Board of Directors

The ITDS Board of Directors meets 6 times a year. Meetings are governed by the Open Meetings Act and therefore are open to anyone who would like to observe. Please visit the Transparency section of our website for the Meeting Calendar, Agenda, Minutes, and links to attend Board meetings.

Michelle Lerner

Chair

Michelle Lerner is a communications consultant, supporting K-12 and education organizations. She previously led communications and served as press secretary at DC Public Schools and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, an education think tank. She serves as a member of the Education Writers Association’s Community Advisory Board and graduated from Boston University with a bachelor’s in journalism and from George Mason University with a master’s in public policy. Michelle lives in Washington, DC, with her husband, two sons, and two highly energetic cats.

Andrea Browning

Vice Chair

Andrea Browning is currently the Director of Regional Initiatives for the Mid-Atlantic Comprehensive Center at WestEd, a nonprofit research, development, and educational service agency. At WestEd, she provides professional development, technical assistance, and policy analysis to help state education agencies and school districts meet the needs of all students. Andrea’s background is in child and youth development and is informed by two decades of cross-sector experience in studying and advising education systems on how to best create responsive learning environments. She is a nationally recognized leader in personalized learning and previously led a $500 million program U.S. Department of Education program, focused on supporting school districts in their transformation to next-generation learning systems. Andrea began her career as a high school dropout prevention counselor. In her spare time, she teaches yoga and mindfulness and can often be found exploring the trails in Rock Creek Park. Andrea holds a BS in Education and Social Policy from Northwestern University and a Master of Public Administration from George Washington University.

Morris Clarke

Morris Clarke is a Managing Director and Private Client Advisor in the Washington, D.C. office of the Bank of America Private Bank. Morris works with high- and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families, and select not-for-profit institutions to design, develop, and implement customized wealth management strategies. He focuses on helping wealth creators, including entrepreneurs and business owners, navigate critical junctures in their financial lives. Morris joined the Private Bank (formerly U.S. Trust) in 2019 from J.P. Morgan Private Bank, where he served high-net-worth individuals, families, foundations and endowments in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. His previous experience includes roles at Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Ernst & Young, LLP. Morris graduated from North Carolina A&T State University with a B.S. degree in electrical engineering. He holds an MBA degree from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School. In the community, Morris is an active member of the Brookings Council. He lives in the Chevy Chase neighborhood of Washington, D.C. with his wife, Kalena, and their three children.

Maureen Ingram

Maureen Young Ingram retired from Inspired Teaching Demonstration School in June 2020, after nine years of teaching preschool and coaching/mentoring first-year early childhood teachers. Maureen was founding faculty at ITDS and enjoyed the exciting and unique challenge of helping to create the school. She believes passionately in the school’s mission. Previously, she taught in cooperative preschools, coaching families and teachers in their work with young children. She worked with Center for Inspired Teaching as a mentor and course instructor. Maureen received her Early Childhood Certification in 2001. Prior to this, Maureen had a successful career as a government consultant. Maureen has a B.A. in Political Science and Russian from the University of New Hampshire, and an M.A. in International Studies from the University of South Carolina.

Aleta Margolis

Aleta Margolis is Founder and President of Center for Inspired Teaching, a Washington, DC-based organization that invests in teachers from recruitment to retirement to ensure schools make the most of children’s innate desire to learn. A third-generation Washingtonian, Aleta has taught elementary and middle school in Chicago area public schools, has been a professor of education at American University, and has created and run alternative education programs for DC high school students in the juvenile justice system.

Lucy Newton

Lucy Newton teaches and supervises law students in a clinical education program and is the co-director of eviction defense services at D.C. Law Students in Court. Over the course of her career, Lucy has represented low-income clients in a wide range of housing, public benefits, consumer law, and family law matters, including at the Legal Aid Society of D.C., the Neighborhood Legal Services Program of D.C., and the Georgia Legal Services Program. She was a legal fellow at the National Women’s Law Center and has advised students in the Office of Career Services at Howard University School of Law. Prior to law school, Lucy worked backstage at an opera company. Lucy has a J.D. from New York University School of Law and a B.A., with a major in music, from Emory University.

Mary Pitts

Parent Member

Mary Pitts is a program evaluator. She works for the federal government, primarily on homeland security and justice-related issues. She previously worked in the nonprofit and private sectors in industries ranging from historic preservation to small business development to affordable housing and tax credit financing – through this work, she traveled to 47 states. She has expertise in program management, data and market analysis, and real estate valuation. She has an undergraduate degree in English and policy studies from Rice University and a master of public policy from George Washington University. She served on the Board of the Inspired Families Association for several years, including two years as president. She loves early morning walks on the Mall with her dog, cooking and eating seasonal vegetables, and listening to audiobooks while doing chores. She’s learning to identify native and invasive plants. She lives in Washington, DC, and her two children attend ITDS.

Sundai Riggins, EdD

Dr. Riggins is the Head of School at the inspired Teaching Demonstration School. Prior to her current role, Dr. Riggins was the principal of Hendley Elementary School in SE DC for six years. During her time at Hendley ES she improved academic achievement, built robust programming and extracurricular activities, and also redefined the curriculum to include STEM programming and hands-on learning experiences for students. In 2019 her school won the Innovation for Excellence award at the Standing Ovation for DC Public Schools and became the only OSSE recognized STEM elementary school in Ward 8. Most recently, Dr. Riggins was recognized for her highly effective leadership and awarded the Leading During a Year of Change, an honor designated for three DCPS principals. A veteran school leader, she has served as an urban school leader for twelve years as both a principal and mentor to aspiring school leaders. As a former founding principal of a brand-new Expeditionary Learning (EL) charter school in Baltimore City, Dr. Riggins has experience in both traditional and charter schools. In addition, she spent eight years in parochial schools as a teacher, English Department Chair, and was selected by her colleagues as the Teacher of the Year. Dr. Riggins has written articles for NAEYC, the 74 Million, and was featured as a guest expert on CNN’s The ABCs of COVID-19, with Sanjay Gupta and Erica Hill. Dr. Riggins holds bachelors degrees in English and Journalism, two master’s degrees – a Master of Science in Administration from Trinity University and an Executive Masters in Leadership from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.

Leah Squires, PhD

Secretary, Parent Member

Leah E. Squires is the Psychology Service Chief at the Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center (DCVAMC). She is a clinical health psychologist and previously served as the Director of Psychology Training at the DCVAMC. Dr. Squires is an active researcher in HIV behavioral health, with a specific focus on addressing disparities in health, and has also served as the National Coordinator of the Liver/HIV Psychology Postdoctoral Training Program administered by the VA Office of HIV, Hepatitis and Related Conditions. Dr. Squires completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Boston University before moving to the DC to complete internship and two years of postdoctoral training at the DCVAMC. Dr. Squires is also Dr. Mom to two ITDS students and has proudly served as both Vice President and President of the Inspired Families Association. In her limited spare time, Leah enjoys gardening, knitting, watching the birds, and jumping on trampolines.

Peter Weber

Over the past 25 years, Pete Weber has worked in K-12 education in a variety of capacities. Currently, as an independent consultant, Pete works with organizations to help build stakeholder support for ambitious goals and to ensure that their work is aligned to achieving those goals. He helps schools, school districts, and non-profit organizations establish great strategic plans and implement those plans effectively. From 2007 to 2017, Pete served in a number of roles at the District of Columbia Public Schools. where he managed strategic planning, accountability, data systems, human resources, resource allocation, assessments, grants, communications, and intergovernmental affairs for the district. From 2014 to 2017, a time when DCPS was the fastest improving urban school district in the country, Pete served as the Chief of Staff to the Chancellor, with responsibility for building alignment of resources to achieve the district’s goals. Pete began his educational career as a teacher in Houston, Texas, teaching high school English as a Second Language, English, U.S. History, World Geography, and Government. He also established a successful Advanced Placement U.S. History program. After his teaching career, Pete served as a budget analyst for education programs at the federal Office of Management and Budget. Beginning in 1999, Pete worked as Deputy Budget Director and Interim Budget Director at DC Public Schools, overseeing budget development and execution for the school district’s billion-dollar budget. Following his time in the DCPS budget office, Pete became Director of Finance and Administration for Achieve, Inc. a non-profit focused on improving K-12 standards and assessments. Returning again to a school district, Pete served as the Director of Federal Intergovernmental Affairs for the New York City Department of Education. Pete earned a bachelor’s degree in English and History from the University of Iowa and a Master’s in Public Affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas.

Rusty Wilson

Treasurer, Parent Member

Rusty Wilson is an attorney and business executive. He is the co-founder and principal of an information services company with offices in Washington, DC and Shanghai, China. He was previously a vice president of business development and strategy at AOL, in-house counsel at a telecommunications company, and he practiced law as a real estate attorney at the firm of Hale and Dorr LLP (now Wilmer Hale LLP). He is a graduate of Yale University and Cornell Law School. He and his wife live in Washington DC and have two children who attend the Inspired Teaching School.