Founder & Managing Partner

David was the lead author on the approved application by the U.S. Department of Labor to federally recognize the “K-12 teacher” and “K-12 principal” occupation as eligible for registered apprenticeship. His "Grow Your Own" and registered apprenticeship in teaching work in Tennessee was recognized by The White House, U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Labor.

Previously, David served as the Chief of Human Capital at the Tennessee Department of Education. He has been a teacher in Baltimore, principal in Detroit and administrator in New York City.

His goal is to create a world where an aspiring educator can become a teacher for free and get paid to do so.

Contact: david@ncgyo.org

Senior Partner

Previously, Carla Warren, Ed. D., NBCT, worked for the West Virginia Department of Education as the Officer for the Division of Academic Support & Educator Development, leading multiple instructional and educator workforce initiatives.

She developed the state’s Teacher Leader Framework to assist county school systems to codify their teacher leadership practices. She has also been instrumental in designing and implementing the WV Grow Your Own Teacher Pathway and in securing Department of Labor funds to develop a teacher apprenticeship program in the state.

A native West Virginian, Dr. Warren is a passionate supporter of teachers at every stop along their professional continuum and the work they do every day in the trenches to advance the lives of their students.

Contact: carla@ncgyo.org

Partner

Ben has previously served as a Data Analyst, a Project Manager, and Director of Special Projects within the Tennessee Department of Education’s (TDOE) Office of Human Capital. Ben has also served as Director of Special Projects within TDOE’s Office of the Deputy Commissioner, and as a policy fellow supporting a member of the Tennessee State Board of Education.

During his tenure at TDOE, Ben helped to design and launch a variety of statewide educator talent initiatives in Tennessee, including free additional endorsement grant to over 5,000 educators, a statewide education job board, and an online professional learning series that was offered for free to every principal in Tennessee during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, Ben has previously managed Tennessee’s statewide Grow Your Own grants.

Ben gathers much of his professional inspiration from his mother, who has worked as an educator in her local public school district for 30+ years. Ben began his professional journey as a 5th & 6th Grade Mathematics teacher in Hartford, CT.

Contact: ben@ncgyo.org

Partner

Miles formerly served as Chief of Staff for the Tennessee Department of Education’s Office of Operations. Alongside department leadership, he oversaw budgeting, spending, and tracking of $250M+ of federal relief funds. He also managed agency-wide process improvement projects related to procurement, hiring, and bill analysis.

While obtaining his master’s degree in public affairs from the O’Neill School at Indiana University, Miles has explored the relationship between public service motivation, mission valence, and employee recruitment and retention in public and parapublic spaces.

Miles graduated cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis, with a degree in economics. He began his career as a high school algebra teacher in Houston, Texas.

Contact: miles@ncgyo.org

Associate

Irene's passion is rooted in her belief that educators provide an immeasurable service as architects of tomorrow's minds.

Before NCGYO, she served faculty and students in multiple roles at Tufts University. She supported faculty in the transition from in-person to remote/hybrid instruction by digitizing course materials, developing online teaching resources, and facilitating trainings. As an Assistant Director of Student Affairs, Irene also designed a mobile app to pilot a fully virtual orientation week attended by 150+ people across 30+ countries.

Irene earned a master of education degree from Harvard Graduate School of Education. She has worked in both public and private sectors as an instructional designer and learning strategy consultant.

Advisor - Apprenticeship Policy & Partnerships

Mary previously worked in apprenticeship policy at The Council of State Governments, where she provided technical assistance to state and local government leaders in the development of registered apprenticeship programs to expand the accessibility of public sector careers for individuals from historically underrepresented backgrounds. She also supported the CSG disability employment policy portfolio and led grant writing for workforce development initiatives.

She is the lead author of the Public Sector Apprenticeship Toolkit and has helped facilitate the launch of public sector apprenticeship programs in Colorado, Idaho, Maine, and other states to strengthen public service talent pipelines. She also authored the first National Occupational Framework for registered apprenticeship for substance use counselors, published by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship.

As a Schwarzman Scholar, Mary earned a Master of Management in Global Affairs from Tsinghua University in 2021. Prior to her work in apprenticeship policy, Mary specialized in public diplomacy and international relations. She speaks Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.

Contact: mary@ncgyo.org

Senior Partner & Executive Director of Texas Center for Grow Your Own

Prior to joining NCGYO, Ashley served as the Associate Superintendent for Teaching and Learning at Midland ISD, a large public school district in West Texas. She is dedicated to building organizational capacity, with a strong focus on innovative talent strategies.

At Midland ISD, and previously as Executive Director of Talent Development for Ector County ISD, she successfully implemented strategic staffing and compensation models and developed robust talent pipelines. Notably, she led the early adoption and implementation of a registered apprenticeship program in partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor at both Texas school districts. 

As a member and working group lead on the Texas Education Agency’s Teacher Vacancy Task Force, Ashley made significant contributions to the state’s comprehensive report, offering strategies and policy recommendations to address teacher shortages through targeted recruitment and retention efforts.

Passionate about supporting educational systems, Ashley brings a service-oriented approach to her work. Her career reflects a commitment to excellence, an understanding of the evolving educational landscape, and a visionary approach that drives growth and success for both students and educators.

Contact: ashley@ncgyo.org

Communications Consultant

Sierra is freelance journalist based in Brooklyn. She has an extensive portfolio of work focused on education, politics, race, faith and their intersections. Her work has been featured in Teen Vogue, Washington Post, New York Magazine and the Huffington Post among others. Most recently, she was the 2023-2024 editorial fellow for The 74 Million.

Sierra previously worked at National Public Radio as an investigations intern through the Ida B. Wells Society. During her time at NPR, she conducted research on financial technology companies and contributed reporting for an investigative series on the Paycheck Protection Program.

Sierra graduated summa cum laude from Florida A&M University, where she studied broadcast journalism and served as an editor for the university newspaper and writer for the school’s magazine. During her time on campus, she interned with The American Prospect magazine as a fact-checker and reporter.

Advisor

Naima has worked in the education sector for more than fifteen years, with experience in teaching, consulting, research, policy, and public service. She served as the Chief of Staff for the Tennessee Department of Education’s Office of Human Capital. There, she oversaw educator workforce diversity initiatives and digital learning, and assisted in the rollout of statewide human capital programs.

She holds master’s degrees in elementary education and education policy, as well as a PhD in educational psychology.

Naima enjoys yoga, hiking, reading, and trying out new recipes. She lives with her husband in New York City.