OUR TEAM
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Alejandra Barbosa
Executive Director Alejandra is the founding Director of the Principal Impact Collaborative at UNT Dallas(PIC). She was instrumental in PIC's development and launched the program in 2016 with the goal of improving principal retention and leadership capacity. Under her leadership, PIC has expanded program offerings to serve experienced principals, new principals and district leaders. She believes that all education leaders deserve high-quality learning experiences that shape their whole selves, so that they can be fully equipped and energized to lead their schools and districts in the service of students. Prior to leading PIC, she discovered her passion for education while serving as the Operations and Program Manager at Educate Texas, at the Communities Foundation of Texas. She began her career in the private sector, as a financial analyst in the energy sector and then as a management consultant with Boston Consulting Group in Dallas. She received her Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Princeton University and her MBA from Columbia University. Originally from southern California, Alejandra and her husband have happily made roots in Dallas with their four young children. Amanda Dudley
Program Director After receiving a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Texas A&M, Amanda Dudley spent the last fourteen years of her career as a teacher, teacher coach, and school leader. Most recently, she was the principal of the Primary School at Uplift Summit International Preparatory. During her time spent in both traditional public schools and charter schools, Amanda saw first-hand the disparities that exist in our education system. She is passionate about reimagining and creating a system that provides an excellent education for all kids. Her master’s degree in Urban Education Leadership from Southern Methodist University helped shape her belief that schools need to be designed to meet the specific and individualized needs of their communities. Amanda is currently a Doctoral candidate in the ED.L.D. Program at Harvard University Graduate School of Education and completing her residency and capstone at PIC. |
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Catherine Worth Associate Director of Programs Catherine joined the PIC team in May 2018. In her role, she supports participating PIC principals in their work and leads several of PIC's strategic initiatives to enhance school leadership more broadly. Prior to her role at PIC, Catherine worked as a policy analyst at the National Council on Teacher Quality in Washington, D.C. She has also worked as a program evaluator with ImpactED Philadelphia, where she partnered predominantly with a local school leadership development program to provide strategic guidance on maximizing program impact. Catherine began her career in education as a middle school math teacher at Uplift Infinity Preparatory in Irving, Texas. Catherine holds a B.A. in Political Science and Communications from Southern Methodist University and a M.S.Ed. in Education Policy from the University of Pennsylvania. A Fort Worth resident, Catherine enjoys spending time on the Trinity Trail with her husband and two Australian shepherd dogs. |
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Rachel Chewakin Program Manager Rachel joined the PIC team in May 2019 as a Program Manager. In this role, she supports participating PIC principals in their work and leads recruitment and marketing for the program. She began her career as a fourth grade teacher at Uplift Summit International Preparatory in Arlington, Texas. Prior to joining PIC, Rachel worked in various roles in the education space in Chicago. She served as the Community Development Director for an education company, as Chief of Staff at The Chicago Public Education Fund, and worked on talent and recruitment initiatives with the Noble Network of Charters Schools and Teach For America. Rachel earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a concentration in Non-Profit Management from Arizona State University and a Masters of Education in Cultural and Educational Policy Studies from Loyola University Chicago. Kierra Byrd
Program Coordinator Kierra joined the PIC team in January 2020 as the Program Coordinator. She began her career serving in a number of higher education capacities in which she was able to directly contribute to student success. Prior to PIC, Kierra worked as a Student Assistant within the Office of the President at The University of North Texas at Dallas (UNTD). She earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from UNTD and is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Public Leadership with a focus in Nonprofit and Community Leadership. She also serves as a founding member of the Young Women’s Advisory Council of Dallas. In this position, she is involved in assisting in the development of initiatives that reflect social change for young women and girls of color in Dallas County through collaboration with Cross Sector/Advisory Committees of the Texas Women's Foundation and abroad. Recently, Kierra became a Cedar Hill Government Official under the Neighborhood Advisory Board as well as Founder of her own social organization, Young Women Win. |