Staff
Executive Director: Michael S. Martin, EdD
Michael Martin has worked as a classroom teacher, teacher leader, presenter, adjunct professor, consultant, and district administrator in Vermont, most recently as the Director of Learning for South Burlington School District. In 2009, he received a Rowland Foundation Fellowship to focus on learner engagement and worked as a Senior Associate for the Foundation for ten years. He has worked with Grant Wiggins, Angela Duckworth, and Katie Novak over the course of his career and was one of 100 education innovators invited to participate in the National Summit on Competency-Based Education in 2017. He co-created and offered The Vermont Leading Proficiency Series for The Great Schools Partnership in 2018. His work focuses on learner agency, equity, and school transformation.
Senior Associate: Jean Berthiaume
Jean Berthiaume is the Co-Principal of Winooski Middle/High School. Jean previously served as Principal of Fayston Elementary School, and as Associate Principal, Department Head and Social Studies teacher at Harwood Union High School. In 2009, he received a Rowland Foundation Fellowship to focus on democratizing school and nurturing a culture for authentic student voice. For the last 10 years, Jean has been a Senior Associate for the Foundation facilitating and supporting cohorts of Vermont educators in their teacher leadership work in their own schools via their change proposal initiatives. Jean's career has brought him to work with schools throughout Vermont and the U.S. and abroad in the Republic of Georgia, New Zealand, and Uganda, amongst other places. Jean is a SRI-trained facilitator and has worked extensively with the Vermont Folklife Center. His work focuses on collaborative practice, shared leadership, and community stakeholder engagement.
Senior Associate: Jeanie Phillips
Jeanie Phillips currently serves as Professional Development Coordinator at the University of Vermont's Tarrant Institute for Innovative Education (TIIE). She is the host & executive producer of the #vted Reads podcast and is a doctoral student in the UVM's Educational Leadership & Policy Studies program. In 2014, Jeanie received a Rowland Foundation Fellowship to focus on play, passion & purpose for all learners. Jeanie has served as Lead Facilitator at the School Reform Initiative (SRI) Annual Meeting and as an adjunct professor for UVM, Castleton University & Southern New Hampshire University. Her work focuses on educational equity, student engagement, and culturally responsive pedagogies.
Associate for Social Media & Technology: Lori Lisai
Lori Lisai is a Vermont-based educational consultant who has worked as a classroom teacher and technology integrationist. She most recently worked as the Innovation Coordinator at Lamoille Union Middle/High School. Her work with Bold Edventures focuses on design thinking and student-centered learning. In 2015, Lori received a Rowland Foundation Fellowship to focus on game-based learning. Lori designed the Geography of Self model for Personalized Learning Plans and has presented on personalized & proficiency-based learning. Her work focuses on student voice, flexible pathways, and personalized learning.
Executive Administrative Assistant: Abby Paige
Abby Paige brings a varied background in non-profit administration and the arts to her role at the Rowland Foundation. She has worked for more than two decades as a freelance writer, editor, and administrative support person for theater companies, film producers, software developers, and small non-profit organizations. Her creative work as a poet, playwright, and theater creator often addresses the influence of French-Canadian culture on northern New England, questions of ancestry and heritage, and storytelling as a way of making meaning. Born and raised in Vermont and educated in Vermont public schools, Abby is passionate about diversity and inclusion in education and honored to support the Rowland Fellows' innovative work.
