Who We AreSchool Turnaround
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Leadership |
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Gillian Williams assumed the Presidency of The Rensselaerville Institute in the spring of 2010. Her appointment by the Board of Trustees was grounded in the achieved success of School Turnaround which she founded and developed at The Rensselaerville Institute. Gillian is focusing and streamlining the programs, consulting, and tools offered by all three groups of The Institute as she leads the entire organization to higher levels of impact through these core offerings. As the Founder and Chief Academic Officer of School Turnaround, Gillian grew the organization from a summer conference into a multi-faceted, nationally established initiative. She works with principals and superintendents across the country to lead change by example using leadership characteristics and strategies that are proven effective in turning around low-performing schools. The initial research and thinking for the current turnaround movement is grounded in the work that Gillian created and undertook. Under her leadership, School Turnaround demonstrates consistently high gains for student achievement. School Turnaround is designed specifically for schools and districts where someone in power perceives a current failure that requires urgent intervention. While most educational initiatives geared toward demonstrating student achievement take place over a long time period, School Turnaround is designed to bring about urgency and time-compressed change. It stands apart from others in the field by offering a money-back warranty that guarantees achievement on high stakes tests will increase in one year’s time. Gillian became an educator as a member of the Teach For America Charter Corps in 1990. She began her teaching career as a bilingual teacher at Public School 98 in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan. In 1997, Gillian became the youngest elementary school principal in New York City at Public School 63 in the South Bronx. In her first year at Public School 63, Gillian led a turnaround that lifted the school from its dismal standing on the state’s list of persistently failing schools—a distinction it had held for all eleven years of that list’s existence. Gillian is a national leader in education and was featured twice on the CBS Television program Sunday Morning as well as NPR radio segments. She has appeared in numerous publications, including, The New Yorker, The New York Times, US News and World Report and Education Week.
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Debra is an influential thought leader in the field of outcome measurement. Together with the Urban Institute, she completed ground-breaking research to develop outcome frameworks that are currently used by a wide spectrum of foundations and nonprofit organizations. She bridges research with practice in highly effective engagements across the social sector. In 2004, Debra successfully re-launched The Center for What Works’ strategy and infrastructure. She has led and continues to lead all efforts at What Works, including the March 2011 transition when What Works joined forces with The Outcome Group of The Rensselaerville Institute. Debra’s expertise in assisting social sector organizations to improve their results makes her a highly sought after advisor and speaker. She makes essential connections between strategy and actionable outcomes leading to improved internal management, increased external funding, and continuous improvement. She presents highly regarded key notes and workshops at state association conferences for nonprofits and funders as well as other conferences including: the Grant Manager's Network, Net Impact, NYU’s Social Entrepreneur Conference, Social Solutions, the League of American Orchestras, and the Tutor/Mentor Leadership Conference. She also frequently presents web-based seminars and training programs.She is a member of the Alliance for Effective Social Investing and has advised many leading organizations including: GuideStar, FSG Social Impact Advisors, and McKinsey and Co. In 2004, Debra also founded the Chicago professional chapter of Net Impact, a global network of leaders changing the world through business. She continues to chair the chapter. Under her leadership, the Chicago chapter was awarded Professional Chapter of the Year for 2007. Debra also serves on Net Impact’s national membership committee to help determine global strategy. Prior to her current role, Debra worked for IOR Global Services, a cross-cultural training and consulting firm, where she designed and streamlined business processes for several Fortune 100 corporate clients. She also helped launch a technology company, where she successfully implemented the first client in over 20 countries. Debra holds a Masters degree in Organizational Management from the SIT Graduate Institute in Vermont. Her Masters thesis explored social entrepreneurship and the effective use of performance measurement strategies to improve organizational results. Debra has studied, lived and worked in England, Japan, India, Israel, and Argentina; she integrates and uses her evolving knowledge of the world to learn, leverage and contribute on a daily basis. Debra lives in Chicago with her husband and three sons. |
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| The Rensselaerville Institute's Board of Trustees Clyde E. Rankin III, Chairman - Partner, Baker and McKenzie, NY Lawrence H. Bober - Retired Senior Vice President, Manufacturers Hanover Trust Co., Inc., NY Kathy Brennan, Senior Associate with Innovation Network, Washington, DC David Buttross - Owner & Operator, Buttross Properties, TX William P. Carey - Chairman, W. P. Carey & Co. LLC, NY Carla E. Dearing, Managing Director and CEO of IMC Group, KY Peter G. Gerry - Managing Partner, Sycamore Partners, NJ Melvin J. Gordon - Chairman, Tootsie Roll Industries,Inc., IL Leon E. Haynes, III - Executive Director, Hosanna House, Inc., PA Rem Hoffmann, CEO of Exponent Partners, San Francisco, CA Susan Hudson - Executive Director and Chief Administrative Officer, Global Fixed Income, London John Klingenstein, Vice Chairman - President, Esther A. & Joseph Klingenstein Fund, Inc., NY Edward V. LaPuma - Founder, LCN Capital Partners, LLC Marshell K. Larson - President/CEO, M.R. and Evelyn Hudson Foundation, Keller, TX Robert W. Parsons, Retired, The Hyde & Watson Foundation, NJ Jane W. Schautz - Retired Director, The Rensselaerville Institute STEP program, NY Ross O. Swimmer - President, The Cherokee Group, LLC, OK William I. Witkin - Retired, General Cocoa Company, NY Honorary Chair: |
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Gillian Williams, President
Debra B. Natenshon, Chief Executive Officer 
