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Each year, we select Innovation Career Pathways educators and leaders for the role of peer technical assistance ambassadors. This is an opportunity for peers within the ICP network to more formally share what they have learned about designing and implementing pathway programs. Ambassadors are teaching in or leading designated Innovation Career Pathway program(s) and poised to talk about his/her/their experiences.
Ambassadors are committed to:
- Serving as a peer point of contact to prospective Innovation Pathways applicants;
- Meeting regularly with the DESE and CCE Innovation Career Pathways team;
- Co-leading Innovation Career Pathways Professional Learning Community meetings; and
- Presenting and/or participating in a formal capacity at Innovation Career Pathways technical assistance events (webinar, workshop or program spotlight)
Ambassadors receive a stipend in appreciation for their contributions.
We acknowledge the generosity of members who share their work with the wider community in the form of links to resources, templates for documents, advice, and sometimes site visits. If you benefit from this generosity, please remember to credit the provider on any related work you produce, and remember to say thanks! If you are asking for someone’s time, on the phone or for a site visit, please keep the convenience and needs of the host as your top priority. These small but significant moves will help us preserve our positive, student-focused, and equity-centered culture even as the Innovation Career Pathways initiative expands to encompass more schools and students.
Meet the 2023-2024 Peer Ambassadors
Jessica Callanan
Interim Principal and Director of Academic Achievement
Reading Memorial High School
Email
IP Website: Innovation Pathways at Reading Memorial High School
I am entering my 19th year in education and my second year as an administrator at Reading Memorial High School. Prior to working in education, I served on active duty in the US Army as an Engineer officer. As a career changer I believe it is critical to provide students work-based learning experiences that prepare them for life after high school.
In my previous role as Principal in another district I oversaw the establishment of one of the first Innovation Pathways in the Commonwealth. Since arriving in Reading, I brought this experience to the school district and last year RMHS was granted pathways in Advanced Manufacturing (Engineering) and Information (Computer Science and Digital Media). This year Reading is venturing into two additional Innovation Career Pathways in Clean Energy and Public Health. I look forward to assisting new applicants in any way I can.
Designated Pathways:
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Information
Contact me about:
- Grant Writing
- Industry Partner Building
- Internships
- Consensus Building in the school and community
Meredith Erickson
Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning
Carver Middle High School
Email
IP Website: Innovation Pathways at Carver Middle High School
Growing up on a horse farm in New England, I appreciate the impact that real-world, interdisciplinary education can have on student engagement and post-secondary planning. I have worked with teachers, both as an assistant superintendent and principal before that, to co-construct shifts toward learner-centered, engaging lessons that empower students. Working closely with MassHire and our lead-industry partners has added an important dimension to our work and allowed us to better understand how we can work collectively to prepare students for their futures.
Designated Pathways:
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Environmental and Life Sciences
Contact me about:
- Application (Part A/B)
- Creating/leading a team towards innovative pedagogies
- Developing industry relationships
Robert Perry
Career Academy Director
Atlantis Charter School
Email
IP Website: Innovation Pathways at Atlantis Charter School
Robert Perry joined the team at Atlantis Charter School as the Career Academy Director in 2020. Entering his fourth year at Atlantis Charter brings years of experience in college and career access. Robert returns to serve his second term as an Innovation Career Pathways Peer Ambassador. He brings a decade of experience in College and Career Access. Early in his career, he worked for the College Crusade of Rhode Island, a non-profit college access program and later became the Career and Technical Education Coordinator for the Providence Public School Department. Robert brings a high level of knowledge to Innovation Career Pathways going through all stages of programing including planning, implementation, and reporting. A Rhode Island native, Perry holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Wheaton College in Norton, MA and recently received a Certification in School Leadership from Teach for America.
Designated Pathways:
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Business and Finance
- Healthcare and Social Assistance
- Information
Contact me about:
- Whole school approaches to Pathway design
- Pathway grant opportunities
- Expanding IP course offerings in your school
- Implementation of School based industry
AnnMarie Strode
School to Career/ICP Coordinator
Bourne High School
Email
IP Website: Innovation Pathways at Bourne High School
AnnMarie Strode has been with the Bourne Public Schools for the past 20 years and is currently the School to Career/ICP Coordinator at Bourne High School. She started her career as a history teacher, but it was following her work with students at-risk that she shifted her passion toward School to Career programming. The work Bourne is doing around Innovation Career Pathways and Senior Internships is vital in reimagining a traditional high school model to one that is innovative, engaging, and focused on career-based opportunities for all students. Through grant funding, AnnMarie and the BHS team have also been able to create dynamic learning spaces to support this new technical programming. No matter their path after high school, college, the workforce, or the military, AnnMarie is committed to the work of supporting all students to meet their future goals as well as providing work-based learning experiences for all seniors.
Designated Pathways:
- Business and Finance
- Environmental and Life Sciences
- Healthcare and Social Assistance
Contact me about:
- Grant Writing
- Relationships with Community Partners
- Creative Problem Solving
- Additional School to Career Programming
Keith Wright
Chemistry Teacher
Hoosac Valley Regional High School (formerly Monument Mountain Regional High School)
Email
IP Website: Innovation Pathways at Monument Mountain Regional High School
Before becoming a science teacher Keith Wright was a military intelligence analyst and Czech linguist. a paralegal for the U.S. Department of Justice, a freelance writer and a wetland scientist. He taught science in middle and high school as a founding faculty member of the Springfield Renaissance School, part of the Expeditionary Learning School network. In 2015 he was awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching by President Barack Obama. He served as the Assistant Principal for Career, Vocational, and Technical Education at Monument Mountain Regional High School in Great Barrington, MA where he helped develop a Business and Finance Innovative pathway. Keith returned to his passion of science teaching in December of 2023.
Designated Pathways:
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Business and Finance
- Healthcare and Social Assistance
Contact me about:
- Curriculum Design
- Community Partnership
- Looking at curriculum and instructional practices
Past Innovation Career Pathways Peer Ambassadors