team

Shirley Doan

Shirley Doan

Senior Project Coordinator

Shirley Doan has over seven years of experience in adult education, most recently serving as program director for the adult ESOL program at a Boston-based community center. She has a BA in English/creative writing and environmental studies, a certificate in nonprofit management and leadership, and is certified in adult mental health first aid.

Catalina González

Catalina González

Senior Technical Advisor

Catalina González focuses on immigrant inclusion and digital equity, providing technical assistance to adult education programs across the states. Before joining World Education, she managed adult education initiatives for the City of Philadelphia and worked in adult literacy and education across South and Central America, the Caribbean, India, and the United States, earning recognition from organizations such as The LEGO Foundation, Brookings Institution, and HundrED for her work in education through play.

Jamie Harris

Jamie Harris

Senior Technical Advisor

Jamie Harris co-leads the Innovating Distance Education in Adult Learning Consortium of states. As adult education program specialist at the Maryland Department of Labor, Jamie led the development of a digital literacy framework for adult learners and a digital literacy framework instructor implementation guide. She has served as faculty and coordinator in community colleges, a university, and a foreign language program. Jamie has an M.Ed adult education from Regent University and a nonprofit leadership certificate from Harvard Kennedy School of Executive Education.

Judy Mortrude

Judy Mortrude

Senior Technical Advisor

Judy Mortrude supports the Adult Numeracy Initiative 2.0 professional development and the Integrated Education and Training in Correctional and Reentry Education initiatives, as well as other state and national projects. Judy is a national expert on the Ability to Benefit provision of the Higher Education Act, promoting dual enrollment for adult learners. She is president of the National Coalition for Literacy and has a BA in English composition and secondary education, an MA in English literature, and an adult education teaching licensure.

Cynthia Peters

Cynthia Peters

Change Agent Editor and Production Coordinator

Cynthia Peters has been the editor of The Change Agent since June 2007. Her focus at The Change Agent is to create a magazine that teaches reading, writing, math, and critical thinking in the context of social issues that are relevant to adult learners. To further support classroom learning, Cynthia has aligned the lessons and extensions in the magazine with the College and Career Readiness Standards. She presents at national and state adult education conferences on a variety of topics, including persistence, civic participation, math, digital literacy, and using socially relevant materials that are aligned with the College and Career Readiness Standards. From 2013-15, she taught the online persistence course for World Education. She currently teaches ESOL in a workplace-based program in Boston, and since 2002 has taught a wide range of adult education classes, including ABE, GED, Bridge to College, and the Adult Diploma Program.

Priyanka Sharma

Priyanka Sharma

Vice President

As vice president of World Education, Priyanka Sharma oversees the organization’s U.S.-based projects and centers of expertise, including the EdTech Center, National College Transition Network, New England Literacy Resource Center, and SABES Program Support Center. Priyanka leads projects on post-secondary career readiness, technology integration, digital transformation, and digital skills development. She co-leads Digital US, a national initiative with a cross-sector approach to design a learn and work ecosystem that fosters digital resilience for all learner workers. She also directs the New England Literacy Resource Center, leading projects that emerge from collaboration among policymakers, professional developers, and practitioners. Priyank has a degree in biology and anthropology from the State University of New York.

Ebony Vandross

Ebony Vandross

Program Coordinator

Ebony Vandross supports the EdTech Center in addition to multiple projects for the World Education U.S. division. She developed an interest in the field of adult education as a Literacy Volunteer with the Boston Public Library, and as a Resource Center Volunteer with Women’s Lunch Place. After arriving at WEI she became involved with The Change Agent, drawn to the publication and its commitment to center the voices of adult literacy students, immigrants, and people of color. She hopes this work will aid her in her support of social justice and progress for marginalized communities.