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 Out of Curiosity: Restoring the Power of Hungry Minds for Better Schools, Workplaces, and Lives and Simply Better: Doing What Matters Most to Change the Odds for Student Success, and is co-author of Pursuing Greatness: Empowering Teachers to Take Charge of Their Professional Growth; Instructional Models: How to Choose One and How to Use One; Curiosity Works: A Guidebook for Moving Your School from Improvement to Innovation; 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.

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
Research, Evaluation & Technical Assistance

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

Dale Lewis

Executive 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. Dale serves as the director of the Region 12 Comprehensive Center, a federally funded program operated by McREL that serves state education agencies in Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri. Before joining McREL, Dale directed the Texas Comprehensive Center and led special education operations for a cooperative of five Texas districts.

303.632.5522 | dlewis@mcrel.org

Kathleen Dempsey

Senior Director
Research, Evaluation & Technical Assistance

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 was also the director of the North Central Comprehensive Center from 2012–2019, a federally funded regional center operated by McREL that strengthened the capacity of four state departments of education to implement and sustain improvement initiatives.

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303.632.5634 | kdempsey@mcrel.org

Christina Tydeman

Senior Director
Research, Evaluation & Technical Assistance

After 15 years as a classroom teacher and nearly 20 as an administrator in public school systems in California and Hawai‘i, Christina joined McREL to support education program improvement through evaluation, formative learning and large-scale assessments, development and use of educational data systems, and professional development for teachers and leaders. She believes professional learning is a powerful tool for systemic change and that all school districts deserve to achieve world-class results while maintaining their uniqueness. Christina currently serves as the director of REL Pacific, a federally funded Regional Educational Laboratory operated by McREL which partners with school districts and state education departments in 10 Pacific island entities on technical assistance, applied research, and dissemination of findings.

808.664.8186 | ctydeman@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

Joseph Simpson

Senior Director
Research, Evaluation & Technical Assistance

Joe is a lifelong educator and system administrator who currently serves as the director of the Region 11 Comprehensive Center, a federally funded program operated by McREL that serves state departments of education and schools in Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Prior to joining McREL, Joe held leadership positions with the Wyoming Department of Health and the Wyoming Department of Education, where he served as deputy state superintendent for 13 years. Joe has also contributed to developing education system leaders across the nation through his prior work as the deputy executive director of Leadership and Professional Development for the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO).

307.222.5261 | jsimpson@mcrel.org

Roger Fiedler

Senior Director
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

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

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

Faith Connolly

Research Director

Faith provides project management and technical guidance to all aspects of a project. With over 30 years of education research experience working in districts, state departments of education, and universities, she brings a wealth of experience and expertise to McREL’s portfolio. Prior to joining McREL, Dr. Connolly led a research-to-practice partnership in Baltimore at Johns Hopkins University. Her work has spanned such areas as early childhood, school climate, college and career readiness, and college enrollment and completion; and has focused on how data and research are used by practitioners to improve their work.

303.632.5518 | fconnolly@mcrel.org