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Too often there’s a big gap between the policies New York schools need and the policies enacted. NYCAN: The New York State Campaign for Achievement Now was created to bridge that gap so that every child in the Empire State can have access to a great public school.
Today, I’m thrilled to introduce you to the new executive director of NYCAN: Julie M. Marlette.
Before moving to the Big Apple in 2011, Julie had only ever called two places home: Unadilla, the small rural New York town where she spent the first 17 years of her life, and Albany, where she spent the next 17. She spent 12 of those 17 years working in the state legislature, where she mastered the legislative process, became an expert in education policy and earned the deep respect of a wide range of education leaders across the state.
Julie’s love of the Empire State is matched only by her passion for policies that help all kids. As a senior analyst on elementary and secondary education in the New York State Senate, she was a key driver behind major education legislation to help schools lift up all students. Before coming to 50CAN to serve as our national vice president of political strategy, Julie was the managing director for state funding at Teach For America and the government relations representative for the New York State School Boards Association. In her time at 50CAN she has proven herself again and again for her strong instincts, deep knowledge and unwavering commitment to great schools.
Julie is taking the baton from Founding Executive Director Christina Grant. Under Christina’s leadership, NYCAN has already accomplished a lot—from building a movement several thousand New Yorkers strong to publishing research that moved the state towards meaningful teacher evaluations to providing parents with report cards on more than 4,500 New York public schools to leading the campaign for sustainable funding for early college high schools. We are all grateful to Christina for the strong foundation that she built.
After working alongside Julie in over a dozen policy campaigns across the country, I am convinced she has the skills, knowledge and drive to lead New York’s great schools movement in its next chapter and help give every child in the Empire State the quality education they deserve.
Please join me in welcoming her.