New Tech Network Names Nationally Recognized High School Expert Monica Martinez President

New Tech Network, the Napa, Calif.-based school development organization that supports the start-up and implementation of 21^st-century high schools has named national education expert Monica Martinez President of the organization and Chris Walsh and Michael DiMaggio — two veteran education innovators — as part of its leadership team.

Walsh, Director of Innovation and Design and DiMaggio, Director of Strategic Partnerships, bring the expertise and experience to help rapidly scale the New Tech Network, or New Tech. The executives will join the existing leadership team at New Tech that successfully developed and sustained the learner-centered network of high schools.

Their appointments come on the heels of a July 30 announcement that New Tech Network (formerly New Technology Foundation) will become a division of Cincinnati-based KnowledgeWorks. New Tech will support KnowledgeWorks’ rapid expansion of the high school system. The integration is expected to be completed as of Oct. 1, 2009.

“Monica is not just one of the foremost high school experts in the country, she also has the know-how and resources to bring New Tech high schools to communities across the country,” said Chad P. Wick, President and CEO of KnowledgeWorks. “I am also thrilled to have Chris Walsh and Michael DiMaggio on board, who will play key roles in scaling the New Tech Network to meet the growing demand for its innovative approach.”

New Tech high schools foster a culture of individual responsibility and respect. They engage students and teachers in an innovative instructional approach that integrates project-based learning and a 1:1 student-to-computer ratio. New Tech actively partners with school districts, using proprietary processes and tools to localize this powerful new approach to learning and prepare students for college and the careers of tomorrow.

High School Expert Monica Martinez to lead New Tech Network

A native of Colorado, Martinez led KnowledgeWorks’ efforts to transform the national education landscape as Vice President of Education Strategy. She oversaw the development of new initiatives and coordination of strategic planning based on the organization’s 2006-2016 Map of Future Forces as well as the development of its new 2020 Forecast.

Prior to being named Vice President, Martinez was an adviser to the foundation as Senior Fellow, providing expertise on issues related to educational access and achievement for low-income and minority students. She also founded the D.C.-based National High School Alliance, a partnership of more than 40 organizations sharing a common commitment to promoting excellence, equity, and development of high school-age youth. Martinez received her Ph.D. and M.A. in Higher Education Administration from the School of Education at New York University and her bachelor’s degree from Baylor University.

Martinez, who has served as chief operating officer at New Tech for the past year, said the unique skills offered by DiMaggio and Walsh can help New Tech realize its vision of becoming the most respected and efficient approach for state economic development, school success and student success in the nation.

About DiMaggio

DiMaggio, a native of California, served as the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Business Development for the Council of Chief State School Officers, or CCSSO, where he worked with almost all of the state superintendents who were members of CCSSO. He has developed and brokered strategic alliances with the business community, foundations, federal agencies, and other education organizations with individual states. He is formerly director of development for the National Education Association Foundation. DiMaggio is also a former special education teacher.

Martinez said, “As a former teacher and a partnership and policy specialist in Washington, D.C., Michael has an acute understanding of the need to transform our schools. He will lead the efforts to expand the New Tech approach through state systems and national partnerships.”

DiMaggio earned a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and attained a master’s degree in public policy and international affairs at the same institution. He received his bachelor’s degree in history from UCLA.

About Walsh

Walsh, also a California native, combines an entrepreneurial mind with an educator’s heart. He co-founded Brightstorm, an online education company delivering high-quality, multimedia courses to college-bound students, and was its Chief Learning Officer.

Prior to Brightstorm, Walsh was a program director at WestEd where he led a wide variety of eLearning projects, including the U.S. Department of Education’s “Doing What Works” website. While at WestEd he also started the Google Teacher Academy, a highly successful professional development program that helps K-12 educators get the most from innovative Web 2.0 tools, and produced the Infinite Thinking Machine, an Internet TV show for educators. Walsh was also Director of Technology for KIPP, where he led technical and communication projects that helped support KIPP’s national expansion.

“Having founded two organizations that focus on the creative use of technology to improve learning, Chris’ entrepreneurial spirit will be an important key to the future success of New Tech,” Martinez said. “His expertise will help us strengthen and expand the nationwide network of New Tech high schools.

Walsh holds an M.A. from Stanford University in “Learning, Design, and Technology,” and he earned a B.A. and M.Ed. from UCLA.

New Technology Foundation, www.newtechfoundation.org, is a school development organization that supports the start-up and implementation of 21st century high schools. The National Network of New Technology High School Network currently comprises 41 schools across the county, including schools in Indiana, Illinois, North Carolina, New York, Oregon, Colorado, Texas, California, and Louisiana.

KnowledgeWorks Foundation (www.kwfdn.org) strives to be the leader in developing and implementing innovative and effective approaches to high school education in the United States. Our work primarily focuses on redesigning urban high schools, developing STEM and Early College high schools, and supporting student-centered approaches to delivering real learning and results in our schools.

Contacts

KnowledgeWorks Foundation
Byron McCauley, 513-929-1310
mccauleyb@kwfdn.org

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