William H. Guenther
President and Founder
Bill Guenther is a respected expert in organizing initiatives to support the implementation of complex education reform issues in Massachusetts, with a particular emphasis on standards-based reform. Bill brings over 25 years of experience with public policy issues and communications to his work.  He has worked on the management side of Newsweek Magazine in New York, and he has participated on or managed six political campaigns. Bill is a graduate of Harvard College and received a JD from New York University Law School. 

Andrew Calkins
Senior Vice President
Andy Calkins directs Mass Insight’s turnaround, research, and publishing programs and works with other lead staff on organizational strategies and institutional development. Andy was formerly the Executive Director of Recruiting New Teachers, Inc., a nonprofit organization managing a national campaign to build the nation’s teacher workforce, and a senior editor and project director at Scholastic Inc., the nation’s largest publisher of educational materials. An award-winning writer and editor, he lives in Hamilton with his wife and three daughters, and served for six years as an elected member of the Hamilton-Wenham School Committee. He earned his BA from Harvard College and did graduate work at Pembroke College, Cambridge.

Morton Orlov II
President, Mass Math & Science Initiative
Mort Orlov is the President of the Mass Math & Science Initiative, which is implementing the Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program in the Commonwealth.  Mort was formerly the Principal of Chelsea High School. During his tenure at Chelsea, he expanded the AP program and implemented an attendance incentive program. He previously served as Chairman of the Department of Military Science at Boston University. In addition to his academic background, Mort served for 23 years as an infantry officer in the United States Army in a variety of command and staff positions. Mort holds a B.A. from Tufts University, and a Masters of Military Arts from the School of Advanced Military Studies in Fort Leavenworth, KS.

Melanie S. Winklosky
Vice President, Development and Operations
Melanie Winklosky is responsible for strategic planning and development for the two major Mass Insight initiatives: the AP Training and Incentive Program, and the national school turnaround initiative.  Formerly the Chief of Staff for the Massachusetts Department of Education, she spent thirteen years working on state policies and programs to support and improve public education.  She received her B.A. in psychology from St. Vincent College and her M.A. from Boston College.

Deborah J. Abbott, CPA,
Business Manager
Deb Abbott is responsible for all financial aspects of the organizations including budgeting, reporting, and projecting cash flows.  She has nearly 13 years of experience in accounting, the majority of it with not-for-profit organizations.  Prior to joining Mass Insight, she was the Controller for a privately-held rare coins and collectibles business for almost 2 years.  Before that, she was the Controller for BWH Anesthesia Foundation, Inc. for 6 years.  Deb has her B.S. in accounting from Bryant College and an M.B.A. with a concentration in finance from Clark University.

Charlotte Carlisle
Math Content Director
Charlotte is the Math Content Director for the Mass Math & Science Initiative.  Most recently an AP Calculus and Algebra II teacher at China Spring High School in Texas, Charlotte brings over 20 years of mathematics teaching experience to MMSI.  Charlotte trained hundreds of math teachers across the nation in curriculum development and student recruitment during her ten year tenure as a College Board consultant/presenter.  Charlotte holds a B.S. Education and an MBA from Baylor University.

Julie Corbett
Assistant Program Manager, School Turnaround Strategies
Julie Corbett manages the distribution of The Turnaround Challenge report and its' accompanying tools, assists in strategic planning and research, leads the turnaround communication efforts, and focuses on the state and district policy implications and changes necessary for school turnaround. Julie most recently worked as a Research Assistant with The Rodel Foundation of Delaware. She has an M.P.A from the University of Delaware where she specialized in state and local government and education policy. She earned her B.A. from Denison University.

Jennifer Cunningham
Program Associate
Jennifer Cunningham is responsible for research and outreach relating to both the Great Schools Network and the Turnaround Challenge initiatives, and has previously been a lead investigator and writer for Mass Insight's Building Blocks project.  Prior to joining Mass Insight, she was the Site Director at the Project for School Innovation, where she coauthored nine publications helping Boston-area teachers share effective practices.  Jennifer is a graduate of Yale University and of the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development at Tufts University.

Jacqueline Francis
Administrative Assistant
Jacqueline Francis is the Administrative Assistant for the Mass Math and Science Initiative. Before joining Mass Insight, Jacqueline was a legal secretary at a corporate law firm. She holds a B.A. in English Literature and Philosophy from Boston College, and an M.A. from the Graduate Creative Writing Program at New York University.

Elise Frangos
English Content Director
Elise is the English Content Director for the Mass Math & Science Initiative.  Elise brings 20 years of teaching experience, and 8 years in administration to MMSI. Most recently the K-12 English Language Arts Director for the Arlington Public Schools, Elise has also been a long-standing member of the MCAS test development committee.  Elise holds a B.A. in English from Simmons College, an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and she is a Ph.D. candidate in Language and Literacy from the University of Massachusetts.

Jeffrey Goodwin
Science Content Director
Jeff is the Science Content Director for the Mass Math & Science Initiative.  Jeff brings 35 years of science teaching experience at Longmeadow High School to MMSI.  Jeff taught AP Chemistry for the past 10 years, and was active in coaching students for the National Chemistry Olympiad, sponsored by the American Chemical Society.  Jeff holds a B.A. in Biology from Westfield State College.

Naseem Jaffer
Manager, Math Coaching Program
Naseem Jaffer manages the math coaching program providing support and training for site based mathematics coaches/teacher leaders in grades K- 12 across Massachusetts. This includes, but is not limited to grade level collaboration, state standard based curriculum mapping and sequencing of cohesive content units, monitoring the implementation and impact of curriculum in schools, professional development of teachers in the context of revised and new curricula, facilitating standards based formative and summative assessment based on curricula, data analysis and classroom observations. Naseem taught mathematics in the middle and high schools in California for 15 years and also taught mathematics content courses to elementary and middle school teachers working towards their math certification. She has a B.S. in Architectural Engineering from the University of Nairobi, Kenya and a M.S. in Education (Math Curriculum) from California State University, Hayward.

Joanna Manikas
Director, Business and Information Systems
Joanna Manikas is responsible for information and office systems as well as graphic design and production, including publications, collateral, and websites. She has over 20 years of experience in project management, information technology, print and electronic design, and operations. Prior to joining Mass Insight, Joanna was a business integration project manager at CMGI where she developed toolkits and cross-functional systems to assimilate newly acquired companies into the corporate organization. She has a B.S. from Babson College.

Meghan O’Keefe
Project Director of School Turnaround Strategies
Meghan O'Keefe has day-to-day operating responsibility for implementing a range of research, strategy and tool development, advocacy, and strategic consulting programs designed to help states, school districts, and external partners accomplish successful turnaround of failing schools at scale. Prior to joining Mass Insight, she held positions as the Director of Strategic Planning and the Director of Operations in the New York City Department of Education’s Student Enrollment office, and taught second grade for several years. She earned an MBA focusing on non-profit and public management from the Yale School of Management, a BA from Boston College, and a M.Ed. from Lesley College as part of the Lesley-Shady Hill School Teacher Training Program.

Patrick Schultz
Director of School Services
Pat is the Director of School Services for the Mass Math & Science Initiative.  Most recently the Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Instruction at Chelsea High School, Pat brings over seven years of teaching experience, including AP US History, to his work at MMSI.  Prior to administration and teaching, Pat did non-profit advocacy work.  Pat holds a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology and an M.A. in American Studies from the University of New Mexico.

John Smolenski
Director of Advising
John is the Director of Advising for the Mass Math & Science Initiative.  He comes to Mass Insight after twenty-four years of active service in the Massachusetts Army National Guard, where he held a variety of positions in operations, recruiting and most recently as an Assistant Professor of Military Science at Boston University.  John holds a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, an MBA from Anna Maria College and a Masters Degree in Education from Boston University.

Field Staff and Consultants:

Dr. Grace Belfiore
Project Director and Senior Editor
Grace Belfiore is responsible for the writing and editing involved in many of Mass Insight's research and consultancy projects, including the Building Blocks, Keep the Promise, educational audit, and case-based leadership development initiatives. Grace was a co-author of The Turnaround Challenge. She has over 20 years of experience in educational publishing and leadership development, including founding and directing a self-paced learning division of a major international publishing group based in England. She has a B.A. from Harvard College and a D.Phil. in education history from the University of Oxford.

Peter Davies
Sr. Consultant, President and Director of Accountability and Leadership, Class Measures Limited     
Peter Davies serves as a Senior Management Consultant on the Math Achievement Partnership, a multi-district consortium seeking to improve district performance through integrated math reform. A former British School Inspector, Peter has worked in school and district accountability for more than ten years in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and the Middle East. He currently provides training for The Office of Educational Accountability in Massachusetts and monitors their work. He also facilitates Leadership development programs for school districts and provides 1:1 support for superintendents.  Peter was formerly an administrator with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris.  He was also a visiting professor to the Oxford University Department of Educational Studies.  He has worked within school and social services. He studied English Literature at Cambridge University and continues to maintain an active interest in teaching Literature.

Jack Flynn
Sr. Math Coach Consultant  
Jack Flynn recently retired from the Murphy School in Boston, where he served as the school’s Lead Math Specialist. He is now serving as a senior math coach consultant with Mass Insight.  Jack devoted his entire career to teaching in the Boston Public Schools, primarily as an elementary-grade teacher and then as a lead teacher in math. He is credited with helping to create a new kind of position in the Boston Public Schools – a lead math specialist position that is now being emulated by other schools in the system. 

Dr. Michael R. Klugerman
Consultant and Manager, MERI Math Content Training Programs
Mike Klugerman is the manager of math content training programs and a senior instructor within those programs, which are designed to provide elementary and middle school teachers with a deeper understanding of mathematics so they are better able to provide mathematics instruction to their students. He has a B.S. from Yale University and a PhD in Applied Mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Linda Neri Watts
Consultant, Mass Insight
Linda Neri Watts provides research, writing, and web assistance to Mass Insight and various other non-profit organizations. Previously, Linda was Publications Manager and Communications Manager for Mass Insight. She also served as Writer/Editor at the Title I Dissemination Project, a non-profit focused on strengthening education for at-risk students. She earned her B.A. at Ithaca College and her M.A. at Northeastern University.

Kiki Papagiotis
Consultant and Project Manager
Kiki Papagiotis retired recently as principal of Salem High School in Salem, MA. A former math and science teacher, Kiki served as principal of North Reading High School, which was named a Vanguard model by Mass Insight in 2003. She has consulted widely with a number of schools and school districts and has become one of Mass Insight’s principal consultants in the areas of leadership and school transformation.