Girls' Education

YWLN Affiliate School Leader Honored with Ann Tisch Inspire Award

Jahleese holds the Ann Tisch Inspire Award.

The Ann Tisch Inspire Award, named for our founder, is an annual award given to an outstanding YWLN affiliate school leader, teacher, or support staff who embodies Ann’s vision, passion, intelligence, innovation, and perseverance. Meet this year’s Ann Tisch Inspire Award–Jahleese Hadley! Jahleese is the director of college counseling at the Girls’ Leadership School of Wilmington (GLOW) and she truly has come full circle at SL Network.

TYWLS East Harlem Class of 2006

Jahleese enrolled at TYWLS East Harlem as a seventh-grade student and graduated in 2006.
Following high school, Jahleese attended Smith College where she took advantage of Smith’s open curriculum and ultimately settled on a major in African American Studies with a minor in German Studies–which led to an opportunity to learn, work, and live in Hamburg, Germany for a year.

After graduating from college, Jahleese came “back home” to SL Network when she joined the team as a program associate supporting all Girls’ Education programming at the four TYWLS at the time and played a critical role in the first-year recruitment cycle for our fifth TYWLS location in the Bronx which was established in 2012. 

 

Jahleese at the (Em)Power Breakfast with TYWLS Bronx students and co-founder Lee Laureano

She also worked with the first YWLN affiliate school council to bring together leaders in our growing affiliate school network and coordinated the inaugural YWLN affiliate school convening in Baltimore in 2015. After working with SL Network for nearly five years, Jahleese transitioned to a new role at GLOW and continues to make a huge impact for her students and for our YWLN affiliate school network! 

We caught up with Jahleese to find out how TYWLS has shaped her – and what continues to drive her every day. Here’s what she had to say:

In what ways did attending TYWLS prepare you for college and your career?

TYWLS prepared me for college because being a student there taught me how to harness the power of my voice, the freedom that comes with being my authentic self and to feel comfortable taking risks knowing that my intelligence and my chosen community would always serve as a safety net. Attending college in a city worlds away from my hometown of Harlem and with a student population vastly different from my peers at TYWLS, knowing who I was, how to build a support network and that I belonged anywhere I wanted to be meant that I would embrace challenges and use them to make me better instead of running away from them. That mindset has continued to serve me in my career and it’s what I try to foster in my current students.

What was your relationship like with your director of college counseling (DCC) at TYWLS?

Chris Farmer is family; specifically, Chris is like a first cousin. I say that because Chris never missed an opportunity to tease us and humble us when our heads got too big but he was quietly one of our biggest champions. From letting us stay late at school until we got all our applications in, to chaperoning countless trips to bowling with the Special Olympics so we could build up our community service hours. I’ll never forget the role Chris played in my life specifically, helping to babysit my little brother at school on nights when my mother worked her second job so that I could continue to participate in Step Up, drama, or other extracurricular activities. He still asks about my brother to this day anytime we catch up and is shocked when I tell him that he is in his 20s now. 

Jahleese with her TYWLS classmates and alumnae at a college awareness event. What influenced your career path into college counseling/advisement?

I started my academic career as an aspiring mechanical engineer. Calculus II sank that ship but during the winter break of my second year at Smith, I participated in the Urban Education Initiative internship program and because of my connection to TYWLS I was placed there to serve as a teaching assistant. At the end of that experience, I was driven to explore what made TYWLS and programs like it so special. 

I thought back to my initial experiences at Smith. Through conversations with friends, who had also come from public schools, I realized that the whole girl high school experience I thought was the norm, was not. It’s one thing to experience TYWLS as a student but experiencing it as a professional and gaining insight into the intentionality behind every facet of the student experience was world changing for me. I needed to understand it, dissect it, make it better if I could. After my experience as a teaching assistant at TYWLS, I once again donned my engineer’s hat. But now, instead of wanting to build machines, I wanted to understand the challenges facing students and build programming to bolster their success. I’ve been doing that in one way or another ever since. 

What keeps you inspired and motivated in your work?

I am motivated everyday to serve my students because I benefited from the service of others. I am excited each year that I get to pass that legacy on.

Jahleese stands between Gloria Steinem and Ann Tisch.What does winning the Ann Tisch Inspire award mean to you?

It is an honor to receive this award because Ann is such an inspiring woman to many – who wouldn’t want to be in a class with her? Personally, I have had the opportunity to know Ann and have her as a mentor since seventh grade. I know that she wants the best for me, but what I admire about Ann is that she truly wants the best for all students that SL Network serves regardless of how well she knows them. She was driven to build an organization with the mission to provide a quality education and options beyond high school for students simply because they deserve nothing less. I am passionate about doing the same work and this award is affirmation that I am carrying the torch lit by Ann Tisch 25 years ago!

About YWLN

The Young Women’s Leadership Network is a national network of single-gender public schools providing an excellent whole girl model education that challenges the educational and gender inequities that persist in our country. Since 2001, our YWLN  footprint has grown to include affiliate schools in California, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, and our partner network – the Young Women’s Preparatory Network (YWPN) – in Texas. Learn more about how we support our YWLN affiliate schools.


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Lindsay Gruber Dunham back in the day when she taught at TYWLS East Harlem. Here she is sitting with a student looking at a book. They are both smiling.

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Brad Ruskin

Board Chair

Brad Ruskin joined Student Leadership Network’s Board of Directors in 2014 and was elected Board Chair in 2023. He believes passionately in equity for all students.

Brad is a Partner at Proskauer Rose LLP, and has tried a significant number of high profile, headline-generating cases to verdict, each one with a complete victory for Proskauer’s clients on issues ranging from so-called “bet-the-company” antitrust challenges to questions of Russian constitutional and military law. He currently serves as a Director of the Legal Aid Society, the nation’s oldest and largest legal services provider to the indigent. He also serves on its Executive Committee. He is a frequently published author of articles, has taught a graduate school class at NYU’s Tisch School, and has testified before legislative and other bodies concerning the administration of justice and court operations in New York State.

Beth Cohen

Senior Managing Director, Growth Strategy and Development

Beth H. Cohen is passionate about connecting people, ideas, and resources to create a more equitable world. Throughout her career, she has successfully managed teams for various impactful organizations to generate over $150M.

For the past decade, Beth has worked to generate support for initiatives that allow young people across the U.S. to gain access to transformative educational opportunities. In September 2022, she joined Student Leadership Network as Senior Managing Director of Growth, Strategy, and Development. Previously, Beth served as Vice President of External Relations at New Classrooms. At New Classrooms, she led the fundraising team to raise over $80M to support the growth and expansion of innovative learning models. Before that, Beth served as Vice President of Leadership Gifts at Teach for America, where she cultivated the organization’s largest national supporters and champions.

Early in her career, Beth focused on international poverty issues. From 2001-2011, she was Director of the Synergos Institute’s Global Philanthropists Circle, a dynamic network of leading philanthropists addressing questions of strategy, meaning, and impact.  Previously, she worked with Catholic Relief Services as Senior Program Manager in Lima, Peru, and as an Internal Program Auditor. As an Internal Program Auditor, she assessed the effectiveness of diverse programs in Africa, Latin America, and the Balkans. Beth also worked as a Change Management Consultant for Andersen Consulting, where she designed and developed training programs for public sector clients in Texas and Puerto Rico.

Beth holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and a joint Master’s degree in Public Affairs and Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, teenage daughters, and fluffy bernedoodle.

Sara Clarke

Chief Operating Officer

Sara C. Clarke is the Chief Operating Officer of Student Leadership Network. As a dedicated TYWLS volunteer and active contributor for 15 years, Sara is delighted to join the organization to apply her collaborative leadership and business acumen to help drive increased scale and impact. She brings over 20 years of experience at the confluence of strategic analysis, project management, and talent development. Sara has a proven commitment to equity and access to opportunity through decades of volunteer leadership focused on literacy, education, and career advancement.

Sara was most recently the Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy, Analysis, and Collaboration at Showtime Networks Inc. She oversaw an adaptable, solution-oriented team, providing competitive analysis and strategic recommendations that helped Showtime exceed its performance targets. Earlier in her career, Sara was a consultant for Accenture in the Media and Entertainment practice. She serves as Co-President of the HBS African-American Alumni Association and has also served on the Board of Directors of the New York Chapter of Women in Cable Telecommunications, chairing the award-winning Prime Access Executive Mentoring program and community service committee.

Sara holds a master’s degree from Harvard Business School in Business Administration, and a bachelor’s degree with honors in Modern Culture and Media from Brown University.

Meg Kayman

Managing Director, Finance and Administration

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Meg is the Managing Director of Finance and Administration and has been with the organization since March 2009.  During that period, the organization has grown from a budget of $3.5 million to $11.0 million. She is part of the Administration Team which is responsible for building infrastructure to support the growing needs of the organization.

Prior to Student Leadership Network, Meg worked in the Financial Services Industry including positions as an equity research analyst at Goldman Sachs and a senior research analyst at General Electric’s Commercial Finance Division.  She also has been an active volunteer with numerous non-profit organizations and a board member of the HIV Law Project from 2005 to 2013.  She holds a B.A. in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management from Michigan State University and an M.B.A. in Finance from New York University.

Rob Robinson

Senior Managing Director, CollegeBound Initiative

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Robert Robinson is the Senior Managing Director of CollegeBound Initiative (CBI). Prior to joining Student Leadership Network’s central office team in 2008, he served as director of college counseling for CBI at two Brooklyn high schools: Juan Morel Campos and Middle College High School at Medgar Evers College. As a college counselor, Robert worked primarily with first-generation students of color with the goal of preparing them academically and financially for college enrollment. Before joining CBI, Robert served as an Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at his Alma Mater, New York University (NYU) for nearly four years where he worked specifically with the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) in an effort to increase minority and financially disadvantaged student enrollment.

Robert received both his Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science and his Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration from NYU.  He has also spent a summer in South Africa where he had the opportunity to study higher education and social reform. Robert prides himself on being an active member of his community.  He has volunteered with various non-profit organizations such as Grand Street Settlement and Publicolor. As a member of the New York State Association for College Admissions Counseling (NYSACAC), he has served as a Conference Presenter, Workshop Moderator and Planning Committee member. He has also served as a Summer Institute Mentor where his responsibilities included training new high school and college admissions counselors.

Laura Rebell Gross

Senior Managing Director, Girls’ Education National Team

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Laura Rebell Gross is the Senior Managing Director for the Girls’ Education National Team — comprising The Young Women’s Leadership Schools (TYWLS) and Young Women’s Leadership Network (YWLN) — which serves more than 10,000 students every year. A leader in the education field for decades, Laura implements a vision for developing innovative programs that enrich students’ lives, create experiential leadership opportunities, and build a path to college. Her expertise is widely recognized and she has been honored by Jewish Women International and The Center for the Women of New York. Laura is a national speaker and expert on girls’ public education.

To impact the lives of girls beyond New York City, Laura co-founded the Young Women’s Charter Prep School of Rochester, a YWLN affiliate, and takes the lead in identifying and establishing new school affiliates nationwide. Notably, Laura’s path to leadership started as a public school teacher, including serving as an English teacher at SL Network’s flagship school in East Harlem for six years.  She earned a BA from Tufts University, an MAT from Brown University, and has completed coursework toward an Ed. D. in Curriculum and Teaching at Teacher’s College, Columbia University and the Warner School, University of Rochester.

Jon Roure

Executive VP & Chief Innovation Officer

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Jon Roure is the Executive Vice President & Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) for the Student Leadership Network. As the organization’s first CIO, Jon oversees program planning and implementation across the network. He continues to provide overall leadership to CollegeBound Initiative (CBI) while developing the work streams that support the organization’s strategic planning efforts. This includes increased focus and programming around alumni engagement, research and evaluation, and national expansion via Young Women’s Leadership Network affiliate schools.

Prior to this year, Jon served as the Senior Managing Director of CBI for many years and totals decades of college counseling and management experience in both the higher education and nonprofit sectors. Jon began his career at Columbia University as an Early Intervention Initiative Coordinator for the Double Discovery Program and a College Advisor for Columbia’s Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP). In 2001, Jon was hired by SL Network (formerly Young Women’s Leadership Network) as one of four inaugural counselors to pilot CBI in some of New York City’s Title 1 public high schools.  He served as a CBI director of college counseling at Health Opportunities High School for almost five years where he worked to build a college-going culture with its families, faculty, and staff that helped guide nearly 400 students to college.

Jon holds a B.A. in Sociology (1998) with a minor in Professional Youth Work from Rutgers University and an M.A. in Student Personnel Administration (1999) from Teachers College, Columbia University.  He is a proud alumnus of the Educational Opportunity Fund Program (EOF) at Rutgers University and is an example of what opportunity and access to higher education can do for first generation students.

Lesley Guggenheim

Chief Operating Officer

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Prior to joining Student Leadership Network Lesley spent 15 years supporting school systems, schools, and educators across the country to ensure students in under-resourced schools have access to the excellent education they deserve. She began her career working at – and later leading – the NYC Teaching Fellows (NYCTF) program and later became a Partner and then a Vice President at TNTP (formerly The New Teaching Project). Lesley has a BA in political science from Union College and an MPA in non-profit management from New York University’s Wagner School.

Yolonda Marshall

Chief Executive Officer

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Yolonda Marshall has committed nearly two decades of her life working to ensure that children growing up in underserved communities across the country receive the education they deserve.  She is Student Leadership Network’s first-ever Chief Executive Officer charged with overseeing the management of the organization’s $11M budget, leading the implementation of the organization’s strategic direction, operations and ensuring that the organization is a great place to work and grow.

Prior to joining Student Leadership Network, Mrs. Marshall served as the Deputy Chief Officer, Regional Programs for New Leaders; an organization whose mission is to ensure high academic achievement for all children, especially students in poverty and students of color, by developing transformational school leaders and advancing the policies and practices that allow great leaders to succeed.  In this role, Mrs. Marshall was responsible for managing a team of Executive Directors who led all local program implementation, client engagement and management of 70+ staff across the country.

Mrs. Marshall began her education non-profit career with Teach For America where she held a number of leadership roles on their national development and human assets team, and also served as Interim Executive Director of the Greater Philadelphia region. Prior to joining Teach For America, Mrs. Marshall had a 14 year career with Showtime Networks Inc where she honed her sales and marketing skills, provided strategic direction to the nation’s top cable companies and managed a team of marketing specialists that created and executed comprehensive marketing plans to help launch critically acclaimed and Emmy award winning programming.

Mrs. Marshall received her BS degree in Marketing from Tuskegee University and her MBA with a concentration in Marketing and Media Management from Columbia Business School.

Ann Rubenstein Tisch

Founder and President

A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Ann began a 19-year career in broadcast journalism at WIBW-TV in Topeka, Kansas. She then moved to WCOO-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and later joined NBC Network News as a national correspondent, where she developed a strong interest in educational issues.

After covering dozens of education stories for the network and reading and studying data on single-sex education, she was inspired to create an all-girls inner-city public school to serve disadvantaged families. In 1996, with the unanimous approval of the New York City Board of Education, Ann turned her idea into a reality and opened The Young Women’s Leadership School (TYWLS) of East Harlem – the first public all-girls school to open in the United States in 30 years. Her vision was to provide students growing up in underserved communities a high-quality college preparatory education modeled on the finest private schools.

Ann was educated at Washington University in St. Louis, where she graduated summa cum laude with degrees in psychology and sociology. She currently serves as a trustee on the Board of Washington University in St. Louis. She also serves on the Dean’s Council of The New York University Tisch School of the Arts and is a trustee of the Center for Educational Innovation. She consults with many school districts and parent groups across the country about creating schools similar to TYWLS.

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