around Boston. Most recently, Shari served as a consultant for the Sonoma County Office of Education, aiding their efforts in systemic instructional reform. She has also consulted for the Boston Teacher Residency, Buck Institute for Education, and the Stuart Foundation, supporting these organizations with various instructional, research, and grant evaluation initiatives, as well as authored several articles and book chapters on teaching and teacher education. She holds a Masters in Teaching from New York University, a Master of Education from Harvard, and a Bachelor's in Government from Cornell University. As a member of the Residency for Residencies team, Shari supports and advises emerging Residencies and takes a lead role in developing and delivering curriculum for RRP institutes.

Diana Hagans, Finance and Operations Manager

Diana Hagans has more than five years of experience in the education and non-profit sectors. She began her career as a Teach For America corps member in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, where she taught middle school language arts for three years. Prior to joining UTRU she was the founding Campus Director of the Citizen Schools after school program at Sharpstown Middle School in Houston, Texas. There she extended the school day for 85 middle school students, supervising seven staff members and building community among teachers, administrators, students, families, and volunteers. Diana has a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Spanish from Indiana University. As the Finance and Operations Manager, Diana manages the daily operations of the office to maximize productivity and oversees organization finances.

UTRU Board of Directors

Kerri Briggs (Secretary)

Director for Education Reform
George W. Bush Institute

Joanna Jacobson (Chair)

Managing Director
Strategic Grant Partners

Talia Milgrom-Elcott

Program Officer, Urban Education
Carnegie Corporation of New York

Lisa Morrison Butler

Chief Impact Officer and Executive Director
City Year Chicago

Scott R. Palmer

Managing Partner
EducationCounsel, LLC

Jim Rechtin (Treasurer)

Partner
Bain & Company

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