Megan Benay, EdD

• Design and facilitate networked learning communities and multi-stakeholder convenings for schools, districts, funders, and field-building organizations, translating emerging research into actionable tools and systemic change. • Lead the Rural AI Strategy Lab, a six-month learning network for rural schools to implement AI-enabled solutions to real-world challenges; recruited and vetted 115 teams and curated a cohort of 13 • Directed the Accelerating Adoption Network, a 10-organization learning network scaling evidence-based edtech innovations in K–12

• Provided strategic consulting to education organizations and nonprofits on policy reform, partnership development, and knowledge dissemination. • Facilitated state-level stakeholder coalitions and communities of practice in collaboration with the New York State Department of Education, Literacy Academy Collective, and Educator Preparation Program leaders to implement evidence-based literacy practices in pre-service training; translated complex policy into actionable messaging for policymakers and districts.

• Facilitated doctoral-level courses on systems-level educational improvement • Integrated emerging technologies and learning science principles into curriculum design

• Conducted UX research to develop a low-cost digital product that would enable public schools to better serve students of color with disabilities. • Engaged a nationally representative sample of parents and teachers using mixed-methods surveys and conducted user experience and usability testing through interviews, observations, tasks, and standardized assessments such as the System Usability Scale (SUS). • Specialized in utilizing best practices in user-centered research focused on transformational approaches to center authentic user voices, particularly from underrepresented communities.

• Managed and facilitated the Data Whiz collaborative of education data leaders, a national network of K-12 data practitioners seeking to accelerate data innovation through knowledge sharing and peer learning.

• Established and led the Data & Research Team, leveraging field research and data to capture insights and disseminate best practices across a network of schools to accelerate improvement. • Garnered $500,000 in support from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation to collaborate with external partners, including technologists, to develop user-centered data tools and applications to support school model innovation toward inclusive, personalized, and mastery-based learning. • Facilitated Networked Improvement Communities (NICs) and practitioner collaboratives to share learnings and accelerate change across the network of schools. • Led program evaluation research with external partners such as CPRL.

• Established a coalition of stakeholders to design and launch the Inclusive Learning Communities (ILC) initiative across network of schools by leveraging user-centered design principles and design thinking to transform the service delivery model for students with diverse learning needs from the ground up, leading to an increase in student achievement, increase in student attendance, increase in percent of general and special education teachers rating effective or highly effective, and a decrease in student suspension rates and other punitive measures. • Facilitated continuous improvement cycles with school-based and network ILC design teams, ensuring ongoing growth in practice to shift adult mindsets, decrease implicit bias, and improve teacher competencies to meet the needs of students with diverse learning needs • Collaborated with school-based instructional leaders to observe and coach ILC general and special education teachers and provide school-wide professional development grounded in high-leverage inclusive strategies for teaching and learning

• Supported a portfolio of educational investments focused on systems-level change, expanding access to new and innovative school models, and facilitating knowledge codification and dissemination. • Built relationships with grantee organizations, advising on program strategy, project development, and measurement/evaluation to support continuous improvement and streamlined reporting.

Volunteer English Teacher with the United Nations and Ministry of Education's English Opens Doors Program in Chile

• Led special education reform initiatives, improving student achievement and coordinating compliance with legal proceedings.

• Implemented data collection and analytic system using various technology for school-wide assessments in all subject areas

• Instructed students with disabilities and other diverse learning needs in grades K-5

Dissertation: An Exploration of the Persistent Educational Inequities Experienced by BIPOC Students with Disabilities

Honors College Graduate Cum Laude Honors from College of Arts and Science Honors Thesis: Relational Aggression, Physical Aggression, and Anxiety in Apprehended and Non-Apprehended Adolescent Females