Consultants

Nili Bartley is a digital learning coach and teacher in Natick, MA as well as author of Lead beyond Your Title: Creating Change in School from Any Role. Nili is passionate about bringing unconventional learning to students and colleagues, empowering them to bring their strengths and passions to school every day. After an eleven year adventure in the classroom inspiring students to lead, Nili’s technology integration role at the elementary level for the next three years pushed her to see the importance of a thriving culture. Through coaching colleagues and implementing innovative ideas, Nili was able to serve as a catalyst, sparking positive change in her buildings as well as district. Nili continued to grow as a teacher and coach while taking the leap to middle school and now in her current role, is invested in creating innovative experiences within her new district. A MassCUE Committee Member and “Champion,” BrainPOP Certified Educator, and enthusiastic presenter, Nili is committed to sharing her passions beyond the school community and is always excited to connect with other educators.

Georgia Hall is a Senior Research Scientist at the National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) at the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College and specializes in research, evaluation, and curriculum development for youth development programs and learning experiences. Several of Dr. Hall’s projects focus on how out-of-school time (OST) environments can promote healthy behaviors and thereby reduce children’s risk of obesity and chronic disease. Hall has served for three years as Principal Investigator for a research study on BOKS, a before school physical activity program sponsored by the Reebok Foundation. Dr. Hall has also served for four summers as Principal Investigator for NIOST’s evaluation of the Boston Summer Learning Project and the MA Department of Education 21st Century Summer Learning Pilot. Working with a team of colleagues at the Wellesley Centers for Women, Hall is co-leading an investigation of OST program practices that support immigrant and refugee children and families. Hall is the Managing Editor of Afterschool Matters, a journal for OST practitioners, researchers, and other related professionals. Georgia is a Board Member of the American Camp Association, New England and is an enthusiastic musician, youth soccer, basketball, and softball/baseball coach in her local community. Hall earned her B.A. in 1982 from Duke University and holds a Ph.D. in Education from Boston College.

Aileen Kattan Marino has worked in the NYC Public schools as a speech and language pathologist, serving children for the past 14 years. She has a bachelor degree from the Stern School of Business in NYU and a Masters Degree with distinction in Speech and Language Pathology from Hofstra University.

DJ Salisbury has directed and choreographed shows for theaters across the USA that include Paper Mill Playhouse in NJ, Dallas Summer Musicals, TOTS-Atlanta, Kansas City Starlight, Sacramento’s California Musical Theatre, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, Riverside Theatre-Vero Beach, Orlando Shakespeare, Arkansas Shakespeare, Ogunquit Playhouse- Maine, and Musical Theatre West- Los Angeles. His choreography also has been featured on national television (The Rachael Ray Show and Dance your A** Off) and in a national tour promoting Dancing with the Stars. In NYC, DJ has directed and/or choreographed numerous readings/workshops/concerts including a revised Mystery of Edwin Drood (featuring Sally Struthers), composer Neil Berg’s Grumpy Old Men (starring F. Murray Abraham), Lincoln Center’s concert of Disney composer Alan Menken and the workshop of Femme Fatale (starring Grey’s Anatomy’s Sara Ramirez). On new musicals, DJ has worked in various capacities with Broadway heavyweights Jerry Mitchell, Lynne Taylor Corbett, Susan Stroman, Rupert Holmes, Jeff Calhoun, and Tommy Tune. He’s also directed cabaret shows for several artists including XM Radio host Julie James. As writer: Book/lyrics for The Man Who Would Be King (music by Neil Berg) which had a first production in October 2014; the play Perfect European Man which garnered best director, best actor and best production awards; DJ was the head writer/lyricist for the Emmy-winning Oklahoma Centennial TV special starring Reba McIntyre, Vince Gill, Kelli O’Hara and Shirley Jones and he has written the opening song for tow Rose Parades. DJ directed the Queens Theatre production of Chix 6 and contributed to the book in collaboration with writer-composer Lourds Lane. Under the auspices of Artists Striving to End Poverty, DJ was a volunteer teaching artist at the Shanti Bhavan School for the severely disadvantaged near Bangalore, India. While there, he taught creative writing and a self actualization workshop to high school age students, as well as theatre dance to middle school age students. He has also taught pre-ballet to kindergarteners in rural Kentucky, a story building workshop to middle school age children in East Harlem during the inaugural session of the Super You Fun-Dation, and scene study at the New York Film Academy. Since the late 1990’s, DJ has facilitated numerous “mastermind groups” and peer coaching circles based upon his extensive studies in group dynamics.

Kelly Ryan is a public high school teacher at the Bushwick School for Social Justice in Brooklyn and has been committed to educating youth for the last ten years.  She is devoted to the ideal of empowering her students to make positive change in their own lives and the universal community.  An activist as well, Kelly founded System of Freedom, the school’s human rights club.  S.O.F aims to build awareness of injustice across the globe, and inspire action to facilitate its end.

Christina is a Creator, Entrepreneur, Investor, Director, and Producer for Justice.

Having spent 13 years in politics developing the next generation of leaders who are now taking center stage and convening the “unusual suspect” coalitions to win on the DREAM Act, Affirmative Action, Criminal Justice Reform, exploitative Corporations, and major women’s health issues, Christina moved over to the world of Social Impact and started an investment firm supporting scalable idea stage start ups to transform the hood into an epicenter of healing and growth. With that, she’s also created a co-owned incubator with the young people who led the Baltimore Uprising to tackle community economic development, wealth generation, workforce development, food access, housing, and healing.

Christina has spent her life immersed in art as an award-winning vocalist, actress, and director. She merged her varied worlds by most recently directing the US Premiere of The album HOME featuring NE-YO, Elle Varner, produced by 5 time Grammy Award winner Malik Yusef in 2013 and helped produce Hip Hop loves Ferguson during Ferguson October with Talib Kweli, Dead Prez, and the top STL artists who gave voice to the movement. She’s currently co-producing the groundbreaking full length feature documentary, Whose Streets?, the story of Ferguson from the people who lived it.

Christina is the founder and chair of the Nexus Network’s Working Group Towards Equal Justice, convening high level young influencers to bridge identity, political, and cultural divides and align towards solutions with the Movement for Black Lives, Criminal Justice Reform, and other Racial Justice movements.