2008-2009 Fellow Biographies

Shara Hegde – San Jose, CA

Shara Hegde began her career in urban education through Teach For America, teaching at Toussaint Louverture Elementary School of Miami-Dade County, Florida. During her two years at Toussaint she achieved dramatic student achievement gains as both a kindergarten and fifth grade teacher. Wishing to afford greater challenges for her students, Ms. Hegde founded a team to compete in Odyssey of the Mind, a worldwide problem solving competition for students of all ages. Through their regional competition, her students earned the prestigious Ranatra Fusca Creativity Award and advanced to the Florida state finals. In 2007 she had the honor of being nominated for the Sue Lehmann Excellence in Teaching Award which recognizes second-year Teach For America corps members who demonstrate outstanding leadership. Following her teaching commitment, Ms. Hegde pursued a Master of Arts degree in Education Policy, Organizations and Leadership Studies at Stanford University. In 2008 she designed an integrated social studies and language arts curriculum for Aspire Public Schools in Oakland, California and completed the Fellowship in Urban School Leadership with Chicago Public Schools. Ms. Hegde received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Brown University. Through the Building Excellent Schools Fellowship, she will open Cornerstone Prep in San Jose, California.

Laura McGowan – Los Angeles, CA

Laura McGowan has shaped her career around the goal of opening an outstanding urban school since the beginning of her career as a high school English teacher in Chicago, Illinois. She most recently served roles as Instructional Specialist and Literacy Coach at East Valley High School in Los Angeles, California. As Literacy Coach, Ms. McGowan supported the instructional practices of lead teachers, provided curricular training, coordinated assessments and helped to actuate data-driven instructional planning. Through the Johns Hopkins University Talent Development High Schools program, Ms. McGowan studied a reform model focused on school-turnaround. This led her to develop intervention programs to combat truancy and tardiness, and facilitate the roll-out of four Small Learning Communities through her role as Instructional Specialist. Ms. McGowan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Rhetoric from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Arts degree in Instructional Leadership and English from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is also currently pursuing a Master of Arts degree in Education Administration at Cal State Northridge that will be completed in August 2010. Through the Building Excellent Schools Fellowship, Ms. McGowan will open Crown Prep, a college preparatory middle and high school in Los Angeles, California.

Deva Rashed-Boone – St. Louis, MO

Deva Rashed-Boone began her work in urban education as an undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. As Student Coordinator of Each One Teach One, Ms. Rashed-Boone partnered with local public schools to provide mentoring and tutoring services for at-risk youth. Her experience led her to join Teach For America through which she taught for two years at St. Louis Charter School. Ms. Rashed-Boone made an immediate impact on her students’ content mastery as a seventh and eighth grade science teacher. Her influence spilled outside the classroom as well – she served as a Leadership Team representative, introduced an academic honors distinction program to her school and led seminars for her Teach For America colleagues. After teaching, Ms. Rashed-Boone began working for the St. Louis Public Library where she promoted outreach initiatives to attract a greater audience to libraries’ services. In 2007 she became a Program Director for Teach For America’s regional office in St. Louis. In this role, Ms. Rashed-Boone acted as both a liaison to local schools and districts and a coach to nearly 40 corps members. She joins the Building Excellent Schools Fellowship charged with the mission of opening St. Louis Collegiate in St. Louis, Missouri. Ms. Rashed-Boone holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in African and Afro-American Studies from Washington University in St. Louis.

Tim Ware – Memphis, TN

Tim Ware gained his first experiences with at-risk youth while serving as the Youth Services Coordinator for St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana. Mr. Ware oversaw the growth and implementation of non-medical youth services through the hospital, leading staff and youth workers to make a significant impact on the local community. His work in Indianapolis brought him two prestigious distinctions: In 2002 Mr. Ware received the Chairman’s Award from the Indiana Black Expo and Indiana Sports Corporation for exemplary dedication in direct service to youth. In 2004, he received the Governor’s Award for Tomorrow’s Leaders from Governor Joe Kernan which recognizes outstanding leadership in social entrepreneurship in the state of Indiana. In 2006 Mr. Ware joined Teach For America in Memphis where he started as a junior high school history teacher. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he also coached basketball and baseball teams for Frazier Middle and High School. Immediately, Mr. Ware’s leadership abilities were recognized and he was asked to serve as a Teacher on Special Assignment, functioning as Assistant Principal in just his second year. In this role, he oversaw tenth grade student concerns, male mentoring, teacher compliance and special programs. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Cedarville University. Through the Building Excellent Schools Fellowship, Mr. Ware will open an Veritas Academy in Memphis, Tennessee.

Michael Whaley – Memphis, TN

Michael Whaley joins Building Excellent Schools from the charter corps of Teach For America in Memphis, Tennessee. As a fifth grade and English as a Second Language teacher at Getwell Elementary School, Mr. Whaley led students to dramatic academic achievement gains, outpacing both his school and district. To afford greater opportunities for his students, he founded a leadership program called “Tomorrow’s Champions” and was awarded over $3,000 in grant money for classroom equipment and field trips. He was responsible for building a partnership with the Memphis Grizzlies’ “Read to Achieve” program and coordinating school-wide participation in St. Jude’s Hospital’s Math-A-Thon. In 2006, Mr. Whaley became involved with MPACT Memphis, an organization of young professionals dedicated to civic improvement initiatives. In 2007, he was selected for the NEXUS Leadership Experience, a leadership development program for emerging leaders in Memphis. Mr. Whaley received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Public Policy from Southern Methodist University and a Master of Arts degree in Teaching from University of Memphis. Through the Building Excellent Schools Fellowship, Mr. Whaley will open Memphis Collegiate, an outstanding elementary school in Memphis, Tennessee.

Paula White-Bradley – Newark, NJ

Paula White-Bradley comes to Building Excellent Schools with deep experience as an educator and school leader. Teaching students as young as third graders and as old as ninth graders, Ms. White-Bradley has been consistently sought for further impact outside the classroom. In various roles she has written curriculum, served as a staff developer, revised school programs to maximize instructional time and taught pedagogical methods to student teachers. As the founding member of the Oglethorpe Elementary Grant Writing Committee, she secured grants in excess of $500,000. While teaching for over eight years in Atlanta public schools, Ms. White-Bradley has served as a member of school leadership and instructional design teams and as Director of after school and Saturday programs. Together with Lisa Delpit in 2003, Ms. White-Bradley co-authored “Educating or Imprisoning the Spirit: Lessons from Ancient Egypt”. In 2006 she earned a Master of Education degree in Education Leadership through the Public School Principals Academy at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is an Editorial Board Member of Talking Points, a semiannual publication of the National Council of Teachers of English. Ms. White-Bradley holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Child Development from Spelman College. Through the Building Excellent Schools Fellowship, Ms. White-Bradley will open Newark Legacy Charter School in Newark, New Jersey.