Laura has spent the last twenty years focused on cross-sector, systemic solutions to improve economic and educational outcomes for urban youth. Most recently, as Co-President and CEO of the Philadelphia Youth Network, a nationally known youth intermediary, Laura helped to build college and career partnerships and pathways that served 20,000 youth annually through credit bearing, extended learning options. Prior to her work in Philadelphia, Laura started one of the first New Visions High Schools located in the South Bronx, NY. Laura’s work has involved the integration and alignment of complex funding streams, diverse stakeholders and siloed systems in service to college and career readiness for high school age youth.

Ayris Sanders, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio serves as the Director of Lab Schools with the Building 21 Network. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Ohio University, a Master’s degree in Education from Temple University, focusing on urban education and policy and over seven years of educational leadership experience, Ayris demonstrates the knowledge and skill set needed to transform education for students. As a founding teacher and previous principal of Building 21 Philadelphia, Ayris worked with a variety of stakeholders to positively influence teacher practice and overall student achievement. She did this by setting a clear vision and goals, focusing on building a strong instructional culture, investing in teacher growth and development, using data to guide decision-making and focusing on continuous improvement. Ayris has taught for over 5 years in public, charter, and private sectors of education, as both an English Language Arts and Special Education teacher. These experiences have provided her with a well-rounded scope of the challenges and inequities faced across our country in education. Ayris seeks to ensure that all students are provided the educational experience they deserve by supporting school leaders with fostering just and equitable school communities with rigorous academic expectations, high quality instructional materials and a deep investment in teacher coaching and development.

Born and raised in Pottstown, PA, Eric brings expertise in data analysis and a passion for helping leaders use data to make effective decisions. Since joining the team, Eric has led Building 21's transition to a cloud-based data infrastructure, setting up a central data warehouse and configuring multiple feeds to consolidate data from our various sources. He has also implemented Google's Looker platform to create data dashboards and reports for administrators, teachers, and students.

Eliana Cohen is the Director of Software Development at Building 21. A Philadelphia native and former public school student, Eliana was inspired by their parents, who worked in the city’s school district, to pursue a career at the intersection of education and technology. After studying Computer Science and gaining hands-on experience at xSoTec, a small edtech startup, they developed a passion for using technology to transform education. This passion led to roles in both the corporate tech sector and education, where they gained expertise in designing and implementing tools that streamline processes and empower educators. At Building 21, they lead the development of Beacon, a platform that tracks student progress and provides actionable insights. Committed to equity and innovation, Eliana ensures that technology serves as a bridge to more accessible and impactful learning experiences.

Sandra Moumoutjis is the Executive Director of Building 21’s Learning Innovation Network which is designed to grow and support a community of schools and districts as they transition to competency-based education. Through professional development and coaching, Sandra supports schools and districts in all aspects of the change management process. Sandra is the co-designer of Building 21’s Competency Framework and instructional model. Prior to working for Building 21, Sandra was a teacher, a K-12 reading specialist, literacy coach, and educational consultant in districts across the country.

Benjamin D. Koch is an esteemed School Leader with expertise in instructional design, partnership development, and educational leadership across elementary and secondary levels. Ben holds a Master’s in Education in Educational Leadership from Lehigh University and Spanish K-12 Instructional Certification from the University of Pennsylvania and brings substantial academic and practical knowledge to his roles.

Currently serving as Interim Principal at Building 21 High School in Philadelphia, Koch drives the development and execution of a comprehensive vision for student learning. His leadership ensures a safe environment, fosters high-quality instructional practices, and nurtures a culture of collaboration and improvement.

With prior experience as Assistant Principal, Koch excelled in instructional leadership, notably in the Multi-tiered System of Support (MTSS) Program and the TriChange committee, showcasing his dedication to student success and equity. His tenure as K-6 Building Principal and roles as Director of Intermediate Education and Partnerships Manager underscore his strategic leadership and ability to cultivate productive relationships.

Koch's educational journey began as a Spanish Teacher and Team Leader, where he designed innovative curriculum and led student immersion experiences. Notable achievements include recognition in Billy Penn Magazine's "40 under 40 education edition" and receiving the Gooru Innovation Fellowship for Instructional Technology. Koch's skills include advanced communication in Spanish, technology integration, and a commitment to fostering inclusive learning environments.

Heather Harlen is the Instructional Coach and Designer for Building 21’s Learning Innovation Network, which is designed to grow and support a community of schools and districts as they transition to competency-based education. Heather is passionate about supporting teachers, competency-based education, and educational equity. Prior to joining the Network, Heather was a founding teacher at the Building 21 Allentown lab school. She started her career as an English as a foreign language teacher at the School of Self-Determination in Moscow, Russia as a Peace Corps volunteer. Heather then worked at the Institute of International Education in Washington, DC to extend her understanding of education and ultimately missed students, so she returned to teaching. She has over two decades of classroom experience as a public school teacher, adjunct university instructor, and adult ELL teacher. She has served on various instructional leadership teams at the school, district, and national levels and was a nominee for the 2021 Educador del año (Educator of the Year) for the Golden Latin Awards, which recognizes leaders who support Latino culture in the Lehigh Valley (Pennsylvania). She holds an M.Ed from Lehigh University in educational leadership, an M.A. in creative writing from Wilkes University, and B.A. in English with a secondary English certification from Muhlenberg College. Heather is proud to be a National Writing Project Fellow. She is also a novelist, freelance writer, and editor.

Dannyelle Austin is a wife, a mother of three, and a passionate advocate for young people, who currently serves as the Inaugural Executive Director of Launchpad. Growing up in a single parent home in Philadelphia first sparked Dannyelle’s interest in helping youth rise above their circumstances and become something greater than society’s expectations. From an early age, she knew she wanted to spend her life dedicated to helping young adults develop and achieve their dreams. Dannyelle’s extensive experience working with youth has given her renowned expertise in youth development, education, college readiness, workforce training and, most importantly, the integration of trauma-informed methodologies throughout youth development practice. As the Executive Director of Launchpad, Dannyelle will continue to be a transformative leader and her strong belief in the power of innovative solutions will help young people connect with their bright futures.

Nick is the High School Program Director for Launchpad and has been with Building 21 since 2022. He was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and a proud alumnus of the Baltimore City Public Schools system. Since earning his BA from Pomona College, Nick has dedicated his career to working with young people as a technology instructor and algebra tutor. He is moved by the mission of workforce development and eager to equip the young people of Philadelphia with resources, job experience, and a creative outlet. Outside of his work, Nick enjoys biking, vintage clothing, club music, and playing with his cat.

Charlene Newbill is a Camden, NJ native, now residing in Mount Ephraim, NJ. She is an alumna of Rowan University, where she received a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. She’s been with Hopeworks Camden since 2016, where she was a Hopeworks trainee, a Training Room intern, a Youth Healing Team intern, Youth Healing Team Lead, and Recruitment & Engagement Specialist.

Charlene has a huge passion for working with young people. She looks forward to continuing to pursue her dream in Youth Development and in her new role as Coach at Launchpad. She looks forward to being a positive role model, giving back and working for her community.

Rob is from Saint Louis, Missouri and has a developer’s background from the early days of the internet with HTML, CSS, JavaScript. He's developed custom JavaScript libraries, Microsoft Azure DevOps pipelines, Amazon Web Services, Full-Stack Web Applications with Machine Learning (ML), custom SharePoint 2016 and Nintex 2016 solutions for both medium and large sized businesses. He has worked with Jenkins, Azure DevOps and GitLab CI/CD platforms. He worked as a bootcamp instructor teaching Data Analytics offered by Washington University Saint Louis. He enjoys learning about new technology, gaming and unplugging from it all and living in the moment when he can.