For these four alums, the PNP program led them to careers dedicated to improving urban education. Emily Shamieh (’81), Susan Casey (’05), Jagdish Chokshi ('99) and Carrie McPherson (’07), share a passion for helping under served children while serving as integral part of school administration.
Emily Shamieh says her greatest thrill is "when a Kindergarten student tugs on my skirt and wants to show me writing that he has done," she said.
Shamieh has been the principal of the John Winthrop School in Dorchester for the past 11 years. Prior to this role, she taught for six years as a second grade bilingual teacher. After graduating from the PNP program in 1981, she worked for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Ultimately, it was when Massachusetts passed the Transitional Bilingual Education Law in the 1970s that inspired Shamieh to work in urban education. "It fascinated me to think that children would be instructed in their native language and English too," she said.
As principal, Shamieh works to develop after-school activities to enrich students' opportunities, through the assistance of a multi-year $350,000 grant. She has been able to secure resources for her school to better carry out initiatives. "In this time of serious budget cuts in Boston Public Schools, I use the skills I have acquired from PNP and experience so that no idea goes unfunded," she said.
"I am helping to give parents a voice," she said, "I want them to become vocal, savvy consumers of their children's education and hope that having that voice will enable them to advocate better for themselves and their families in health care, housing, and jobs."
Like Shamieh, Susan Casey works in the Greater Boston area. After receiving a master's degree in education, Casey worked as an administrator in higher education. She then was involved in founding the Esperanza Academy, a faith-based, tuition-free middle school for low-income girls in Lawrence, MA, while getting her MBA.
Two years after her graduation she went to work as Esperanza's development staff member. "I felt 'called' to be a part of Esperanza in a new way," she said.
As Development Director, Casey raises the entire operating budget each year. She is responsible for everything from marketing materials, fundraising events, the annual fund, stewardship and major gift cultivation to gift acknowledgment and database management.
"I love the girls and their families," she said. "I enjoy knowing that each day I am helping to make a difference in their lives, that they are getting a great middle-school education and are expected to go on to high school and college."
Jagdish Chokshi is making an excellent education available to the city of Boston's poorest students in his role as the Dean of Administration and Finance for the Neighborhood House Charter School, a pre-K-8 charter school in Dorchester. He served a pivotal role in planning, financing and building the beautiful new school facility that now houses 400 students from Dorchester and surrounding Boston neighborhoods. A seasoned finance director, Jagdish also worked at Citizen Schools where he served as Finance Director of this national youth development organization.
After serving as a volunteer teacher with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Boston, an interest in urban education led Carrie McPherson to California. She is the Director of Human Resources for Aspire Public Schools, a high growth organization (20-30% per year for the past 10 years), spread across five California regions.
McPherson manages recruiting, leadership development, compensation, benefits, employee relations, among other HR tasks. Although she had not planned to work in HR, McPherson says she sees "the 'people business' as very strategic in an organization that relies so heavily on human capitol to achieve our goal of high student achievement and college for all."
She is currently revamping the recruiting department to be more focused on screening for teacher quality, providing better customer service for principals and applicants and reducing the time it takes to hire quality teachers.
A school system with strong student achievement, Aspire opens schools as quickly as it can find facilities. "I love my job," McPherson said. "I directly affect the lives of thousands of students. I am supported and challenged and pushed to use every skill I learned at BU."
PNP alums are invited to attend the 13th Annual Net Impact Case Competition:
