David Ronka - Executive Director

David Ronka, a Manager with Public Consulting Group, Inc (PCG), is the Executive Director of PCG's Center for Resource Management. David has 15 years of public sector experience, including consulting with school districts and working with educational data systems. He has designed and delivered professional development for adult learners in many contexts and settings, including the use of data to better inform instructional decision making and the use of technology in schools. Additionally, he has implemented educational data management systems for school districts around the country and has helped schools identify and develop data reports that target specific improvement goals. He earned his Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science from Tufts University. He earned his Master of Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and is an active member of Harvard's Data Wise Project, a group of researchers that works with educators around the country to help them implement effective methods of using data to improve student achievement. David has served as a Teaching Fellow for the Data Wise weeklong summer institute, has presented as a guest lecturer at Harvard, and served as a coach for Getting Started with Data Wise, an online course for school leaders presented through Harvard's WIDE World. He is a contributing author of Data Wise in Action: Stories of Schools Using Data to Improve Teaching and Learning (Edited by Boudett and Steele, Harvard Education Press, 2007). David currently teaches a graduate course on data use to participants in the Boston Public Schools Principal Fellowship Program. Prior to PCG, David served for 6 years in the Navy as a Civil Engineer Corps officer.

Dennis Jackson - Managing Director

Dennis Jackson is PCG-CRM’s Managing Director. Dennis possesses a keen understanding of K–12 education, having taught both middle and high school and served as a K–12 curriculum director in several Massachusetts school districts. He has conducted professional development workshops and programs throughout the United States and been a speaker at state and national conference, focusing on content area literacy and leadership. A past-president of the Massachusetts Reading Association, his most recent work has centered on working with schools and districts to identify needs and capabilities and then use that data to establish focused and actionable plans to improve student learning. Prior to joining PCG-CRM, Dennis was President of STEPS Professional Development, USA where he brought Australian professional development programs and instructional resources to the United States. At PCG-CRM, Dennis focuses his energies on delivering extraordinary client services in the areas of literacy, leadership, data use, and 21st Century Skills.

Julie Meltzer, Ph.D. - Senior Advisor for Strategy, Research, and Design

Julie Meltzer is Senior Advisor for Strategy, Research, and Design at Public Consulting Group’s Center for Resource Management. Julie has spent the past decade leading research, development, and program evaluation projects related to students’ K–12 literacy development and serving as a literacy and Response to Intervention (RtI) and 21st Century Teaching and Learning consultant to national, state, and district projects. A sought-after keynote speaker, reviewer, conference presenter, and workshop leader, Julie brings substantive experience as a teacher, teacher educator, and leadership coach to her work in the areas of systemic school improvement, capacity building, and design of professional development services and materials. She is author or coauthor of many educational articles, professional development materials and resources, and three books: Meeting the Challenge of Adolescent Literacy: Practical Ideas for Literacy Leaders (IRA, 2009); Taking Action on Adolescent Literacy (ASCD, 2007); and Adolescent Literacy: Linking Research with Practice (Education Alliance, 2002). Julie’s current partnership projects include work with the Maine Department of Education, New Leaders for New Schools, the National Literacy Project, and the University of Maine at Farmington. She is the team leader for PCG’s literacy services providers and RtI consultants.

Robb Geier - Director of Data Services

Robb Geier is Director of Data Services at PCG’s Center for Resource Management in Portsmouth, NH. Robb heads up our growing Data Services line. His projects include working with school districts to develop and implement PCG-CRM’s data team toolkit and providing onsite data warehouse training. Prior to joining PCG-CRM, Robb served as DataFlow Services Manager at Pearson, developing and delivering data use professional development to clients. Before that, he served as a School Consultant and Data Specialist at Co-Nect, Inc., where he provided training and technical assistance for schools and districts related to the implementation of comprehensive school reform. Robb also worked for 10 years as a ninth-grade English teacher where he was part of a cross-curricular team, serving both general education and special education students.

Steve is PCG-CRM’S Director of Literacy and Learning Services. He is responsible for management of our Literacy and Learning Service lines, with an emphasis on building our client base and organizational capabilities in the areas of adolescent literacy, Response to Intervention (RtI), and 21st Century Teaching and Learning. Prior to joining Public Consulting Group, Steve applied his background in curriculum and instruction to supporting districtwide initiatives through collaborative processes. In addition, Steve worked in a number of organizations shaping educational initiatives, products, and services. Responsibilities included coordinating diverse resources and personnel to address school needs, developing and launching new services and products (digital and print) in the educational sector, overseeing effectiveness research, and managing client engagements.

Melvina Phillips, Ed.D. - Senior Associate (Literacy & Learning)

Melvina Phillips is a Senior Associate at PCG's Center for Resource Management office where she provides consulting services to schools and districts nationwide in the areas of literacy and learning, data use, educational leadership, and Response to Intervention (RtI). Prior to joining PCG, Melvina worked as the Literacy and Professional Development Practitioner for the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), where she was the principal developer of the Strategic Teaching approach. Melvina continues to serve as a consultant with NASSP and the Alabama Reading Initiative and speaks on literacy leadership at conferences and districts throughout the country. Melvina has experience teaching at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, as a district level administrator and as a middle school vice-principal and principal in Madison, Alabama. In 1998, Discovery Middle School was selected as a Literacy Demonstration Site for Alabama's Reading Initiative. The staff and administration developed a successful school-wide literacy program that supported teachers in embedding literacy strategies across the content areas and provided for intensive intervention as needed. Melvina is the principal author of Creating a Culture of Literacy: A Guide for Middle and High School Principals (NASSP, 2005) and a co-author of Meeting the Challenge of Adolescent Literacy: Practical Ideas for Literacy Leaders, (IRA, 2009) as well as the lead author of many articles and professional development materials, including the CCSSO Adolescent Literacy Toolkit.

Stephen Smith is a Senior Associate in PCG's Center for Resource Management office located in Portsmouth, NH. Steve has over 30 years of public and independent school experience as a teacher and administrator and over eight years as a data services consultant. He coordinates professional development and technical assistance services that focus on strategic uses of data at school and district levels. He is a former high school principal with extensive experience in coaching school leadership teams on effective data use strategies. He has developed training materials that focus on multiple uses of educational data for accountability and instructional improvement, and how to create school-level data teams to institutionalize data-driven decision making. Steve is the co-author (with M. Lachat) of Data Use in Urban High Schools. Steve has a Master of Education in Educational Administration from Tufts University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Science from Franklin and Marshall College.

Elizabeth Chmielewski - Apprentice Business Analyst

Elizabeth Chmielewski is an Apprentice Business Analyst at PCG’s Center for Resource Management. Elizabeth has prior experience in the realm of education and in providing research and administrative support. In addition, she exhibits excellent organizational and interpersonal skills. Currently, she provides project support and engages in research and analysis. Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science and a Public Administration Certificate from Providence College.

Brianne Cloutier - Business Analyst

Brianne Cloutier is a Business Analyst at PCG's Center for Resource Management in Portsmouth, NH. Brianne started with the firm in February 2008 and has over nine years of experience in business/account management and sales. She is involved with multiple projects that support literacy and learning and data-driven decision making at school, district, and state levels within districts nationwide. She recently managed the delivery of PCG-CRM's Literacy and Learning data- and research-based audit, to a large district in Massachusetts. Brianne holds a Bachelors of Science from the University of New Hampshire.

Elizabeth Goodsell is Director of Administration at PCG's Center for Resource Management office located in Portsmouth, NH. She has more than 25 years of experience in the financial field, and several years in administration and human resource management. Beth is responsible for the supervision of the day-to-day operations, as well as overall administrative issues. She is also responsible for contracting, invoicing, and fiscal reporting. She has an in-depth knowledge of various local, state, and federal regulations and is responsible for compliance with all related fiscal and human resource administration procedures. She possesses excellent communication and management skills. Beth has a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University.

Keith Holt - Senior Analyst

Keith Holt, is a Senior Specialist at PCG's Center for Resource Management office located in Portsmouth, NH. Keith has over 15 years of experience in the education field and is a highly skilled project manager and technical solutions developer with a solid understanding of the central issues involved with designing process solutions as well as software/database applications. Keith is a seasoned technical trainer and has facilitated numerous session on the effective use of data systems within the context of the education environment. He has overseen the use of data warehouse systems in statewide initiatives and research and evaluation studies and has defined technical procedures for all aspects of data verification, data integration, and data disaggregation functions. Keith has a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University. 

Nora Kelley - Schools Specialist

Nora Kelley is a Schools Specialist in PCG's Center for Resource Management office located in Portsmouth, NH. She has many years of experience in administrative, technical, and training areas. Nora recently earned her certificate as a Microsoft Certified Application Specialist–Word 2007 and holds certification as a Microsoft Office 97 instructor. She is involved in graphic design, technical documentation, and editorial responsibilities for many PCG-CRM projects. Nora provides support to the Director of Services and has contributed significantly to the design and development of numerous publications and client deliverables, including work for Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, NJ Smart, GOAL Digital Academy, and Providence School District. She provides production and editorial support for many projects. Nora was a computer applications instructor and holds a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies from Medaille College.

David Kennard - Data Analyst

David Kennard is a Data Analyst at PCG's Center for Resource Management office located in Portsmouth, NH office. David has supported computers, computer applications and their users for over twenty years, with over fifteen years experience in database analysis, development and support. He brings a strong background and ability in data “cleaning,” analysis, modeling and reporting, across a wide range of subjects in both education and business, using a broad range of skills in and out of the information technology field.

Erin D. MacIntire - Project Manager

Erin MacIntire is a Project Manager at PCG's Center for Resource Management in Portsmouth, NH. Erin has over eight years of experience in educational project management and account management. She manages a variety of projects that support data-driven decision making at school, district, and state levels. She recently managed the design and delivery of a six-course curriculum to support the Massachusetts Education Data Warehouse and currently manages the ongoing implementation of this curriculum in districts throughout Massachusetts. She also serves as project manager for the development of the Early College High School Student Information System for Jobs for the Future – a dynamic system that stores and reports on student data from schools throughout the country. Erin holds a Master of Business Administration from Clark University and Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Tulane University.

Elizabeth O’Toole - Schools Specialist

Liz O’Toole is a Schools Specialist at PCG’s Center for Resource Management located in Portsmouth, NH. Liz has several years of experience in administrative and project support. In addition to providing quality assurance, editing and formatting, and production support, she works closely with the Senior Advisor for Strategy, Research and Design. Liz is currently responsible for coordinating literacy client deliverables for the Portsmouth office, as well as serving on multiple data project teams. She most recently provided project coordination and significant copy editing in the development of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s District Data Team Toolkit. Liz holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of New Hampshire.

Stephanie Ridge - Research Associate

Stephanie Ridge is a Research Associate working in PCG's Center for Resource Management office in Portsmouth, NH. She has over five years of experience working in higher education at Harvard University, and seven years experience in administrative and project support. Stephanie assists in preparing evaluation reports for varied audiences, developing logic models and theories of action, and developing and implementing data analysis plans involving quantitative and qualitative methodologies. She possesses highly effective organizational, teamwork, communication, and written skills. Stephanie holds a Master of Education in Learning and Teaching from Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Boston College.

Diane Stump - Schools Specialist

Diane Stump is a Schools Specialist II located in PCG’s Portsmouth, New Hampshire office. Diane has 25 years of administrative and project support experience. She provides production support for PCG’s Program Evaluation and Literacy services and is the lead Schools Specialist for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Data Warehouse professional development trainings. Diane also provides the lead support services for projects, which require survey production and scanning, and has developed procedures and protocol for all survey production.

Michelle Wade is a Data Analyst located in our Portsmouth, NH office. Michelle has over seven years of experience in developing standardized practices for presenting student data. For the past four years, she has participated on special project teams and provided insight in the interpretation of data to support Program Evaluations such as the K-12 Reading and Special Education Program Evaluations for Providence, RI School District and the Providence Schools for a New Society Initiative for the Carnegie Corporation of New York, as well as Smaller Learning Communities evaluations for clients such as the Education Foundation-SLC Coalition (SC), and the Evergreen School District (WA). Michelle also assisted in the preparation of achievement, trend, and growth analysis reports such as the Providence Middle School Student Cohort–Reading and Mathematics Growth Analysis, and generated extensive graphic displays to be included in these reports.