Collaborative Team

Erin Leonard, operations associate, oversees office operations and assists with projects across the firm. Erin plays a key role in media, social media, research and marketing.

Erin has a proven track record of success in event planning, community outreach and website development. Prior to joining Collaborative, Erin managed the website and member communications for a national professional association.

Most of Erin’s experience is in the political sector. She worked extensively on municipal issues in Boston, with a focus on affordable housing, education and equal access to government services. Erin also managed campaign events, outreach programs and volunteer recruiting for multiple political campaigns. She previously worked on Capitol Hill and in the Executive Office of the President.

Erin holds a Bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology with honors from Northeastern University in Boston.

Claire Walden, senior associate, brings a focus on aligning marketing and communications with strategic goals. A former consultant with Accenture and a large web design firm, she understands how to utilize technology and social media to improve organizational performance.

Claire also has extensive background in strategic planning and organizational learning. At the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute, she helped edit a strategic planning tool for nonprofits, originally designed by Peter Drucker, and she designed and led trainings in strategic planning for nonprofit leaders across the U.S.

With extensive management skills, Claire has led large-scale program and change efforts in all sectors. She understands the consensus building required for cross-sector collaborations and she has helped design an education initiative for leaders in the private, nonprofit and military sectors.

Claire holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from New York University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Fairfield University. She happily resides in Washington, DC and enjoys learning about how social media can be used effectively to improve education.

Annie Meyer, associate, works across the firm to provide education-based, systems-building support to our partners, through the collection and management of information, products and tools. These systems provide an infrastructure to advance, promote and effectively change the quality of public education.

Prior to joining Collaborative, Meyer worked with the Aspen Institute’s Commission on No Child Left Behind where she helped research, develop and write recommendations for a reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Act. While at the Aspen Institute, she also helped plan and execute the 2011 Education Innovation Forum and Expo. In this role she worked to connect innovative education ideas, leaders and projects with those who had the potential to support or implement solutions. The forum, done in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education, capitalized on the momentum created by the tremendous response to the investing in Innovation Fund (i3) and began a nation dialogue on how to more effectively attract private equity investment to the education space while simultaneously discussing how to create a more innovation friendly policy environment. Before joining the Aspen institute, Meyer worked as a publishing fellow at the American Prospect, helping them write grants for magazine special features.

Meyer received her bachelor’s degree in political science from The George Washington University.

Julie Newport, senior associate, brings extensive experience in the non-profit sector to her work in messaging, media and social media. Previously, Newport was director of marketing and development at Primary Source, a Boston-area non-profit that educates K-12 teachers about world cultures and global issues. In that role, she led communications, outreach and fundraising efforts, helping to launch the organization onto the national stage. Newport has a strong interest in global education, educational technology and high-quality professional development for teachers.

Newport holds a bachelor's degree in history with honors from Dartmouth College and a certificate in nonprofit management and leadership from Boston University. She resides with her husband and dog in Washington, DC.

Sheena Collier, senior associate, is based in the network development division where her efforts are concentrated on design, management, facilitation, documentation and evaluation to maximize impact for virtual and in-person learning communities and organizations. She has a specific focus on developing networks and building capacity for organizations focused on out-of-school time learning.

Collier is an experienced people and project manager, with expertise in the development and administration of educational, developmental and out-of-school time programming for women, communities, youth and families. Most recently, she served as the Manager of Recruitment & Community Partnerships for Big Sister Association of Greater Boston where she worked to identify, cultivate, and manage partnerships. She also worked in Boston Public Schools at an elementary school where she created infrastructure to sustain an integrated system of services, partnerships and programs that aligned in-school and out-of-school time learning. Her experience also includes political campaigns, conference presentation and event planning.

Collier holds a master’s degree in education from Harvard Graduate School of Education and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Spelman College.

Chris Given integrates technology, interactivity and multimedia solutions into work across the firm.  Leveraging a background in technology and design, he seeks to enhance Collaborative's product offerings by developing efficiencies, embracing data-driven approaches and increasing information accessibility.

Chris develops, edits and analyzes interactive content for websites, social media and online communities for clients including the Mott Foundation, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education in DC, the DC Public Education Finance Reform Commission, Baltimore City Public Schools, the National Education Association Foundation, the Urban Teacher Center and the Department of Defense Education Activity.  He conducts site audits, synthesizes web analytics, makes user experience recommendations, manages content migration and provides technical support and adjustment post-launch.  He produces webinars, online video and other multimedia.  He has expertise in information design and data visualization, and he prototypes and develops solutions to complex presentation challenges.  In keeping with Collaborative's focus on knowledge sharing, Chris works to build technical capacity both within Collaborative and for our clients.

Prior to joining Collaborative, Chris worked on political campaigns and on Capitol Hill. He holds a Bachelor's degree in political studies from Bard College, in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.

Elizabeth Partoyan joined Collaborative Communications Group as a Vice President in July 2011. She provides strategic counsel and leadership both within the firm and to a range of clients focused on capacity building, system redesign, equity, and interagency collaboration, among other areas. From 2009 to 2011, Partoyan served as a member of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) leadership team as the Strategic Initiative Director for Next Generation Learners. Prior to joining the Council, she was the director of Research, Training, and Member Services at the National School Boards Association, and was previously was the manager for the NSBA Extended-Day Learning Opportunities program.

Partoyan has worked at the Academy for Educational Development and Educational Research Service, as well as in the District of Columbia Public Schools, Chicago Public Schools, and the Washington State Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program. She serves on several local, state, and national advisory committees and presents around the country on a range of education and social policy issues, and served as a coordinator for the Institute for Educational Leadership’s Education Policy Fellowship Program. She has a Bachelor of Education degree in human development and social policy from Northwestern University, and a Master of Education degree in educational psychology from Howard University. Partoyan and her partner, Chris, live in the Del Ray community of Alexandria, Virginia.

Katherine Ward, director, is an experienced project manager and strategist for government, corporate and non-profit clients. She has a proven track record of leading and managing teams, forging partnerships, developing products and creating growth and sustainability strategies through communications and media engagement, development, targeted resource allocation and strategic analysis. 

At Collaborative, Katherine concentrates her efforts with an array of clients on capacity building to drive change in the midst of significant shifts within the education sector. She has written several case studies for the National Education Association Foundation and led the design and development of LearnDC.org, the official Common Core website of the Office of the State Superintendent of Education of the District of Columbia. Previously, Katherine advised senior leadership of public school districts and institutes of higher education across the country. She has extensive experience working with private foundations, corporate funders and government agencies including the U.S. Department of Education. 

Katherine received her Culture and Politics degree and a Certificate in Justice and Peace Studies from the Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service. She lives and works in Southern California where she manages the West Coast presence of the firm.

Bill Glover is the founding principal of Design Partners and has served as Collaborative’s primary designer since 2001. Glover contributes to Collaborative’s products with designs that brand client work with unique identities, while allowing designs to help make products accessible and useful. He produces multifaceted and multimedia products and has worked with Collaborative to produce complex print publications, electronic presentations and ideas for using creative technology solutions. Glover has designed more than 20 publications with Collaborative, and he has produced meeting materials, graphics and signage for several convenings and publication release events as well.

Before starting Design Partners, Glover was vice president of environmental design for Creel Morrell Inc., a national graphic design firm. His responsibilities included design and project management for exhibits, as well as for graphics used in everyday environments. He has also held the position of Senior Designer at DesignLink in Bethesda, Maryland as well as Senior Designer for the Rockbridge Group, a marketing, public relations and communications firm.

His experience includes being a professor of graphic design and three-dimensional design at Marymount University, and as a participating member of Society of Environmental Graphic Designers and American Institute of Graphic Arts. Glover graduated from Western Michigan University with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in graphic design and photography.