OneGoal Leadership
Network Coaches
OneGoal’s coaches make up a deep network of diverse leadership and expertise. Our team provides your district with strategic insights fueled by their extensive hands-on experience as school and district leaders.
COACH
Michael Allen, Ed.D.
Postsecondary Leadership Coach
Dr. Michael Allen facilitates learning experiences and provides one-on-one coaching for school and district leaders. He spent 14 years serving as principal at various schools in the Chicagoland area and was named 2020 Elementary Principal of the Year. As a mentor and a coach, Michael has extensive experience helping leaders effectively implement comprehensive mindfulness practices in their schools. He is also a skilled researcher specializing in emotional intelligence, equity, and school improvement. Michael and his brother co-authored the best-selling children’s book, Brotherly Love. He advocates tirelessly for ending policies that hold down students of color. He was the only contributing school leader on the 2021 Inclusive Education Act, which mandates the teaching of pre-enslavement Black history to all students in Illinois. Michael holds an Ed.D. in Education Administration and Supervision from Loyola University Chicago, an M. Ed. in Education, and a B.A. in Sociology from Valparaiso University.
COACH
Cindy Anderson, Ed.S.
Postsecondary Leadership Coach
With eighteen years of dedicated experience in education, including recent work as a Lead School Counselor, Cindy brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her role. As a postsecondary leadership coach, she works with district and school leaders to establish and activate postsecondary leadership teams. Cindy is deeply committed to supporting school and district leaders to foster environments where students can thrive. Her passion for this work is driven by a belief in the transformative power of education and the importance of guiding young people to achieve their full potential. Cindy earned her B.S. in Agriculture from the University of Missouri-Columbia and her M.A. and Ed.S. in School Counseling from the University of the Cumberlands.
COACH
Brianna Brown, M.S.
Postsecondary Leadership Coach
Brianna is a dedicated Postsecondary Leadership Coach with a rich background in the post-secondary education realm for over a decade. Having served as both a Counselor and Director of College Counseling, she has honed her expertise in guiding students towards a successful academic journey beyond high school. Brianna’s primary professional objectives are centered around enhancing college persistence, closing achievement gaps, and preparing students for triumphs in the post-secondary landscape. Throughout her career, Brianna has had the privilege of partnering with diverse school districts, employing data-driven methodologies to identify obstacles and craft tailored strategies to address their distinctive needs. She thrives on collaborating with a variety of stakeholders to foster student success and facilitate smoother transitions into higher education. Brianna holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Prairie View A&M University and a Master’s degree in School and College Counseling from San Francisco University. She is deeply committed to advocacy, leadership, coaching, and acting as a catalyst for social change within educational settings. Brianna takes immense pride in leveraging her skills and experiences to empower students to achieve their educational aspirations and navigate the complex paths to postsecondary success.
SENIOR DESIGNER
Ivory Duncan, M.A.
Senior Director, OneGoal Leadership Network Design
Ivory Duncan has spent over 13 years as an education leader advocating for innovative approaches to honor the experience and identity of scholars from resilient communities. She has held various roles in education and non-profit spaces, such as Senior Vice President of Programs and Special Initiatives at the Urban League of Greater Kansas City and Assistant Principal at Noble Network Charter Schools. Lead by her passion for Equity, Ivory was a Loyola University Leading DEI 2021 Cohort Fellow, A Diverse Leaders Fellow, and an Anti-Racist Planning Committee member at Noble Schools, and served on the Teach for America Planning and Design Task Force for the Diversity, Equity & Inclusiveness Council. She holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice and M.A. in Public Policy.
COACH
Dustin Dunlavy, M.A.
Postsecondary Leadership Coach
Dustin collaborates with educational leaders to reduce inequities in postsecondary preparation, resources and exposure for students. As a first-generation student, Dustin has always wanted to be that person he wished for during his journey toward a postsecondary education. Fueled by his journey, he began his career in college admissions, enrollment management, higher education leadership, the college access non-profit space, technical education and graduate education for the last 14 years – all while championing efforts to increase the accessibility of postsecondary education through policy and process reform. Dustin earned his B.A. in Psychology + Public Administration from Capital University, his M.A. in Communications from the University of Cincinnati and plans to begin his Ed.D in the coming year at the University of Cincinnati for Urban Educational Leadership.
COACH
Kelsey Griffin, Ed.D.
Postsecondary Leadership Coach
Dr. Kelsey Griffin is a visionary education leader dedicated to fostering transformative change in educational systems across the state of Texas. With over two decades of experience in both academic and administrative roles, Dr. Griffin has emerged as a trailblazer in the field, renowned for his commitment to student-centered learning, equity, and innovation. Dr. Griffin had the privilege of teaching and leading in the same communities that he resides for over 15 years. Building community with former students and parents sparked his interest in shifting his focus to postsecondary access systems support. In his current role, Dr. Griffin engages district and school leaders in the OneGoal Leadership Network. Dr. Griffin approaches this work as a ministry. He has truly been called and has a passion to advocate and support initiatives associated with equity in education systems. The major driving forces behind his passion are his three kids, the tens of thousands of students he has impacted, and the dream for all students to be able to reach their life/education aspirations.
SENIOR DESIGNER
Julie Hess, M.A.
Senior Director, OneGoal Leadership Network Design
Julie Hess supports leadership network coaches at OneGoal by designing relevant, inclusive, and comprehensive resources to guide school leaders in attaining their postsecondary access goals. Julie believes education should be the great equalizer, thus she has dedicated her career to empowering underserved students. Julie began her career as a high school Spanish teacher in Chicago Public Schools. Soon after, she transitioned into college access and persistence and discovered her passion for the work. Julie served in Chicago and Baltimore as a College Seminar Teacher, College Counselor, and a Dean of College. She holds an M.A. in Teaching from Dominican University and a B.A. in Women and Gender Studies and Spanish from Washington University in St. Louis.
COACH
Danyeil Reese, Ed.S
Postsecondary Leadership Coach
Danyeil Reese is an educator with more than 15 years of experience in instruction, program administration, and leadership in career & technical education. Danyeil has experience working in every aspect of college and career readiness planning, from convening advisory boards to designing content and programmatic outcomes. Prior to joining OneGoal, Danyeil was a postsecondary success specialist with Chicago Public Schools. Danyeil holds a Bachelors in Business from Wilberforce University and M.A.T and Education Specialist degrees in Workforce Education from the University of Georgia.
COACH
Kayla Ritter Rickels, Ed.D
Postsecondary Leadership Coach
Kayla Ritter Rickels serves as a Postsecondary Leadership Coach, working with district leaders across the commonwealth of Kentucky. With a set of values rooted in the belief that education is liberation, she has dedicated her career to the creation of enabling conditions for equity in exploration, access, and attainment of a postsecondary credential. She began her career in college admissions and enrollment management and has moved through roles within college access non-profit, K12 school district, and ed tech organization spaces that allowed her to drive impact and system change with a keen focus on equity for historically marginalized and minoritized students. She earned her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Northern Kentucky University, her M.S. in Marketing from the University of Cincinnati, and her B.A. in Mathematics from Thomas More College.
COACH
Renee Vai, M.A.T.
Postsecondary Leadership Coach
Renee engages partner school and district leadership in the shared creation of systemic solutions through one-on-one coaching and the facilitation of professional development sessions. Renee has over 14 years of experience dedicated to creating equitable initiatives in education for underserved students with a career history steeped in the facilitation and creation of curriculum, equitable instructional practices, productive partnerships, and individual coaching and adult capacity building. As a high school administrator, Renee identified and confronted problems with inequity at every level, from teaching and implementing relevant classroom management and equitable instructional practices, to building holistic student development and supports, to improving structural and programmatic issues, including implementing college readiness workshops and work experience programs to provide real-world experience to students while connecting them to business professionals and postsecondary opportunities.
COACH
Danesha Ward, Ed.D.
Postsecondary Leadership Coach
Danesha is an advocate for educational equity, committed to ensuring all students have access to high-quality opportunities. As Program Manager for College and Career Advising at the Tennessee Department of Education, she enhanced advising practices, launched a statewide ACT Prep program, and prioritized equity in advanced coursework access. Prior to OneGoal, Danesha served as a Senior Associate at Education Strategy Group, where she led the development of a statewide college and career advising framework to guide counselors in supporting students’ informed decisions about their futures and co-authored a set a case studies focused on aligning advising across K-12 and higher education. Danesha holds a doctorate in Urban Educational Leadership from Johns Hopkins University and Master’s Degree in School Counseling from the University of Memphis.
SENIOR DESIGNER
Heather Zoll, Ed.S.
Senior Director, OneGoal Leadership Network Design
Heather facilitates learning experiences for school and district leaders and provides one-on-one coaching to build their capacity in creating systems and structures that help ensure postsecondary success for all students. Heather has more than 16 years of experience and leadership in education. She began her career as an English language arts teacher. From the classroom, she moved into the role of director of her district’s first stand-alone career academy. Heather most recently served in a school administrator role as Academy Coach, where she worked to help implement wall-to-wall career academies that changed the focus and quality of learning experiences for all students at her school and throughout the district. Her passion is to work with district, school, and community members to bring relevance and purpose to learning in an equitable way and to have a long-term impact on student postsecondary success. Heather holds an Ed.S. in Educational Leadership and an M.A. in Secondary English Education from the University of Kentucky. She also holds a B.A. in English from Western Kentucky University and a National Board Teacher Certification.