Our Team

Angela Allie joined the IFL as its executive director in 2022. She has more than 20 years’ experience in systemic school change, culturally relevant teaching, and professional learning for racial equity in K to 12 settings. Prior to joining the IFL, she was the executive director of Pittsburgh Public Schools’ Equity Office, where she worked to ensure educational equity across all PPS schools as part of the district’s equity plan. Before that, Angela was the principal of Propel Andrew Street High School. She began her career as an English teacher at Pittsburgh Oliver High School, where she helped implement culturally relevant instructional teaching.

Angela obtained both her master’s degree in Secondary Education and bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Hampton University. She received the Equity Leadership Recognition Award from the Summit for Courageous Conversation and was K. LeRoy Irvis pre-doctoral fellow at the University of Pittsburgh and an inaugural graduate student fellow with the Duquesne University Center for Educational Leadership and Social Justice.

A Pittsburgh native, Angela has been recognized for her vision, leadership, exceptional achievements, and service. Over the years, she has been named a 50 Women of Excellence recipient, a Fab 40 by the New Pittsburgh Courier, a Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Leader, and a Barbara L. Jackson Scholar.

Aaron Anthony is the Director of Analytics and Operations at the IFL at the University of Pittsburgh. In this role, he leads data analysis and works with IFL partners on making data-based education decisions. Additionally, he coordinates with the IFL leadership team to oversee day-to-day operations at the IFL.

Aaron is a former high school English teacher and completed his PhD from the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh in 2017. His academic and research interests include quantitative research methods, economics of education, postsecondary access and persistence, and network and improvement science. Aaron’s research has been published in such outlets at Education Finance and Policy and the Journal of Student Financial Aid. Aaron also holds a MS in Leadership in Organizational Studies from Robert Morris University and a BS in Secondary Education from Penn State University.

Anthony Petrosky co-directs the IFL with Chris Schunn and Lindsay Clare Matsumura at the Learning Research & Development Center (LRDC). He holds a joint appointment as a professor in the School of Education and the English Department, and was recently the associate dean in the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh. He has worked with professional learning and curriculum development in English and literacy for school and district leaders in the public schools of Austin, Boston, Dallas, Denver, El Paso, New York City, Fort Worth, Prince George’s County, and Pittsburgh. He headed up the design team to develop assessment prototypes in English language arts and literacy for the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC). He was the principal investigator and co-director of the Early Adolescence English Language Arts Assessment Development Lab for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards that developed the first national board certification for English teachers. He has also served as co-director of the Western Pennsylvania Writing Project. Anthony was a senior researcher for the MacArthur Foundation’s Higher Literacies Studies, where he was responsible for conducting and writing case studies on literacy efforts in the Denver, Pittsburgh, Toronto, and Ruleville and Mound Bayou school districts in the Mississippi Delta. He is past chair of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Committee on Research and a past elected member of the NCTE Research Foundation. He currently co-directs The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded IFL Network for School Improvement in partnership with 14 Dallas ISD schools, the Learning Research Development Center, and the Center for Urban Education.

Anthony’s first collection of poetry, Jurgis Petraskas, received the Walt Whitman Award from the Academy of American Poets and a Notable Book Award from the American Library Association. He has published two other collections of poetry, Red and Yellow Boat and Crazy Love. Along with David Bartholomae, Anthony is the co-author and co-editor of five books: Facts, Artifacts, and Counterfacts: Theory and Method for a Reading and Writing Course; The Teaching of Writing; Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers; Ways of Reading Words and Images; and History and Ethnography: Reading and Writing About Others. With Stephanie McConachie, he co-edited Content Matters: A Disciplinary Literacy Approach to Improving Student Learning.

With a teacher’s servant heart and a vision for equitable access to high-quality learning for all students, Denise Collier has served public schools and students in Texas and across the nation for over 30 years. At the national level, Denise served as a member of the Council of the Great City School’s standards review committee and as a member of the Department of Education’s No Child Left Behind technical advisory panel. At the state level, she coordinated the development of a field guide for a New Vision for Public Education in Texas for the Texas Association of School Administrators. At the local level, she led teaching and learning systems in several Texas school districts, most recently as Chief Academic Officer of the Dallas public schools. Denise’s work as a teacher, teacher coach, curriculum and instruction expert, and district-level leader has always been rooted in the firm belief that, as Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.”

As a beneficiary of public schooling, Denise grasps the personal, familial, and community advancements made possible through access to high-quality education. In her current work as a fellow with the IFL at the University of Pittsburgh, Denise supports equity-centered, college-ready literacy efforts in Dallas public schools to ensure that many more learners reap the benefits of a high-quality education. With the next generation of learners in mind, Denise is an adjunct professor in doctoral programs at Texas State University and Baylor University supporting the learning and development of future school district superintendents and senior-level leaders.

A native of Texas, Denise received a bachelor’s degree in Education from Angelo State University, a master’s degree in Reading Education from East Texas State University, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Texas at Austin.

Sara DeMartino joined the IFL at the University of Pittsburgh in July of 2011 as a member of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) assessment prototype team. As a fellow, she works with educators in various school districts on research, curriculum development, and professional development. She is currently the lead designer of professional development experience for the Network for School Improvement grant team, collaborating with educators in Dallas ISD to increase the number of students of color, low-income students, special education students, and English learners who are college and career ready by the end of 9th grade using improvement science methods.

Sara began her career in education as an English language arts teacher in Hillsborough County, FL. She earned her PhD in Language, Literacy, and Culture at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research interests include writing, peer review, and the use of technology in ELA classrooms. Sara’s most recent publications are “Secondary students’ perceptions of peer review of writing,” published in Research in the Teaching of English, and “In their own words” published in The Learning Professional. Sara is a co-author of the revised National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) position statement on the role of English teachers in educating English Language Learners, and the forthcoming NCTE position statement on adolescent literacy.

Joseph Dostilio is a mathematics fellow at the IFL. He writes and graphically designs curricula, assessments, intervention materials, and other educational products. Joe also works with partner districts to develop and deliver training for teachers, instructional leaders, and administrators, both face-to-face and in virtual environments.

Before joining the IFL, Joe taught secondary math courses in the Pittsburgh area, where he also wrote curriculum for the Pittsburgh Public School District. Following that, Joe worked with Pearson to design professional development for several curricula, including Connected Mathematics Project 3 (CMP3) and CME Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, and Precalculus.

Joe holds a BA in Sociology from the Pennsylvania State University. He earned his Master of Arts in Secondary Education from Duquesne University.

Kristin Klingensmith is a mathematics fellow at the IFL who works directly with teachers, instructional coaching, and building and district leaders to enhance and improve K-8 mathematics instruction. Since her time as a classroom teacher, she has been committed to creating space for students to connect their lived experiences in the world to their instructional experiences. An avid believer in the intersection of mathematics and literacy, Kristin strives to find ways to integrate opportunities for reading, writing, speaking, and listening into conceptual mathematics instruction. This integration is clearly evidenced in the SOAR and COVE instructional materials and the Math Planning Essential (MPE) guides which she developed in collaboration with others on the math team. Kristin serves as the digital newsletter Editor of Bridges to Learning.

A life-long advocate of antiracism and antiracist leadership while working diligently and passionately for children who have been marginalized and poorly educated because of race, poverty, geographical location, or any imposed condition is the work of Dr. Glenn Nolly. His education career spans 35 years in the Austin Independent School District in Austin, Texas, where he served as teacher, principal, area superintendent, associate superintendent, and director of professional development. One of the many significant accomplishments of his career is successfully retooling an underperforming high school to build an Advanced Placement program that mirrored the population of the school. His knowledge of developing and supporting communities of practice transformed a group of high school principals into a functional professional learning community. Other areas of expertise include development and evaluation of effective leadership practices, processes and programs.

In addition to being a senior fellow at the IFL, Glenn is an assistant professor of practice at The University of Texas at Austin in the College of Education. Prior to joining the IFL as a fellow, he was a consultant working for the IFL on several projects in various districts across the country including Austin, Texas.

Glenn earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of North Texas, a Master of Education from Texas State University, and a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin. His research interest includes the marginalization of African-American students and their overrepresentation in suspensions and special education.

Brenda Lizbeth Robles is a mathematics fellow at the IFL. Native to the Golden State, as a dual-language Spanish teacher, she is passionate about equity, advocacy for student voice and agency, and teaching mathematics to multilingual learners. Brenda received her Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of California, Irvine, where she was awarded the President’s Educator Fellowship award. She also received her Bachelor of Arts in Liberal studies from California State University, San Bernardino. Brenda also enjoys spending time with family and being part of a running community.

Cheryl Sandora, Ph.D., has been a research associate at the Learning Research and Development Center for 20 years. Currently, she is an English language arts fellow at the IFL, an outreach of the University of Pittsburgh. With a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, Cheryl has extensive experience designing curricular materials and reviewing district curricula. In addition, she works with districts throughout the country facilitating professional development sessions and supporting classroom-based instruction. Prior to her work at the IFL, Cheryl worked closely with Drs. Isabel Beck and Margaret McKeown conducting classroom-based research and coaching teachers and district specialists on instructional practices targeted toward vocabulary and comprehension. She recently coauthored the book Robust Comprehension Instruction with Questioning the Author: 15 Years Smarter.

Prior to her work at the University of Pittsburgh and the IFL, Cheryl was a professor in the Education Department at Bethany College in Bethany, WV, where she taught ELA methods courses and was instrumental in designing courses for their newly created graduate school. In addition, Cheryl was the director of their pre-service program where she oversaw all field placements as well as supervised pre-service teachers at their sites. As a classroom teacher, she has experience at all three levels-elementary, middle, and high school.

Laurie Speranzo, a mathematics fellow for the IFL, works in districts with elementary and middle school math teachers, math supervisors, and math coaches. She designs and delivers professional development, and she writes curriculum materials.

Laurie taught elementary and middle school grades for almost 10 years before she became a math coach in the New York City Public Schools, where she coached math and science teachers in pre-kindergarten through grade 12. Subsequently, she took a job with a math education non-profit based at Northeastern University that consulted to schools in the greater Boston area, where she coached math teachers; designed and presented math professional development for administrators, teachers, and after-school program coordinators; and taught graduate and undergraduate math content and methods classes. In recent years, Laurie has presented at several regional and national conferences on math education.

As a contributor to an Institute of Education Sciences grant on coaching and an MSP grant on connections between math and science, Laurie has continued to research and design lessons and tools around math coaching and cross-curricular teaching opportunities.

Beatriz T. Font Strawhun is a an IFL Mathematics Fellow Multilingual Learner Specialist. She designs and delivers professional development to both elementary and middle school teachers. 

Beatriz has always straddled research and practice in an effort to improve her practice and to help others improve in the teaching of mathematics.  She has worked all over the U. S. from Kindergarten to the university setting. Her roles have included that of a math specialist, a professional developer, a researcher, a university educator, a dual-language teacher, an elementary teacher and a middle school math teacher. Beatriz’s current concentration is on best practices for teaching mathematics to multilingual learners. She works to provide equitable opportunity and engagement to all learners of mathematics. Her favorite job by far though, is that of mom to her 3 beautiful daughters. 

Shamira Underwood is a Mathematics fellow at the IFL. She is from Braddock, Pennsylvania and is an advocate for bridging opportunity gaps for learners attending schools in communities that have been historically marginalized.

Before joining the IFL, she taught in Early Childhood and Elementary classrooms within the Pittsburgh Public School District, where she served for nearly 20 years. To express her advocacy and passion for equitable pedagogy, Shamira operated in roles that allowed her to write and co-write curriculum within the district and community organizations; coach, evaluate, and collaborate with teachers on instructional improvement; research and implement ideas for improvement to recruit, retain, and mentor teachers of color as part of an equity team, as well as facilitate professional learning opportunities to promote positive school and discipline culture.

Shamira received her Bachelor of Science in Education from Clarion University in December of 2004 and went on to obtain her Master of Education Degree in Curriculum and Instruction in May of 2010 from Gannon University. She has received many honors, one of which is the Distinguished Achievement Award (2022) from the Pittsburgh Public School Board for her work as a Yale National Fellow.

Carol Chestnut, an instructional developer for the IFL, works primarily with the math team to develop materials and products associated with mathematics professional development in school districts.

Before joining the IFL, Carol acted as the training manager for Heinz Pittsburgh factory. For over 20 years, she engaged in employee development, training and communications through assessing and identifying developmental needs, designing curriculum, developing training procedures, delivering training, developing surveys, conducting focus groups, analyzing data, consulting with management to plan training initiatives, facilitating meetings, testing, project management, hiring, and database project management. Her work encompassed all levels of the organization from management, to quality, to safety, and to line operators.

Carol holds a BA degree in Psychology from Duquesne University and a MEdin Mental Health Counseling from Northeastern University.

T. Faith Milazzo is the director of professional services for the IFL. She began her career at the IFL as a content developer for the science and leadership teams. After several years of collaborating with the IFL fellows editing and formatting high-quality professional development materials and internal documents, Faith began editing learning plans and proposals as the products and contract manager, helping to strengthen the administrative process. In addition to those roles, she also works as the content developer on the Gates Network for School Improvement grant project.

A grammar guru and a champion of consistency, Faith has created over a dozen training and process documents for the IFL and continues to look for ways to help the IFL get better at getting better.

Faith graduated from the Pennsylvania State University with a BS in Secondary English Education. She has taught elementary, secondary, and college students in private and public schools as well as mentored youth in an after-school program for at-risk children. Before coming to the IFL, Faith was an editor and project manager for a communications design firm.

In her spare time, Faith spearheads the award-winning Penn Hills Anti-Litter Group, the suburban-Pittsburgh community initiative she founded in 2017, and she is a board member of the Penn Hills Community Development Corporation. In 2020, she was awarded the inaugural Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Community Pride Award in recognition of outstanding commitment to environmental stewardship and community improvement efforts.

Kim Rugh is the project and communications manager for the IFL. In this role, she supports the IFL fellows who partner directly with the Dallas Independent School District as they help students develop the reading and writing skills they need to succeed in college, career, and beyond. In addition, she works with IFL staff to plan and implement marketing activities that grow awareness of the important work of the IFL.

Kim is a native of Pittsburgh and graduated from Penn State University with a BA in advertising/marketing. Before joining the IFL, she spent 20+ years working in advertising agencies where she developed strategic plans and marketing campaigns for businesses and non-profits. 

Always a champion for early childhood literacy, Kim spent several years as an elementary school librarian with the primary goal of helping to instill of a love of reading her students.

Michael Telek serves as the media coordinator for the IFL. Before joining the team, he served as marketing manager for ExpenseAnywhere in Monroeville, PA. This preceded a career in journalism that included multi-media journalist roles in award-winning newsrooms at KDKA (Pittsburgh), WHIO (Dayton), and WTOV (Steubenville). Telek earned his BA in Journalism from Edinboro University in 2014.

Tracy Tomei is the Manager of Instructional Design and Product Development for the IFL. Before joining the IFL, she worked in the graphic design field for over a decade with most of that time spent in higher education. As a designer, she gained experience in marketing, social media, web design, project management and development, instructional design, research, and more.  In 2020, Tracy completed her Masters in Library and Information Science at Pitt with a focus on teaching and learning. Tracy also holds a BS in Graphic Design from Pennsylvania College of Technology.