Strategic Plan Steering Committee

2024-30 Strategic Plan Steering Committee Members Biographies
Parents & Community Members | APS Staff | Students

Steering Committee Overview

The 2024-30 Strategic Plan Steering Committee consists of students, staff, families, and community members that will work collaboratively with APS staff and the community during the 2023-24 school year to develop a proposed six-year strategic plan for APS.

The Strategic Plan Steering Committee will meet regularly to complete the following:

Review APS performance data and external data.
Work together in developing a recommendation on proposed revisions to the mission, vision, core values, and goals that are supported by community expectations and aspirations.
Share feedback on APS Staff’s proposed Strategic Plan Implementation & Monitoring Elements.
Gather and analyze community input and feedback throughout the process.

APS Parents & Community Members

Maggie Slye, Committee Chair

Maggie Slye is an educator and non-profit executive. Her children attend Claremont Immersion School. Maggie is interested in serving on the Strategic Plan Steering Committee because she wants to support Arlington’s public schools and work for educational equity alongside her community.

Kathleen Clark, Committee Vice Chair

Kathleen Clark is an APS Alum. Her children currently attend Cardinal Elementary and Swanson Middle School. Kathleen is an Internal Auditor with Gap Inc., where she has worked for the last 25 years. Her primary interest in serving on the Strategic Plan Steering Committee is to provide perspective for the needs of students with disabilities [SWD]. Having served as the Special Education PTA [SEPTA] Co-President during the pandemic, it was apparent to Kathleen that there exists a tremendous opportunity to improve the inclusion of all students and ensure that each student can reach their full potential.

Melinda Wuellner

Melinda Wuellner has three children (two second graders and a third grader) who have attended Alice West Fleet Elementary for the past three years. Melinda works in communications at a non-profit health policy research organization. She was interested in joining the steering committee because she wants to help shape the future of Arlington public schools, specifically to ensure that it meets all children’s needs. After living in DC for 20 years, Melinda specifically chose Arlington as the place to raise her children because of its excellent public schools and its safe environment. Melinda wants to do her part to ensure that remains true not only for her children but for generations to come.

Lauren A. Bailey

Lauren Bailey and her husband Adam are parents to three children, two of whom currently attend Oakridge Elementary, and one who is in her final year at Gunston Middle. Lauren is a wildlife biologist currently working in federal service. She has served on the Oakridge PTA board for the past four years and with the Arlington Ridge Civic Association board for five years. Lauren is excited and grateful to be able to represent South Arlington students and schools on the Steering Committee.

Patricia L. Montano

Patricia Montano’s children have attended Carlin Springs, Kenmore, Washington Liberty. She is currently self-employed. Patricia is always interested in serving her community and excited about the opportunity to serve on the Strategic Plan Steering Committee.

Greg Eastman

Greg Eastman’s older son attended Key Immersion and Science Focus and has a younger son in Pre-K. Greg is an economist working at an economic consulting firm. He is interested in ensuring that APS meets the needs of all students by meeting every child where they are and providing a year’s worth of growth in a year’s worth of schooling. In addition, Greg wants to make sure that APS has enough rigor in laying the key foundations in elementary school that opportunities are available for all students and that parents, teachers, staff and community members continue to work together to best support our schools and students.

Jennifer Fioretti

Jennifer Fioretti is Deputy Director for the Arlington County Department of Parks and Recreation. Ms. Fioretti has over 20 years of urban planning, project management and public policy experience in the public and non-profit sectors. Since joining the County in 2003, she served in varying planning roles including Regional Transportation Planning Manager and Transportation Site Plan Coordinator. Prior to joining the County she worked in Honduras, El Salvador and Costa Rica on land use planning projects. She has an MPA with a focus on State and Local Government and a BA in International Development. Ms. Fioretti is looking forward to serving on the APS Strategic Plan Steering Committee as a representative of Arlington County.

Alison Babb

Alison Babb’s children currently attend Arlington Science Focus and previously attended Taylor. Alison currently serves as Finance Director for the US House of Representatives. She was interested in joining the Steering Committee to work collaboratively with staff and the community to create actionable, measurable, and data-driven goals that prioritize reducing achievement gaps by ensuring every student recovers from learning loss and master grade-level content and opportunity gaps by providing a rigorous and high-quality education, along with needed supports, for all students.

Jamie McHenry

As a military family, Jamie McHenry’s children have attended many different schools, the most recent being in Arlington at Tuckahoe Elementary, Swanson Middle School, and HB Woodlawn. Jamie is an administrative strategist and works with small businesses and non-profits. She wants to serve on the Strategic Plan Steering Committee because she is passionate about equitable access to education throughout the great county of Arlington.

APS Staff

Andi Webb

Dr. Andi Webb is a Professional Learning Specialist in the Office of Professional Learning. By serving on the Strategic Plan Steering Committee, Dr. Webb believes it is important to continuously work to create an environment where students feel safe physically and safe for academic risk taking. Equally important, she believes we need to plan strategic ways to support all staff as we continue to improve in ways that allow us to recruit and retain the best people for APS.

Gail Klein

Gail’s children attended Taylor, Williamsburg, HB Woodlawn, and Yorktown. Her grandchildren attended Arlington Science Focus and currently attend Innovation. Gail currently works as a reading intervention teacher at Oakridge Elementary School, serving students in 1st-5th grades. Previously, Gail taught 4th/5th grade at Jamestown Elementary School and 4th grade at Taylor. Gail is interested in serving on the Strategic Plan Steering Committee because she cares about the future of APS. Her long association with it as a teacher, parent and grandparent has given her insight into the challenges the system faces and opportunities present.

Jonathan Martinez

Jonathan Martinez is APS graduate and has a child who attends the Montessori Public School of Arlington. Currently, Jonathan is a Special Education (CSA) Analyst within the Office of Special Education. Previously, he served as a special education resource assistant at HB Woodlawn & Hoffman-Boston Elementary. He looks forward to serving on the committee to provide strategies, inspirations and some representation to the group for further community, parent and student partnership(s) within APS.

Kevin Clark

Dr. Kevin Clark is in his fourth year as Principal at Yorktown High School. In collaboration with the Yorktown Leadership Team, he helped developed a common vision that at Yorktown, we achieve Equity, Excellence, and Empowerment. He has been a Math Teacher at Washington-Liberty, an Assistant Principal at Gunston Middle School and Meridian High School in Falls Church City. Dr. Clark lives in Arlington and has two children who will attend APS schools. As an educator and parent, I look forward to helping develop a common direction for the future of APS that supports the development of students academically, socially, and emotionally, with an equity mindset in everything we do.

Jeremy Siegel

Jeremy Siegel serves as Activities Coordinator at Jefferson Middle School, a position he has held for 18 years. He is pleased to serve on the committee to ensure that an advocate for evidence-based physio considerations is represented among the committee’s members. Jeremey am a big believer in the tie-in between physical health and mental health, growth, and happiness. He feels like the “whole child” concept remains important. Finally, Jeremy wants to make sure that the middle-school perspective is represented on the committee.

Wendy Crawford

Wendy Crawford currently serves as Supervisor of Student Services (school psychology). Previous roles in APS include Supervisor, Special Education; Interim Director, Special Education; Student Services Specialist; Section 504 Coordinator; and School Psychologist. Wendy is excited to serve on the Steering Committee because she enjoys thinking and working on system-wide initiatives and working collaboratively with others who have different perspectives. She believes she can contribute to the work because of the range of experiences she has had, in schools and in the community.

Carlos Ramirez

Carlos Ramirez is the Principal of Randolph Elementary, a position he has held for the past 5 years. Previously, Carlos served as Assistant Principal of Claremont Immersion School for 3 years. Math and Science Spanish-Immersion Teacher for 2 years at Claremont Immersion School. The reason for serving on the Steering Committee is to be able to provide a voice representing elementary school principals and contribute to discussions and decision-making drawing upon his background knowledge and work experience.

Matilde Arciniegas

Matilde Arciniegas is currently First Grade Homeroom Immersion Teacher at Escuela Key. She previously served as an English Learner Teacher. Ms. Arciniegas is excited about the opportunity to serve on the Steering Committee and contribute to the development of a Strategic Plan that addresses the academic and social emotional needs of all our students in this post-pandemic time.

Alison Cummings

Alison Kogut Cummings is a long-time APS parent, active in the community and schools since her kids entered Tuckahoe Elementary School as kindergarteners. Her passion for the growth and development of Arlington’s children led Alison to begin substitute teaching and, in 2022, to start a full-time administrative position at Williamsburg Middle School. As both a parent and APS employee, Alison has seen the school system from a number of vantage points, all while noting the quality, dedication and professionalism of the teachers and administrators at APS. It is through her various perspectives that Alison brings a passion for helping make improvements that help the system–that is well-resourced and abundant in talent–serve the needs of all students and families, attract and retain talent, and increase the system’s perception and popularity in the community. As the landscape of businesses have changed to meet the rapidly changing landscape, Alison believes we must work to be nimble but be steadfast in science-based approaches to education and learning.

Students

Blen Fisseha

Blen Fisseha is currently a freshman at Arlington Career Center in the Arlington Tech program. The primary reason she was interested in serving the Strategic Planning Steering Committee was to advocate and promote her vision and ideas for the Strategic Plan. Blen is passionate about ensuring people of color, people with disabilities, and all students in general have the supports and resources needed to be successful and achieve their dreams.

Jhosue Borjas Benavides

Jhosue Borjas Benavides has been a student in Arlington since 2010. He has attended Carlin Springs Elementary School, Kenmore Middle School, Arlington Tech @ the Career Center & currently enrolled as a full-time student at Washington-Liberty High School as an 11th grade student. He was captivated to join the Strategic Plan Steering Committee because he wanted to represent my community & make sure the quality of education is not restricted. He is very interested in pursuing a future career in education, and knows it is vital that all students feel accepted & that the expectations/visions set by the district incorporate all students regardless of their ethnicities, economic statuses, religion, identity, etc. A stronger school district is one where every member of the community is heard, but above all, one which prioritizes the students’ voices which receive the quality education that APS is giving day in and day out. Jhosue believes that public schools should not have limits which captivate students learning, but floors where they are able to take off from.

Resources

For additional information or questions regarding development of the 2024-30 Strategic Plan, please contact engage@apsva.us.