Bryan Goodwin

CEO & President

Bryan thrives on translating research into practice, scanning the world for new insights and best practices on teaching and leading, and helping educators everywhere adapt them to address their own challenges. A frequent conference presenter, he is the author of Simply Better: Doing What Matters Most to Change the Odds for Student Success, and co-author of The 12 Touchstones of Good Teaching and Balanced Leadership for Powerful Learning: Tools for Achieving Success in Your School. Before joining McREL in 1998, Bryan was a college instructor, a high school teacher, and an award-winning business journalist.

Sue Desch

Chief Financial Officer

Since 1991, Sue has been part of the Business Services team, ensuring that McREL is financially able to continue doing the work we do. As CFO, she oversees our fiscal services, manages complex budgets and systems, and upholds the integrity of our operational and regulatory compliance. As a member of the leadership team, Sue also helps develop and implement strategies and policies that enhance corporate success.

Melissa Gray

Chief People Officer

Melissa came to McREL International after serving in talent acquisition for a multinational consulting firm and a global auto-parts manufacturer. At McREL she leads internal communications, human resources and legal compliance, staff development and culture, and special projects. In addition, she monitors organizational objectives and performance. She holds an M.B.A. with a specialization in human resources and leadership studies from the Baker College Center for Graduate Studies and a B.A. in English from the University of Michigan-Flint.

Robin Jarvis

Chief Program Officer

Committed to ensuring that all children are given high-quality educational opportunities, Robin leads McREL’s Research, Evaluation, and Technical Assistance team in providing policymakers and stakeholders with research evidence to help them make informed decisions. As head of McREL’s Institutional Development team, Robin leads the creation and implementation of McREL’s research agenda and strategy, overseeing the development of major proposals and building relationships with funders and partners. A K–12 educator for over 20 years, Robin has experience with educational research and development projects, including two Regional Educational Laboratories and three Regional Comprehensive Centers. Robin holds three degrees from Louisiana State University: a B.S. in elementary education, an M.Ed. in elementary and early childhood education, and a Ph.D. in education leadership and research.

Ron Miletta

Chief Marketing & Innovation Officer

Ron leads new product and content development programs, publishing, and the consulting and professional learning services group for McREL. He directs and manages the organization’s marketing, product development, and sales programs. He serves as a member of the leadership team, and supports business and revenue development initiatives. Before arriving at McREL, Ron held progressively senior roles in product development, sales, and marketing at educational publisher ASCD. Ron holds two degrees from the University of Pittsburgh: an M.B.A. with a specialization in marketing and international business, and a B.A. in political science and business.

Sheila Arens

Executive Director

Sheila brings a wide variety of experience in basic and applied research to her work at McREL, where she leads research and program evaluation projects that translate to better teaching, better learning, and more effective system improvement. She supervises research and program evaluation staff and oversees large-scale studies, including those for federally funded grants and contracts. She also serves as principal investigator and methodological and project advisor to the research team.

303.632.5625 | sarens@mcrel.org

Tedra Clark

Research Director

Tedra provides strategic leadership in developing, planning, and implementing research endeavors in education, particularly in the areas of school climate, instructional practices, formative assessment, and professional development. With more than a decade of experience in cognitive science research and applied education research, Tedra’s expertise includes research design, instrument development, data collection, statistical analysis (including psychometric analysis, hierarchical linear modeling, structural equation modeling, and longitudinal growth modeling), research synthesis, and dissemination.

303.632.5629 | tclark@mcrel.org

Kathleen Dempsey

Senior Director

With 30 years of experience as a teacher and administrator, Kathleen knows what it takes to make an impact in schools. At McREL, she helps schools, districts, and state education agencies with strategic vision, program development, and delivery of training and coaching focusing on academic standards, curriculum, and instruction. She is also the director of the North Central Comprehensive Center, a federally funded regional center operated by McREL that builds states’ capacity to implement and sustain improvement initiatives.

303.632.5634 | kdempsey@mcrel.org

Roger Fiedler

Senior Director of Marketing

Roger leads a team of communicators who are committed to sharing McREL’s work and stories of client success with educators around the world, spreading the word on effective ways to help students, teachers, and leaders flourish. He oversees McREL’s external communications, events, marketing, and bookstore efforts. Before joining McREL, he was a school district communications director for 15 years.

303.632.5579 | rfiedler@mcrel.org

Phillip Herman

Executive Director

Phillip is dedicated to understanding the science of learning, and how best to design and implement learning innovations and methodologies. As director of the REL Pacific at McREL, Phillip leads a team of researchers whose goals are to study and improve the educational outcomes of students in the Pacific Region, including Hawaii, three U.S. territories, and the freely associated states. Previously, Phillip was a director of research at the University of Pittsburgh and Northwestern University.

808.664.8187 | pherman@mcrel.org

Dale Lewis

Senior Director
Research, Evaluation & Technical Assistance

Big-picture systemic improvement for schools and services for special populations of students are Dale’s areas of expertise and experience. He provides strategic vision, direction, and leadership in the development, planning, and implementation of a wide variety of consulting services and technical assistance for districts and education systems. Previously, Dale was director of the Texas Comprehensive Center and director of special education for a cooperative of five Texas school districts.

303.632.5522 | dlewis@mcrel.org

Kristin Rouleau

Senior Director
Learning Services & Innovation

Kristin works with schools, districts, and state departments of education as they navigate change and implement practices and structures to reduce variability and increase student achievement. Through consulting, coaching, and facilitation of workshops, she provides services, strategies, and technical assistance to support change efforts. Kristin earned administrative credentials at the University of Washington, and holds an M.A. in Curriculum and Teaching from Michigan State University and a B.A. in Elementary Education from Western Michigan University.

303.632.5547 | krouleau@mcrel.org

Beth Watson

Senior Director
Sales & Client Partnerships

Beth deepens McREL’s involvement with school districts, area education agencies, and education departments so teachers, leaders, and students can experience even more success. Bringing McREL’s emphasis on collaboration, Beth blends client connections with data analysis to provide educators with the right solutions to help them achieve their goals. After studying journalism at the University of Colorado–Boulder, Beth dived into the business side of training and education, holding management and executive positions at national learning services providers and an education research firm.

303.632.5536 | bwatson@mcrel.org