The Raise Your Hand Texas staff team is made up of a diverse, passionate group dedicated to ensuring every Texas child has access to a high-quality, free public education.
Foundation/Programs
Dr. Shari Albright
President, Raise Your Hand Texas FoundationDr. Shari Becker Albright, Ed.D, became president of the Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation in April 2018 after serving as chair of the Trinity University Department of Education.
Cody Huie
Vice President of ProgramsCody is the Vice President of Programs for Raise Your Hand Texas. Cody worked at the Texas Center for District and School Support at Education Service Center Region 13 developing training and resources for thousands of district and campus leaders around the state.
Tim Miller
Superintendent in ResidenceTim joined the Raise Your Hand Texas team in June 2018. In his role as the superintendent in residence, Tim supports programming, research, and advocacy efforts to advance academic achievement in districts across the state. Tim has more than 20 years of P-16 and state leadership experience.
Jennifer Jendrzey
Director of Strategic Learning and EvaluationJennifer joined the Raise Your Hand Texas team in 2015 to launch and lead the Raising Blended Learners initiative. Now entering its fourth year, the Raising Blended Learners initiative includes 14 districts implementing student-centered blended learning for approximately 35,000 students across the s
Thea Ulrich-Lewis
Program DirectorThea, a member of the 2009 Teach for America Corps in the Rio Grande Valley, joined the Raise Your Hand Texas research team in April 2016. The Brooklyn native moved to Austin to complete a Master’s degree in public affairs at the University of Texas.
Briana Mascitelli
Program CoordinatorAs operations manager for Raise Your Hand Texas, Briana facilitates day-to-day activities — from managing financial reports and human resources to assisting with projects in the marketing and program departments.
Laura Hauk
Office ManagerLaura, a native Texan, has been in the Austin Area for over 40 years. She has built her career around serving others in the areas of office administration.
Policy/Advocacy
Michelle Smith, Ph.D.
Director of Governmental RelationsDr. Michelle Smith joined Raise Your Hand Texas in June 2018 after eight years with HillCo Partners. She connects policy, research and classroom experience to offer innovative approaches to the challenges in education policy in Texas. She brings a unique perspective to the education policy space bec
Bob Popinski
Director of PolicyBob is the Director of Policy for Raise Your Hand Texas. An expert on the Texas school finance system, Popinski provided Moak Casey with in-depth bill and policy analysis during the past seven legislative sessions and throughout the state’s two most recent school finance court cases.
David Anderson
General Counsel and Policy AnalystDavid joined Raise Your Hand Texas in 2014 after retiring from 20 years as General Counsel to the Texas Education Agency. He is recognized by the Texas Board of Legal Certification in Administrative Law. David trains for triathlons, practices Ashtanga yoga, and plays the Japanese game “Go.”
Libby Cohen, PH.D.
Director of Advocacy and OutreachLibby joined Raise Your Hand Texas in August 2018 to lead the organization’s efforts to develop a grassroots advocacy network across the state. Previously, Libby worked as an organizer with the Industrial Areas Foundation in Baltimore, Maryland.
Laura Mellett
Public Affairs AssociateLaura, who has written about politics and schools for nearly 20 years, joined Raise Your Hand Texas in 2017 as a Public Affairs Associate specializing in policy-related communications and media relations.
Max Rombado
Policy Research AssociateMax joined Raise Your Hand Texas in October 2018 as a policy research associate. In his role, he conducts research on a variety of topics related to improving Pre-K-12 education in Texas through the policy process.
Marketing
Petri Darby, APR
Vice President of MarketingPetri joined Raise Your Hand Texas in 2013. His 20-year career includes spearheading marketing, communications, and digital strategy in the Make-A-Wish national office, running his own creative marketing shop, and other agency and corporate stints.
Joel Goudeau
Visual Design StrategistJoel has left his mark across Texas with his flair for graphic design. At Raise Your Hand Texas, he uses his illustration, photography, and multimedia design skills to help lead the organization’s branding and “look and feel” across print and digital platforms.
Anne Bannister
Digital ProducerAnne, a filmmaker, photographer, and narrative storyteller joined the Raise Your Hand Texas marketing team in June 2014. As a Digital Producer, Anne uses her talents to craft, shoot, and edit the stories that give voice to educators, and bridge the gap between the Capitol and campus communities.
Lauren Cook
Director of ContentCreating compelling stories about the people and issues at the heart of Texas public schools is the focus of Lauren’s work. Lauren has worked with Raise Your Hand since 2012 and has more than a dozen years of experience in Texas public education policy.
Brian Diggs
Digital ProducerBrian brings 25 years experience as a visual storyteller to Raise Your Hand Texas. He began his career as photojournalist. Having worked for Associated Press, The New York Times, and the Austin American-Statesman, his photos have appeared in newspapers and magazines all over the world.
Marcela Giraldo
Multimedia Graphic DesignerMarcela, known to most as “Chela,” is a multimedia graphic designer for Raise Your Hand Texas. She designs digital and print pieces for both programmatic and policy campaigns.
