Staff

Monika is Director of Field building at the Nellie Mae Education Foundation where she leads the organization’s goal to invest in New England’s public education systems through state-level government relations, strategic communications and narrative, and research, evaluation, and learning. Monika brings to this new chapter a deeply held belief that America has the talent and resources to support every child in developmentally appropriate ways and that we must work across lines of difference to make that true.

Prior to joining NMEF, Monika led funding cohorts and donor partnerships at Social Impact Exchange. She collaborated hand-in-hand with non-profit organizations and philanthropy staff to design a fund for education and youth thriving systems change efforts. As a certified Meaningful Giving Guide, Monika also joined a cohort of donor advisors supporting inviduals and families to give at the intersection of donor satisfaction and social impact.

Previously, Monika led the GradNation campaign at America’s Promise Alliance, collaborating with community, state, and national leaders and young people to equitably improve high school graduation rates. She also led learning communities and knowledge sharing efforts to advance whole child school environments and practices for inclusive youth-serving non-profit organizations. Monika was formerly a program officer at the U.S. Department of Education working closely with 12 state education agencies on a range of K12 federal programming. Monika started in education as a fourth-grade teacher in the Mississippi Delta.

Monika earned a B.S. in Public Health from The George Washington University and a law degree from Suffolk University Law School. She is a mom and a cycle-breaker, a combination that enriches her life in surprising ways. Monika stays busy in Rhode Island with her husband and their three kids who bring them endless laughter, joy, and requests for snacks.