Shomari Jones - Consultant
Shomari Jones is the Director of Equity and Strategic Engagement at Bellevue School District. He leads staff in thoughtful exploration of institutionalized racism and its impact on student learning and mentors students to raise their social awareness and help them feel more connected and engaged in the district and their communities, which has resulted in a community-wide conversation, bringing to light racial and socio-economic inequities. He serves as a powerful advocate for and witness to the experiences of students of color to help district leaders identify, confront, disrupt, and dismantle structures that limit the potential of those students. He developed several student empowerment initiatives like Students Organized Against Racism (SOAR), Breaking Out Of the Margins (BOOM), and Sistahs Having Outstanding Uniqueness Together (SHOUT), as well as parent advocacy groups like the Parent Alliance for Black Scholars (PABS). In 2019, Shomari was recognized as a “Leader to Learn From” by Education Week. He has served as the Chief Operating Officer at the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, a not-for-profit organization with 82 years of activism and community experience in the heart of Seattle’s most diverse neighborhood, the Central District. Shomari also volunteers at the Seattle University Center for Social Transformation and Leadership and the Bellevue Police Chief Diversity Committee. He holds a Bachelors in Science in Mathematics from Tuskegee University and has a daughter in college.
Dr. Kathryn Kennedy - Founder & Principal
Dr. Kathryn Kennedy is founder and principal consultant of Consult4ED Group (C4E). Kathryn is dedicated to conducting equity-informed and community-based, participatory research and evaluation to effect meaningful and intentional, systemic change and highlight programmatic impact. With over 20 years of research and evaluation experience, she enjoys collaborating with organizations and supporting them to understand their past, inform their future, and share their impact. For these organizations as well as others, she conducts research and evaluations and produces internal and external reports as well as measurement tools, playbooks, toolkits, guides, and curriculum. Kathryn partners with quantitative methodologists to support her qualitative methods. Her experience with qualitative methods includes grounded theory, The Delphi Method, phenomenology, case study, critical theory, narrative, and ethnography. She has extensive experience with data collection methods including interviews, focus groups, observation, questionnaires, documents/records, oral histories, portfolios, surveys, note taking, participant diaries/journals, storytelling, concept mapping, cognitive walkthroughs, videos/recordings, art, and participant and researcher digital artifacts. Her data analysis methods include but are not limited to grounded theory, narrative analysis, content analysis, discourse analysis, thematic analysis, and framework analysis.
She has focused on the areas of K-12 online, blended, and digital learning for over 20 years as well as SEL for teachers and students, in addition to healing trauma through somatics, for over 10 years. In addition to her consulting work, C4E also houses two programs – Wellness for Educators (formerly a 501(c)(3) nonprofit) and Embodied Change Coaching – that posit educator support and multi-faceted wellness as a catalyst for systemic whole school / district change. Kathryn holds multiple certifications in somatics and mind-body coaching (including attachment theory, internal family systems, trauma therapy, polyvagal theory, compassion-based approaches, and more) and is currently in the process of pursuing her coaching certification through ICF. She coaches educators, school & district leaders, edupreneurs, and others. She is author of the book The Mind-Body Connection for Educators (Jossey-Bass, 2023).
In the past, Kathryn served as the Director of the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute, the research arm of Michigan Virtual, Director of Research for the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) (which became the Aurora Institute and now is FullScale Learning), adjunct professor and advisor for the Ed.D. program at Johns Hopkins University School of Education, and assistant professor of instructional technology at Georgia Southern University. She served on the Leadership Team for the National Standards for Quality Online Learning. She is one of the founding editors-in-chief of both the Journal of Online Learning Research and the Handbook of Research on K-12 Online and Blended Learning.
Liz Kennedy - Project Associate
Liz’s work at Consult4ED Group focuses on project management, finances, website design, instructional design, proofreading, and editing. She also serves as the Chief Operations Officer of Wellness for Educators. Liz holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Science with certification in Early Childhood Education from Lesley University and has worked as an administrator and project manager for health-related and education-based organizations for over 25 years. Liz is a yoga practitioner and earned a 500-hr Yoga Teacher Training certificate (YTT).
Brenda Maurao - Consultant
Brenda Maurao has been a dedicated educator for over twenty years, eleven of which have been in school and district administration, primarily at the elementary level. Five years ago she left school administration to become the Assistant Director of Elementary Education in Framingham. She has supported all areas of curriculum, instruction, and assessment across 9 elementary schools and in collaboration with the secondary team. After her first year in Framingham, Brenda was placed on special assignment at Stapleton Elementary School in Framingham as principal to improve systems and supports during some administration challenges. She worked with school and district teams to rebuild this school by prioritizing culture, inclusivity, and health and safety. After returning briefly to district work in Framingham this past fall, Brenda was hired by the Belmont Public Schools to serve as the principal of the Mary Lee Burbank Elementary School (K-4) which began in January 2022. Brenda also serves as a program supervisor for student teachers at Framingham State University, MASCD board member, Soul of Leadership Fellow through MASCD, and mentor to school leaders. She lives in Holliston, MA with her husband Michael, daughter Lucy and son Max.
Brenda Maurao has been a dedicated educator for over twenty years, eleven of which have been in school and district administration, primarily at the elementary level. Five years ago she left school administration to become the Assistant Director of Elementary Education in Framingham. She has supported all areas of curriculum, instruction, and assessment across 9 elementary schools and in collaboration with the secondary team. After her first year in Framingham, Brenda was placed on special assignment at Stapleton Elementary School in Framingham as principal to improve systems and supports during some administration challenges. She worked with school and district teams to rebuild this school by prioritizing culture, inclusivity, and health and safety. After returning briefly to district work in Framingham this past fall, Brenda was hired by the Belmont Public Schools to serve as the principal of the Mary Lee Burbank Elementary School (K-4) which began in January 2022. Brenda also serves as a program supervisor for student teachers at Framingham State University, MASCD board member, Soul of Leadership Fellow through MASCD, and mentor to school leaders. She lives in Holliston, MA with her husband Michael, daughter Lucy and son Max.