Jazmine Benoit is a first-generation Puerto Rican Dominican born and raised in the Bronx. She recently graduated from Harvard Graduate School of Education's Learning Design, Innovation and Technology Master's program. She obtained her bachelor's degree from Lehman college with a major in Sociology and Childhood Education. Jazmine specializes in learning design as well as educational and leadership coaching. She has over eight years’ experience working for educational nonprofit programs as well as public and charter school districts within the South Bronx. She started her journey as a paraeducator and facilitated classroom learning for grades K through 12, then went on to develop and implement curriculum, program, and training designs for after school programs and has recently spent time coaching educators. Having been a child that went through public education she understands the importance of having an educator workforce that is equitable and diverse so that it accurately advocates for its students. Jazmine has encountered many trials and tribulations on her own journey in education and teaching and uses those experiences to be passionate about empowering others to continue their dreams and have a positive effect on their communities.

Romie Robertson is a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Education Policy and Management program. She currently works as a Customer Success Specialist in a large EdTech company. In her previous role, she was a teacher in the Liberty City neighborhood of Miami, FL where she taught high school English, SAT prep, and AP Seminar. She has experience working with numerous elected officials with their community outreach efforts, such as Hillary Clinton, Bill de Blasio, and the Georgia State House of Representatives. She is from Atlanta, GA and enjoys reading, traveling, and visiting museums. She is excited to be working with the JET team because she is passionate about teacher diversity, equity, and accessibility

Pam has worked in public administration and education for over 40 years. Originally from New York City, she worked in NYC government directing a public service internship program for college students and then taught for several years in the NYC public schools. When Pam moved to Massachusetts in 1994, she worked at the Massachusetts Department of Education in Educator Preparation and Professional Development and then went on to manage a federal education teacher quality partnership grant at Boston College. She co-authored several successful federal education grants at UMass Dartmouth, among them Journey into Education and Teaching (JET) of which she became the Program Director from 2007-2014. Building upon JET’s success on the southcoast of MA and in an effort to expand this opportunity for public school paraprofessionals, she co-founded JET as a non-profit organization. She has a Master's degree in Education from New York University.

Karen has 32 years of experience in education as an early childhood teacher, staff developer and university administrator. She last worked as Director of the Center for University, School and Community Partnerships at the UMass Dartmouth, where her work focused on promoting and supporting the preparation and continued professional learning of aspiring, beginning and experienced teachers and administrators. She initiated a number of successful federal and state grant proposals and served as the Principal Investigator on several of them. Upon retiring from the university, she was appointed the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Foundation by the Board of Directors in 2015. She has a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education from Rhode Island College and a post-graduate Certificate of Advanced Studies from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Terry Beasley is a recent graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Education Policy and Analysis program. She obtained her B.A. from SUNY Binghamton and her M.A. in English Education from New York University. In fall 2023, she will begin her doctorate in Educational Policy Studies with Boston University. In her previous roles, she was an elementary school teacher with District of Columbia Public Schools and an adjunct faculty member with the Catholic University of America. She also spent time as an early childhood educator with the National Zoo and as an elementary and middle school teacher in New York City. Being a long-time educator, Terry is particularly interested in addressing challenges within the teacher workforce. Specifically, questions around recruitment, preparation, licensure, access, and diversity.

Emily is pursuing a Master's in Human Development and Education (Ed.M) from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Prior to graduate school, Emily served as a college advisor and Manager of Revenue for the college access nonprofit Matriculate. She also has experience as an early childhood educator, respite care provider for adults with disabilities, and qualitative researcher focused on workforce development and higher education.

By expanding opportunities for lifelong learning, Emily strives to build communities rooted in human agency and well-being. As a member of the JET Team, Emily is proud to support diverse paraprofessionals—who bring tremendous wisdom, dedication, and love—as they navigate their journeys into higher education and teaching.   

Emily holds a BA in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. She enjoys painting, watching local wildlife, and hiking with family and friends.

Lyrical Serenity, also known as Sarah Adu, is a dedicated student at Harvard's Graduate School of Education, specializing in the Learning Design, Innovation, and Technology track. Armed with a bachelor's degree in social work and business, Lyrical brings a unique blend of skills and experiences to the field of education. Her journey has been marked by meaningful contributions in various non-profit organizations. However, it was her recent role as a case manager for Communities in Schools in the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, NV, that truly defined her commitment to student success. In this capacity, Lyrical worked closely with middle and high school students, providing crucial support to enhance their educational journey.

Beyond her academic pursuits, Lyrical is passionate about leveraging innovative learning design and technology to transform education.

With a deep belief in the transformative power of education, Lyrical is on a mission to contribute positively to the learning landscape. Her unique background in social work, coupled with her insights from the non-profit sector and practical experiences in schools, positions her as a dynamic force in the realm of education. Currently navigating the dynamic intersection of education, technology, and innovation at Harvard, Lyrical Serenity is poised to make a lasting impact on the future of learning.

Angela was born and raised in Boston and attended the Boston public schools. She has over 40 years experience in higher education administration in Boston and Cambridge. Her work has included directing teacher preparation and professional development programs at Lesley University and Northeastern University. At Northeastern she directed the Bridge to Teaching program, a teacher pathway for paraprofessionals in Boston and Swansea; coordinated the Education Policy Fellowship Program; and oversaw the Summer Program for High School Students. In 2015 she retired from Northeastern University’s School of Education. In 2016 she gladly joined the JET Program to resume the work she loves, that of helping paraprofessionals become teachers. Angela earned her undergraduate degree from UMass Boston and a Master's degree in Public Administration from Northeastern University.

Janet M. Smith, Ph.D., who operates as Edscape Consulting LLC in Arlington MA, is serving as an evaluation consultant to JET. Her consulting practice bridges evaluation and research, often of STEM programs, focusing on equity in education for various stakeholders, including paraprofessionals, students, parents and teachers. She also consults with the Goodman Research Group to evaluate projects of NASA’s Universe of Learning, and with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Previously, Janet worked in non-profits focused on college access, higher education, high school and multi-lingual adult education classrooms, the tech sector, and the US Peace Corps. She conducted internal evaluation at The Steppingstone Foundation, Boston University School of Public Health and Salish & Kootenai (tribal) College in Montana.

Dr. Smith earned her doctorate at Boston College in Curriculum and Instruction, Teacher Education, and Special Education. Her doctoral dissertation addressed immigrant Latinx parents’ perspective of parent engagement, for which she won an award for outstanding graduate research from the Northeast Educational Research Organization. She has a Master’s degree in Professional Studies in Communication from Cornell University, and a B.A. in Fine Arts and French Language from College of the Holy Cross.

Casel brings her multifaceted teaching and leadership skills to the development and implementation of the JET Success Seminars and JET Mentor Program.

Casel Walker is currently an Assistance Lead for the Statewide System of Support, Coastal Region in Massachusetts, helping districts and schools develop and build capacity in effective leadership, instructional practices and leadership preparation. She is also an adjunct instructor and Program Coordinator for UMass Boston’s Educational Administration Program, support the development of educational leaders She has been a Leadership Coach for novice principals in Cambridge, Weymouth and Lynn Massachusetts.

Casel has over twenty-five years of extensive educational leadership experience in the Boston Public School. She was the Executive Director of Boston’s School Leadership Institute, developing and implementing its leadership programs, identifying and mentoring future leaders and certifying leadership competencies. She served as the Acting Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, the Cluster Six (6) Leader, and a member of the Superintendent’s Executive Leadership Team. She was the principal of the Manning Elementary School for 10 years when it became a Compass School in Massachusetts by exceeding student performance targets set by the state.

Casel holds her M.ED in Educational Administration from Curry College.