Our Team

The SELF Staff

Shannon Garfield (she/her)
Chief Executive Officer

Avni Murray (she/her)
Chief of Staff & Strategy

Heather Kawlra (she/her)
Chief Program Officer

Hannah DeBear (she/her)
Partner

Darren Jasper (he/him)
Partner

Nady Persons (they/them)
Partner

Malcolm Dean (he/him)
Director of Operations

KB Cunningham (she/her)
Director of External Relations

Wendy Bentley (she/her)
Director of Development

The SELF Board

Josh Densen
Board President
CEO, Next Chapter Coaching, LLC

Lauren Morando Rhim
Board Vice-President
President, Sightline Education Advisory

David Rosenberg
Board Secretary
Principal, Rosenberg Strategies

Kevin T. Taylor
Board Treasurer
Founder, Taylored Stewardship Institute

Shannon Garfield
Ex-Officio
CEO, SELF – Special Education Leader Fellowship, Inc.

Tiffany Cheng Nyaggh
Board Member
Vice President, Strategy & Services, Catalyst Exchange

Vanessa Murrieta
Board Member
Founder and Principal, Alcanza Impact

Robert Garda
Board Member
Associate Dean, Faculty Development & Academic Affairs; Professor, Loyola University College of Law

Richard (Scott) Sakala
Board Member
Senior Finance Manager, GE Healthcare

SELF's Funders

We are grateful to our funding partners whose support empowers us to transform public education. SELF is a reliable funding partner, serving its mission with fidelity and delivering positive outcomes. Over half of our philanthropic funders have awarded multiple grants.

Baptist Community Ministries
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Charter School Growth Fund
GPOA Foundation
Keller Family Foundation
New Schools for New Orleans
The Oak Foundation
The RosaMary Foundation
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of Louisiana
The Booth-Bricker Fund
Entergy Corporation
Henry E. Niles Foundation
The Margulf Foundation
New Schools Venture Fund
Pro Bono Publico Foundation
William K. Kellogg Foundation
Baptist Community Ministries

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of Louisiana
The Booth-Bricker Fund
Charter School Growth Fund
Entergy Corporation
GPOA Foundation
Henry E. Niles Foundation
Keller Family Foundation
The Margulf Foundation
New Schools for New Orleans
New Schools Venture Fund
The Oak Foundation
Pro Bono Publico Foundation
The RosaMary Foundation
William K. Kellogg Foundation

Our Team

Leading Transformational School Change. Advancing Student Achievement.