About the Presenters

With over 20 years in education, Amanda Pelukas has been both a classroom teacher and program coordinator of virtual learning. Spending the first 10 years of her career teaching high school English, she took a summer position teaching online. She quickly realized that students could find success outside of brick and mortar. In 2016, Amanda started the first virtual program within her suburban Detroit public school district. The online program grew quickly under her leadership with over 200 high school students. In the fall of 2020, she accepted the position of Virtual Academy Coordinator in the Plymouth-Canton Community School District and began the task of developing a virtual academy in the midst of a pandemic. Over the past three years, she transformed emergency remote learning into a successful hybrid-learning program where the students are thriving. She is passionate about finding alternate pathways of learning for students.

Rachel Babcock is Co-founder and Co-director of Map Academy Charter School in Plymouth, Massachusetts. As a school founder, Rachel has expertise in new school design, competency-based assessment, administration, dropout prevention and reengagement, alternative pathways, career-development education, social-emotional learning, literacy intervention, and building rapport and cultivating change with high-risk adolescents. Rachel has 15 years of instructional experience as a middle and high school ELA teacher, and is also an experienced instructional coach and literacy intervention specialist. Throughout her career, Rachel has been an advocate for high-risk youth. She has always been passionate about creating school environments where all students can thrive. Rachel holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Rochester and a master’s degree from Boston University. Rachel earned National Board Certification as an English teacher, and is MA certified as a High School Principal. Rachel also serves on DESE’s guiding coalition for the Massachusetts Dropout Prevention and Reengagement Network.

Megan Hanley is the Executive Director of School Design at ASU Prep. In this role, Megan helps to lead the innovation teams at ASU Prep including the Next Generation Coordinators, AZVTI and Professional Development teams, Microschools, Khan World School, and STEM-related projects. Megan has over 15 years of experience in the field of education, covering Pre-K–12th grade, having worked as a teacher, family advocate, program manager, educational and admissions coordinator, and assistant principal. Originally from Tempe, Arizona, Megan attended George Washington University where she received her bachelor’s in arts and George Mason University where she received her master’s in education.

About the Moderator

Nate Kellogg is a Partner at The Learning Accelerator, specializing in inclusive innovation and design. Prior to joining TLA, Nate served as the Director of Personalized Learning for ReNEW Schools, a charter network in New Orleans. Nate also organized teacher professional development across the city of New Orleans through collaborative professional learning, including co-founding New Schools for New Orleans’ Personalized Learning Teacher Fellowship. Before joining ReNEW, Nate spent six years teaching in public, charter, and independent schools, beginning as a Teach For America corps member in DC Public Schools. Nate earned his bachelor’s degree in rhetoric from Bates College and his master’s degree in special education from George Mason University. Nate serves as a board member for Rooted School New Orleans. He recently moved with his wife and their son to Middletown, RI, leaving their beloved New Orleans to be closer to family.