Brent Ashbaugh

Principal, Rochester High School

Milissa McClaire Gary, M.Ed.

Managing Director of Secondary Partnerships, OneGoal

Milissa is an experienced educational leader, coach, consultant, and National Board Certified Teacher with an MA in Educational Research and Policy. She began her career as a high school teacher in Chicago and then transitioned to work at the district level, developing teachers and supporting instructional leadership teams. Milissa went on to be a consultant and program director for New Teacher Center, where she developed instructional coaching, mentoring, and professional learning. In her current role, Milissa engages district and school leaders in the Postsecondary Leadership Series. She is also responsible for leading the Postsecondary Leadership Coaches with partner districts across the state. Her entire career has been driven by a deep desire for young people—particularly those historically underserved—to have equitable access to opportunities and choice-filled lives.

Marci Johnson

Director for CTE and Innovation, Illinois State Board of Education

Marci Johnson is the Director for CTE and Innovation at the Illinois State Board of Education. She has been the Illinois State CTE Director for the past five years. She has worked at the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) for 14 ½ years. She has worked in the Curriculum and Instruction, College and Career Readiness and Federal Grants departments. Before coming to ISBE she worked in the Lichfield School District and was the founder of the M.A.K.E. I.T 21st Century Community Learning Center for seven years and the Litchfield Gifted Academy. Both are still providing services to students. Marci also serves on the Litchfield Unlimited Corporation to bring a YMCA to the town. Marci also serves on the COMPTIA National Advisory Council.

Andrew Schmitz, M.A.T., M.P.P.

Managing Director of Secondary Partnerships, OneGoal

Andy leads the execution of OneGoal’s Postsecondary Leadership Series, serving leaders at partner schools and districts. In this role, he sets the vision and manages the implementation of different services and products that build leadership capacity to strengthen postsecondary practices and systems. Before joining OneGoal, Andy worked as a teacher, teacher coach, and Assistant Principal in Chicago and led the Urban Education Institute’s school improvement leadership coaching team. Andy holds an MAT from Dominican University and MPP in Education Policy from the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy.