Relay Leadership

Dr. Mayme Hostetter became the President of Relay in 2018, having previously served in several roles within the organization, including National Dean, Dean of Relay NYC, and founding Director of Teaching and Learning in the decade prior. Additionally, Hostetter serves on the board of Deans for Impact, where she was a founding member, as well as on the board of directors at Cents Ability. Before joining Relay in 2008, she conducted reading development research in the Gabrieli Laboratory of M.I.T.'s Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. Prior to that, she taught English and coached everything at KIPP Academy in the South Bronx and Deerfield Academy in western Massachusetts.

Hostetter earned her A.B. in English and American Literature from Harvard College and her Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she was an Urban Scholars Fellow in the Mind, Brain and Education program. She earned her doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University.

As Relay’s Chief Student Services Officer, Kelly Boucher Morris manages the recruitment, selection, admissions, registrar, student financial services, student systems, and student support teams. She leads the development of services, systems, and policies critical to providing excellent customer service and support to students. She previously served as the Managing Director, National Operations at Relay, overseeing campus operations, guiding student recruitment, and supporting new campus launches. Before joining Relay, she worked as a Manager in the Office of School Turnaround at District of Columbia Public Schools. She also served as a Special Education Teacher at Beach Channel High School and Teachers Preparatory Academy, entering the profession through the New York City Teaching Fellows program.

Morris received her B.A. from Smith College, an M.S. in Secondary Education for Students with Disabilities from Brooklyn College, and an M.B.A. from Duke University.

Cherise Cota serves as Relay's Chief of Staff. Before joining Relay, Cota served as a senior director of talent initiatives at YES Prep Public Schools in Houston, Texas where she led the talent acquisition team, the teacher performance evaluation system, and several other cross-functional initiatives. She began her career as a 5th and 6th grade teacher in the Houston Independent School District and YES Prep, eventually becoming a co-school leader at its East End Campus. She received her B.A. in Spanish at the University of Kansas, and received her M. Ed. From National Louis University.

As founding Dean of Relay Delaware, Christine Eisenhauer oversees all aspects of teacher training in the “First State” As a native Delawarean, she is thrilled to be leading Relay Delaware in her home state and providing teachers with the knowledge and skills to be effective teachers for their PK-12 students.

Most recently, Eisenhauer taught core pedagogy to graduate students at Relay’s Newark campus. Prior to joining Relay, Eisenhauer served as the Managing Director of Academics at KIPP Philadelphia Schools, where she worked with regional and school-based teams to create effective network-wide systems for curricular alignment. Before joining KIPP, Eisenhauer worked with schools in Wilmington, Delaware, and on staff with Teach For America as a program director in Newark, New Jersey. Eisenhauer began her teaching career as an 8th grade math and science teacher at Bishop Spaugh Community Academy in Charlotte, North Carolina. She earned her Master of Arts in Teaching from the Relay Graduate School of Education, and her B.A., in political science and Asian studies, from Furman University in Greenville, SC.

As Relay’s Chief Financial Officer, Piper Evans is responsible for all aspects of financial management and planning at Relay. Most recently, Evans consulted on economic development and sustainability at O-H Community Partners, where she worked with nonprofits, foundations and government agencies to create jobs, develop entrepreneurial communities, and reduce CO2 emissions. Before that, she worked at The Walt Disney Co., in operations planning and analysis, for three years. She also worked at a boutique investment bank, advising parties to corporate bankruptcies, for two years.

Evans earned an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a B.S. in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She grew up in Dallas, Texas, and she has lived in North Carolina, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago.

As a Regional Dean and  Founding Dean of Relay Connecticut, Dr. Good leads teacher preparation and support through the state. She believes that aspiring teachers who are provided a rigorous curriculum of theory, practice, and culturally responsive pedagogy can have a dynamic impact on K-12 students. She began her career in 2003 teaching Secondary ELA in the Miami-Dade School District as a member of the charter corps of Teach For America Miami-Dade. During her time in Miami she was honored as Teacher of the Year in her school and a finalist for the District. In 2006, she began teaching in New Haven, CT Elm City College Preparatory Middle School. She spent 9 years at the school as a Teacher, Dean of Students, and 6 years as the Principal.

Dr. Maya Weatherton is both a Regional Dean as well as the Dean of Relay Houston. Prior to the role of Dean, Dr. Weatherton was the Director of Teacher Residency for Relay Houston. In this role, Dr. Weatherton was responsible for teaching and coaching incoming teacher residents. Before coming to Relay, Dr. Weatherton served as Principal of Foerster Elementary in the Houston Independent School District (HISD). There she dramatically turned around student performance, student and teacher attendance, and teacher morale. She did exemplary work for students in HISD for 16 years, including winning numerous awards for work as a teacher, regional curriculum specialist, assistant principal, and principal in at-risk schools.

Dr. Weatherton graduated from Paul Quinn College, earned her Masters in Educational Administration from Texas Southern University, and is part of the prestigious Rice Education Entrepreneurship Program. Dr. Weatherton recently completed her PhD in Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies (HELPS)

Dr. Carlotta Cooprider is the founding Dean for Relay Indianapolis. As a former teacher, instructional coach, building administrator, and policy consultant, she is recognized as an advocate for educational equity and has dedicated her career to transformative learning. Dr. Cooprider started her career as an elementary teacher in 1987 at Indianapolis Public Schools and then Westfield Washington School Corporation.

In 2003, she earned the Outstanding Education Fellow Award, which took her to Ball State University to teach in the university’s lab school. She stayed through 2007 working with the College of Humanities to launch an educational support program for foster care students transitioning from high school to college. Then, in the fall of 2007, she was recruited to be a founding member of the leadership team at Indiana Metropolitan Charter High School, by Goodwill Education Initiatives, the not-for profit created by Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana. In her time there, she also supported the launch of the Excel Centers - more than seventeen schools with free opportunities for adult learners to complete their Core 40 diploma.

She has served as a consultant for Indianapolis Mayor’s Office of Education and the Indiana Department of Education before taking on the role of Executive Director of Teach Plus Indiana. She is a frequent presenter at local, state, and national conferences with an emphasis on teacher development, differentiated education, school reform, and adult learning. Although her loved ones are spread across the country, her home is still the center of family life, renewal, and reunion. She earned her doctorate in Adult, Higher and Community Education in 2007 from Ball State University.

Bio coming soon.

As Dean of Relay San Antonio, Maria Faqier oversees all aspects of teacher training. Maria is a native Texan and is a passionate and dedicated teacher educator who strives to provide PK-12 teachers with the effective instructional knowledge and skills they need to teach for educational equity.

Before becoming the Relay San Antonio Dean, she spent 3 years serving as a professor for Relay and before Relay, Maria served as a middle school and high school science teacher for 15 years and four years as a high school administrator. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in chemistry from Our Lady of the Lake University, a master’s degree in teaching with a concentration in math and science from the University of the Incarnate Word, and a master’s degree in educational administration from Texas A&M San Antonio. Additionally, she is a Texas certified educator with certification in the following areas: Composite Science 8-12, Secondary Biology 6-12, ESL 6-12, Principal EC-12 and Superintendent EC-12.

As the Dean of Relay Philadelphia & Camden, Dr. Alaina Harper is dedicated to improving educational opportunities for all children by supporting teachers and identifying intersections between pedagogical content knowledge and practice. Dean Harper’s work and educational background are founded in supporting educators. Prior to Relay, Dean Harper worked with the school leadership team at KIPP Academy in the Bronx, New York. Dean Harper has also obtained a Doctorate in Educational Leadership (Ed.L.D.) from Harvard University, a M.S.T. in Curriculum and Teaching from Fordham University, and a B.A from the University of Pennsylvania.

As the founding Dean of Relay Atlanta, Christy oversees all aspects of teacher preparation programs in the Atlanta Metro area. As a native of Atlanta and product of Atlanta Public Schools, Christy is honored to lead Relay Atlanta in her hometown by providing teachers with the knowledge and skills to have a positive impact on K-12 students.

As an educator for over 16 years, Christy is a personal and professional advocate of not only developing the intellectual needs of students and educators, but also their social and emotional well-being. Christy taught in Atlanta Public Schools, Achievement First, and KIPP as a middle school English teacher. Christy also has over 10 years of experience in educational leadership as an Assistant Principal, Principal and Chief Academic Officer, during which time she led KIPP STRIVE Academy to become a National Blue Ribbon School.

Christy earned a B.A. in English from the University of Georgia, a M.A. in English from Georgia State University, and M.A. in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.

As Dean Fellow of Relay Memphis, Lequite Manning leads teacher preparation for the Memphis campus. Before joining the Relay faculty in 2018, Lequite served students, teachers, and leaders for Shelby County Schools. Her expertise ranges from elementary school teacher, principal, and Instructional Leadership Director specializing in coaching principals, building positive organizational cultures, and leading change management.  Lequite earned a B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction and Ed.S in Educational Leadership at Union University. She was selected for the 2005 Memphis cohort of New Leaders for New Schools, a widely recognized national leadership training program.  After serving Shelby County Schools in various leadership capacities for nearly 20 years, Lequite transitioned to Relay Memphis.  She most recently served as Residency Director, teaching and coaching residents in year 1 of the Relay Masters of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) program.  A native Memphian, Lequite resides with her husband, Nickalous, and their sons, Miller and Maxwell.  

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As the founding Dean of Relay Chicago, Mindy Sjoblom is Relay's lead instructor in the Windy City.  A Chicago native and career educator, Sjoblom is uniquely qualified to train novice teachers to lead their students to life changing academic achievement.

Before joining the Relay faculty as Dean Fellow in 2013, Sjoblom served as director of curriculum and instruction, then as principal, of Rauner College Prep, part of the Noble Network of Charter Schools in Chicago. While she was principal, Sjoblom’s students earned the highest average ACT scores in the school’s history, and the third highest of all nonselective high schools in the city. Before that, she served as founding humanities teacher at the Crossroads School in Baltimore. She is an alumna of Teach For America (Baltimore ’00).

Sjoblom earned a MAT from Johns Hopkins University; her Certificate of Advanced Study from National Louis University, through the KIPP School Leadership Program; and her B.A. in political science from Butler University.

As Dean of Relay Online, Dr. Alice Waldron,, is responsible for Relay's online courses and programs. She is committed to expanding access to high quality teacher education and training through Relay's online offerings, and loves making online learning engaging, community-based, and relevant. In addition to being a Dean at Relay, Waldron has taught science education courses to Relay students for six years. She began her teaching career teaching middle school science in New York City.

Waldron earned her MST from Pace University, BA. from Pomona College and her Ed.D  at Johns Hopkins University, with a focus on technology integration in education.

Relay Louisiana (Baton Rouge & New Orleans) is led by Dr. David J. Wallace. He brings incredible experience as an outstanding PK-12 teacher, a phenomenal Relay faculty member, and an educational scholar to our Baton Rouge and New Orleans teams.

Dr. Wallace began his career first as an elementary school teacher in Brooklyn, New York, and then as instructional leader at a K-6 school in Miami before joining the Relay New York City faculty. He has spent six years with Relay to date, and also serves as the Founder and Chief Awakening Officer of Awakening Minds LLC, an educational consulting firm.

Dr. Wallace holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Morehouse College, a master’s degree from Relay Graduate School of Education, and an Educational Doctorate from St. Thomas University. His research interests include teacher self-efficacy and the experiences of male educators of color

Since the beginning of his career, Verrilli has fought for community development and social justice. He began his educational work in 1984, as a Jesuit Volunteer Corps community organizer in the Bronx. Verrilli then joined Link Community School, where he stayed for more than a decade — first as a teacher and eventually as principal. In 1997, Verrilli co-founded North Star Academy Charter School of Newark, where he was principal of the Downtown Middle School for 14 years and saw North Star Academy grow to a network of 10 schools with 3,500 students.

Verrilli has received numerous awards for this leadership, including the National Blue Ribbon Schools' Terrel H. Bell Award, given each year by the U.S. Department of Education to the top ten principals in the nation. He earned his B.A. in history from Colby College and his M.A.T. from Brown University.

As founding dean of Relay Denver, Therese Zosel-Harper oversees all aspects of teacher preparation in the Mile High City. Before joining Relay Denver, she served as Relay New York's Assistant Dean of Students, and as an Assistant Professor of Practice for four years. Prior to joining Relay, Zosel-Harper served as a high school social studies and adolescent literacy teacher at Peace and Diversity Academy in the Bronx, NY, where she was placed as a Teach For America corps member. Zosel-Harper earned her B.A. in Sociology from the University of Oregon’s Clark Honors College. She earned her M.S.T. in Teaching Social Studies at Pace University, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Education Policy at Teachers College, Columbia University. Zosel-Harper’s dissertation focuses on the role of observation and feedback cycles in teacher performance management systems. Her research interests include: teacher recruitment, support/development and retention, and teacher evaluation policy.

Nichelle Bowes is the Dean of student Affairs at Relay. Previously, Nichelle assumed the role of Dean of Relay Newark in 2018 after serving the campus as Assistant and Associate Dean since 2013. Nichelle is committed to continuing the campus' legacy of strong instructional preparation and dedication to social justice. As a proud immigrant and product of public education systems, she believes strongly in ensuring that practitioners in K - 12 classrooms are equipped with pedagogical practices that not only drive academic achievement, but values the individual student, honors the cultural practices of the students and families, and engages the communities in which students live.

Nichelle began her career as a Teach for America corps member in Paterson, NJ where she served for 5 years as a humanities teacher, before serving the students and families of East Orange, NJ as a 4th and 5th grade ELA teacher and literacy coach. Nichelle holds a B.A. in English and Psychology from Binghamton University, an M.A. in Counselor Education from Kean University, a M.P.A. from Rutgers University, and an Ed. D. from Johns Hopkins University.

Warren Chancellor is the Managing Director of National Strategy and Operations for Leadership Programs at Relay. In this role, he supervises the events and operations team as they plan and execute 50+ intersessions/conferences per year as well as the partnerships team as they enroll over 1,300 leaders across our eight leadership programs engaging with over 160 unique districts, CMOs, independent charters, and funders each year. 

Prior to joining Relay, Warren served as the Managing Director of Events & Operations at Teach For America from 2014-2016, leading the operations team in the planning and execution of the 25th Anniversary Summit that was hosted in Washington D.C. in 2016, attracting more than 15,000 participants from all over the country. He also supported the Executive Vice President as her Chief of Staff in 2013. Warren began his professional career in the classroom teaching high school math in Atlanta Public Schools. After the classroom, Warren had the opportunity to work at Google under their People Operations team as well as the Democratic National Convention Committee planning the 2012 and 2016 conventions.  

Warren is a graduate of Morehouse College where he earned a bachelor of science in mathematics. He was born in Charlotte, NC and raised in Irian Jaya, Indonesia, and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.

Kari Feinberg is the National Dean of Regional Leadership Programs at Relay. In this role, she leads Relay Leadership's current work and strategic planning efforts to provide network-embedded professional learning, coaching, and support for CAOs, principal managers, and school leaders in the areas of observation and feedback, school culture, data driven instruction. Before joining Relay in the summer of 2017, Kari spent ten years with YES Prep Public Schools in Houston, Texas, most recently as the Head of Schools from 2013 to 2017. She has also worked as a school leader and teacher in Baton Rouge, LA and Durham, NC.

Kari holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Political Science and graduate degrees in School Leadership and Public Administration from the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. She continues to be Houston based.

As Managing Director of Talent (Talent Acquisition & HR), Lawrie Givner is responsible for overseeing Relay's talent acquisition, benefits, and compensation strategy in order to recruit and support a diverse and high performing faculty and staff. As a co-leader and founding member of the Diversity Steering Committee, she is responsible for ensuring Relay's culture, policies, and practices are aligned to our vision to becoming the most inclusive and diverse graduate school of education.

Lawrie previously served as the Director of Talent Acquisition at Relay, overseeing Relay's growth from 3 campuses to over 15 campuses today. Before joining Relay, Lawrie served as a public school teacher in New York City. Lawrie brings that same passion for identifying and cultivating individuals' unique talents and diverse perspectives to her talent work today.

Lawrie received her B.A. from Yale University and an M.A.T from Teacher U.

As Managing Director of National Operations, Mara Harwel co-leads the program operations team and is responsible for providing operational support and guidance to campus leaders, Student Services, and programmatic teams. Before joining the national operations team, she supported the inaugural class of students in New York City, was the founding Director of Operations for the New Orleans campus, and then the Senior Director of Operations for Leadership Programs. She began her career as a Teach For America corps member in Greater New Orleans.

As Relay’s Chief Research Officer, Dr. Anne-Marie Hoxie oversees institutional research and program evaluation activities in support of Relay’s commitment to data-driven improvement and learning. Prior to joining Relay, Anne-Marie lead research and strategic learning for Classroom, Inc., a non-profit ed-tech organization. Anne-Marie also managed research, evaluation, and data initiatives at the New York City Department of Education and at The After-School Corporation (now ExpandED). She received her doctorate in Developmental Psychology from Fordham University. Her dissertation research focused on adolescents’ growth experiences in after-school programs.

As Relay’s Chief External Affairs Officer, Anne McCarley is responsible for communications, development, marketing, and public affairs at Relay. Before joining Relay, McCarley served in a number of capacities on Teach For America’s national development team, securing over $150 million in philanthropy to support the organization’s growth in scale and impact from 2008-2015. She began her career as an associate at the global investment research firm, Morningstar, Inc.

McCarley earned an M.A. in English from Northwestern University and a B.A. in English from the University of Notre Dame.

As Relay's Chief Information Officer, Stephanie Nelson is responsible for identifying and adapting the technological and knowledge management solutions that will position Relay to be a cutting-edge, efficient and effective graduate school of education. Before joining Relay GSE, Stephanie worked at Uncommon Schools, where she led the efforts to develop the systems and processes to scale the organization's talent recruitment efforts, as well as managed the recruitment and marketing teams. Prior to working at Uncommon Schools, Stephanie worked as a management consultant for Deloitte Consulting LLP in the Human Capital practice. While at Deloitte, Stephanie specialized in organization and talent projects for public sector clients. Stephanie began her career as an elementary school teacher at Plummer Elementary School in SE Washington, DC through Teach For America.

Nelson earned her B.A in cultural anthropology from Duke University, her M.A.T from American University, and her M.B.A from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

Coming Soon

As Dean of School Leadership Programs at Relay, Jesse Rector leads all aspects of training for current and aspiring school leaders. In this role, he teaches courses on instructional leadership and serves as an advisor to the participants in our leadership programs.

Previously, Rector spent sixteen years in Newark, New Jersey, as a high-performing teacher in both the Newark Public Schools and at North Star Academy Charter School of Newark. During his last six years in Newark, Rector led North Star’s Clinton Hill Middle School.

Rector earned an M.A. in organizational leadership from Columbia University and a B.A. from Rutgers University