Dr. Mills, born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey, always possessed a fervent affection for providing urban youth with an alternative perspective on life. As a high school student, he quickly acknowledged the significance of becoming an educated African-American male in his community. He sought empowerment through education, discovering its significance to personal and societal development.

After earning a B.S. degree in Math Education from Montclair State University, Dr. Mills began teaching math at East Side High School in Newark, New Jersey. While working full-time, he earned a Master’s of Educational Leadership at American Intercontinental University and later a doctoral degree in administration, policy, and curriculum from Seton Hall University. Later, at Malcolm X Shabazz High School in Newark, Dr. Mills served for two years as Math Department Chairperson and one year as Vice Principal. At the age of 27, Dr. Mills was made Principal of this school, one of the most troubled in the Newark Public Schools District. With a history of low-test scores, MXS was threatened with the possibility of closure. Dr. Mills formulated a strategy of education reform, using his strengths as an accessible and relatable leader to recreate a safe school atmosphere where students and staff believed again in themselves, their school, and in education. Under his leadership, test scores drastically improved. School pride and a sports culture were also restored. The school’s turnaround has been featured in the Sports Illustrated award-winning series “Underdogs,” NBC’s “Positively Black,” an Emmy award-winning documentary “Saving Shabazz” produced by NJ.com, and articles by The Atlantic, Fortune, and Crain business magazine.

Dr. Mills not only serves as Executive Director of CAPS Paterson but also leads Academics across the CAPS network.

Julie Bunt is an accomplished educational leader currently serving as Chief Innovation Officer at College Achieve Public Schools, where she spearheads initiatives that foster academic innovation and growth with a strong focus on compliance. With a distinguished career spanning multiple roles in education, Julie has held senior positions ― including Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor at the New Jersey Department of Education and Chief Executive Officer at a Philadelphia-based charter school. Her journey began in the classroom as a teacher, and she later advanced to roles including principal, where she honed her skills in student-centered leadership and school management.

Julie is celebrated for her strategic vision ― particularly in creating inclusive and effective learning environments that prioritize both student achievement and educator professional development. Her ability to drive cross-functional teams and implement strategic policies has consistently led to measurable improvements in educational outcomes. She brings a deep understanding of educational administration, having earned a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Saint Peter’s University, a Master’s in Educational Leadership from California University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education from Gwynedd Mercy University.

Forney has been a public servant for the state for over 35 years, beginning with his position of Senior Auditor in the Office of Legislative Services. From here, he transitioned to the New Jersey Department of Education holding the roles of Budget Examiner, Director of the Office of Fiscal Review and Improvement, County School Business Administrator, Assistant Division Director and Acting Director for the Division of Administration and Finance and Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Finance. He also served in the Office of State Monitors as its director.

Forney is a graduate of Rutgers University where he received his bachelor’s in science accounting. Additionally, he holds a School Business Administrator Certificate from the State of New Jersey.

Dr. Marnie G. McKoy’s 30 years in education have earned her a strong reputation in independent, charter and traditional public school settings. Marnie most recently served as the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources for New Brunswick Public Schools in New Jersey, where she led the District in recruiting, supporting and retaining high quality staff. Additionally, Marnie provided coaching and professional learning for district leaders and played a primary role in creating the District’s Strategic Plan. Prior to joining the District, Marnie served as Director of Accountability in Paterson Public Schools, where she led the implementation of AchieveNJ in Paterson’s 55 schools. Marnie has served as a charter school CEO and Principal in Paterson; Principal of an independent school in Newark and a teacher and administrator at The Pingry School in Martinsville, NJ. She has a deep passion for developing leaders, with a particular interest in creating internal pipelines for leadership. This model has been implemented in districts in New Jersey, where Marnie facilitated sessions and coached leaders. Marnie has taught courses in the Rutgers Graduate School of Education and is teaching in the Doctoral Program in Kean University’s Educational Leadership Department and Seton Hall University’s Executive Doctoral Educational Leadership Program.

A sought after Board member and speaker, Marnie’s past and present Board memberships are a direct reflection of her passions — among them are The Rutgers Community Health Foundation, The New Jersey Youth Symphony and The Citizens Campaign. An engaging and dynamic presenter, Marnie’s trademark is her ability to deliver information that is accessible and actionable. She inspires and empowers teams and challenges them to passionately pursue their next level. Marnie is a native of Baltimore, Maryland and a graduate of Rutgers University and Seton Hall University where she earned an undergraduate degree in English and graduate and doctorate degrees in Educational Leadership, Management and Policy respective.

Ms. Ravare joined the CAPS organization in July 2022 with over 20 years of experience in charter school management and charter school policy development.

Most previously, Ms. Ravare served as the CEO of Extera Public Schools, a Charter Management Organization operating two schools in East Los Angeles. Prior to becoming CEO, she served as the organization’s Chief Operating Officer for six years and led a team that included human resources, technology, operations, real estate, compliance, student recruitment, budget, and finance.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Ravare led regional advocacy efforts in Los Angeles for the California Charter Schools Association, where she also served as the founding Executive Director of Families that Can, a statewide advocacy organization engaging and empowering charter school parents.  Ms. Ravare also served as the Senior Vice President at ICEF Public Schools, a successful network of charter schools serving South Los Angeles.  Ms. Ravare is a certified Charter School Business Manager.  She is a Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow and received her Bachelor’s from UC Berkeley.

Ms. Ravare also serves on the board of CharterFolk, a national non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the charter school movement to improve education for all students.

Richard Jannarone is a 25‑year veteran School Business Administrator having served his entire career as the School Business Administrator/Board Secretary at the New Brunswick Board of Education. New Brunswick is a K-12 former Abbott school with a student enrollment of about 10,000 students. He develops and manages a budget of over 280 million dollars with over 1700 employees. During his tenure in New Brunswick, he has implemented a number of corrective actions in the business office including a reorganization of staffing assignments and implementation of operational procedures that strengthened internal controls.

His daily responsibilities included preparing and monitoring $280 million budget with 14 schools, manages the school audit protocol and compliance with all state and federal regulations, Implements and oversees the entire fiscal department including approving purchase orders, approving payroll distributions, preparing monthly Board Secretary’s Report, approving deposits for all accounts, reconciling bank balances. He also supervises the self insured worker’s compensation program, self insured Health Benefit insurance and risk liability programs, conducting monthly Committee and Board meetings, approving monthly reports for special revenue grants, preparing grant Applications for the State and Federal government along with supervising all departments of the Business office. Duties also include supervising the 180 employees of the Buildings and Grounds/Maintenance Department, Transportation Department, Food Services Department, Technology Department and Data Center, as well as being responsible for the daily operations of the 10,000 student school district Mr. Jannarone has also been responsible for managing over 400 million dollars of school construction projects including six new schools and one addition and renovation to an existing school.

Mr. Parry currently serves as the Facilities Director for College Achieve Public Schools. In this role, he is responsible for assisting with new leases and property expansion, managing maintenance contracts, and overseeing construction projects conducted at all College Achieve campuses. Prior to joining CAPS in 2018, he spent nearly 30 years working as the Property/Project Manager for the Durst Organization. In this role he was responsible for managing the construction and maintenance on some of the tallest and most energy efficient buildings in New York City!

When Mr. Parry is not at work, he enjoys DIY projects around the house and spending time with his wife and two daughters.

Ms. Burroughs earned her Bachelors of Arts in Comparative Literature and African American Studies from Columbia University and her Master’s in Public Administration and Urban Education Leadership from Rutgers University. Ms. Burroughs began her career in education as a high school English teacher and member of the Teach for America Corp in Newark, N.J. She has since taught all levels of high school English as well as served as an Instructional Coach, Dean of Culture, and Vice Principal.

Today, Ms. Burroughs serves as the Director of 6-12 Literacy for the CAPS network. In this role, she is responsible for the development and successful implementation of the literacy curriculum and supports building leaders in the ongoing development and support of teachers. She currently serves on the Academic, Executive, and PD committees and helps steer CAPS programs in a way that extends well outside of her specialty area of literacy.  Ms. Burroughs is highly valued among staff in the CAPS organization for her candor and her fun, lighthearted approach to professional collaboration, all while balancing attention to academic rigor.

Mr. Costello began his career in education as a special education teacher in K-8 classrooms. He later transitioned to high school as a social science teacher; serving also as the social science department chair of his school. In 2009, under Mr. Costello’s leadership, the department achieved the second highest growth in the state of California. His own scholars also passed AP exams at far higher rates than in other AP programs on his campus. Mr. Costello was awarded “Educator of the Year” at two different organizations, and he has also been honored for his excellence in coaching educators.

In 2015, Mr. Costello joined the CAPS team as a consultant. In 2020, James took a more extensive role with CAPS, overseeing grades K-12 humanities. He currently serves on the Academic, Executive, and PD committees, leads our social studies and ELA intervention programs, and directs the AP program. Mr. Costello is highly valued among his colleagues for his ability to look at problems from many angles and make connections among various CAPS programs.

While working full time for CAPS, Mr. Costello also maintains relationships with other organizations, including both Catapult Learning and Leverage Learning, where he is valued for his ability to combine expertise in a range of education areas, including social studies and early literacy.

With two decades of experience as a math educator and leader, Kelly Powers has a diverse and accomplished background. Early in her career, she taught in Newark, NJ at Barringer High School and American History High School, later serving as a math coach at Central High School. Her dedication to student achievement earned her several accolades, including Teacher of the Month and Year awards and the prestigious Governor’s Teacher of the Year Award for Essex County. Ms. Powers later advanced to the role of department chair and then served for 4 years as district 6-12 Math Supervisor before joining CAPS in July 2024.

During her tenure, she co-organized the MASCO (Math and Science Competition) and played a pivotal role in planning various STEAM events, such as Family STEAM Nights and district-wide STEM Fairs. Her past involvement with the Newark Association of Mathematics Educators (NAME) also contributed to the annual NPS Math Olympics Competitions at NJIT. These roles showcased her ability to foster a culture of excellence in mathematics and science education.

Ms. Powers attended both Felician University and New Jersey City University and holds Bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics as well as Fine/Graphic Arts and Design.  Her post-graduate education includes a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Concordia University and a Supervision Certification from Montclair State University. While at Felician, Ms. Powers also played softball.

Beyond the classroom, Ms. Powers is deeply committed to community service through her work with the Rutherford Elks Lodge, where she serves as the membership chairperson. Her efforts in supporting veterans, special needs children, and the community have been recognized with the prestigious Elk of the Year Award (2024) for outstanding service.

Bio coming soon.

Mr. Fields received his Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with a minor in Mathematics from Cornell College. He began teaching third and fourth grade math in Brooklyn, NY through Teach for America. During this time he earned a Master’s in teaching students with disabilities. In 2018, Mr. Fields, alongside his team, helped his students attain 89% proficiency on their 4th grade state assessment, placing them in the top 98% of the state and outperforming the NY state average by 45 percentage points. After moving to NJ, he served as an Instructional Coach and Vice Principal of K-4 math and science in Newark. In this role, he worked directly with teachers to help push the school’s math program forward.

Since summer 2023, Jacob is the CAPS network as the Director of K-5 Mathematics. He deeply believes that math education is not simply about rote memorization but rather about developing strong number sense and relationships that can be used to think about and solve complex problems. He looks forward to collaborating with staff to provide high-quality resources for teachers and a high-quality education for students so that they have access to whatever college or career they choose.

Dennis Desormier serves a number of roles on the Academic team at CAPS. For almost 20 years, as a professional development and curriculum consultant, Dennis has met thousands of teachers each year in workshops and school visits. His professional experience combines years of classroom teaching with curriculum and instructional design experience with several publishers and school districts. However, his greatest love in the education field is professional development for teachers, school leaders, and district leaders in the areas of mathematics and assessment — particularly problem solving as a process and teaching math for deep understanding.

In his work outside the CAPS Network, he has written or co-written most of the mathematics and assessment workshops currently presented by Catapult Learning staff around the country as well as some of the STEAM workshops. He has a passion for balancing rigorous teaching and learning with a lighthearted environment.