The Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP) is a national professional development program sponsored by the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) that provides potential leaders with the knowledge and networks to advance the core issues of education policy. Since 2008, the Partnership has been home to the Georgia program, supported by generous funding from Wells Fargo and co-sponsored by the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University and the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach at the University of Georgia.
Angie Battle
Georgia Council on Economic Education
Ethan Branch
U.S. Army, Fort Moore
Mike Bray
KIPP Metro Atlanta
Cori Cain
United Way of Greater Atlanta
Eshé Collins
Atlanta Board of Education
Kristin Corkhill
Georgia Piedmont Technical College
Kathleen Da Silva
Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education
Nicole DeClouette
Georgia College & State University
La Shonda Flanders
Georgia Association of Curriculum & Instructional Supervisors
Micki Foster
Henry County Schools
JD Hardin
Cognia
Dr. Towanda Harris
Clark Atlanta University
Stan Jackson
University of Georgia
Marie Cruzado Jeanneau
Agape Youth & Family Center
Cortney King
United Way of Southwest Georgia
Angela Melton
Quality Care for Children
Taylor Pratt
Achieve Atlanta
Amanda Puché
Georgia State University
Damian Ramsey
Learn4Life
Odette Schuler
The Center for the Advancement & Study of International Education
Carmenlita Scott
ATL Airport Chamber
Dale Simpson
Foothills Regional High School
Stephanie Tanner
Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA)
Chandra Walker
Gwinnett County Public Schools
Uzma Azhar
Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network
Teresa Cobb
Georgia Power
Jaclyn Colona
Georgia Foundation for Public Education
Leigh Crow
Georgia School Boards Association
Elton Dixon
Enay Coaching, LLC
Marsha Francis
STEAM Truck
Elizabeth Hearn
CREATE Teacher Residency
Derrick Jackson
Georgia General Assembly
Nuria Jaumot-Pascual
TERC
Jenny Morgan
Robert W. Woodruff Foundation
Davida Morgan-Washington
Ferst Readers, Inc.
Travis Nesmith
Effingham County Schools
Veronica Perry
DeKalb Path Academy
Deirdre Pierce
DeKalb County School District
Erin Quackenbush
Teach for America
Taylor Ramsey
One Goal Metro Atlanta
Donald Warren
Griffin-Spalding County School System
Jen Brock
Chief Communications Officer
Marietta City Schools
Ana Cunningham
Program Associate
The Carter Center
Ramon Garner
Principal
John Lewis Invictus Academy
Melissa Harris
Deputy Superintendent
DeKalb County School District
Maggie Hennessy
Research Analyst, K-12 Education
MDRC
Salethia James
Principal
Statham Elementary School
Jamal Jessie
Workforce Development Manager
Katherine Townsend Kiernan
Research Analyst I
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Rachale LaVoie
Early Education Community Coordinator
Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning
Pat Lummus
Executive Director
Sartain Lanier Family Foundation
Chanika Perry
Director of Education Programs
Hands on Atlanta
Matthew Robison
Dean of Students and Chief Student Affairs Officer
Gordon State College
Jordan Rose
Executive co-Director
Science ATL, Inc.
Casey Tanner
Assistant Vice Chancellor for External Affairs
University System of Georgia
To reach the North Star goal by 2033, Georgia’s leaders must address the literacy gaps that emerge before kindergarten and that widen into adulthood. Too many children are unable to read on grade level because of nonacademic factors like low parental education, community poverty, and lack of access to health care. State leaders should ensure that vulnerable children and families receive integrated education, health, and family supports to close learning and well-being gaps.
Early Care and Child Development
Greater access to evidence-based strategies, such as home visiting, comprehensive health screenings, and early interventions for children with developmental delays, that promote school readiness and parental engagement.
Creation of a statewide early learning workforce strategy focused on improving working conditions, strengthening professional preparation, and achieving compensation parity relative to similar professions.
Family and Community Supports
Championing policies that support economic mobility and mitigate family poverty, e.g., Medicaid expansion, paid family leave, state earned income tax credit programs, and expanded access to childcare subsidies.
Supporting multi-generation strategies that increase parental engagement and encourage the integrated delivery of services across Georgia’s education, health, and economic and workforce development sectors.
Early Learning Indicators
Health and Economic Indicators
National Organizations and Initiatives
Alliance for Early Success
Annie E. Casey Foundation
Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (UC-Berkeley)
Harvard Center on the Developing Child
National Association for the Education of Young Children
Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center (Vanderbilt University)
The Fellows commit nine months to an intensive professional development experience concentrated on three program strands: public policy, leadership, and professional networking. They attend monthly colloquium to deepen their knowledge of education policy, but remain in their full-time positions and use their work environment as the context for examining important leadership and policy issues in Georgia.
The program provides Fellows with a unique personal development laboratory for applying new insights and for cultivating new skills. The participants will hear and discuss education policy with the most respected policy makers in the state and nation. At the end of a year, EPFP Fellows will be better informed, more skillful advocates for sound public policy. See below what Fellows have to say about the EPFP experience:
With the implementation of EPFP, the Georgia Partnership, the Andrew Young School of Public Policy, and the Office of the President for Public Service and Outreach at the University of Georgia, cultivate strategic leaders who have the capacity to advocate for and create sound public policy to improve public education. Ultimately, EPFP seeks to improve the chances of children and youth to succeed.