The Baltimore City Teachers' Trust, Inc.

The BCTT was founded by five alumni of the Teach For America program who now serve on the BCTT board of directors. Each of these board members taught in one of Baltimore's historically underperforming middle schools for at least two years. All were active in their respective schools, serving as School Improvement Team executives, grant-writers, team leaders, after-school program providers, and coaches. While teaching, members of the Board earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from the Johns Hopkins University.

After teaching in Baltimore, the BCTT’s Board members pursued careers in education administration, public service, law, and other non-profit organizations. Each board member commits significant time and personal resources to developing the BCTT; however, no board member is compensated by the organization. An Advisory Committee, comprised of educational professionals committed to student achievement in Baltimore, provides guidance to the Board, as well as outreach to local educators.

Board of Directors:

Michael Balascio, Associate, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
E-mail: mbalascio@bctt.org

Michael Balascio is an attorney in New York, where he practices in his firm's litigation department. Previously, Michael was a law clerk to a federal district court judge. His law degree is from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was a member of the law review and served as a legal writing instructor. Before law school, he taught Language Arts at Southeast Middle School in Baltimore and worked as an instructor at Teach for America's Summer Training Institute. Michael also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and English Literature from Hamilton College and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University.

Tim Daly, President, The New Teacher Project
E-mail: tdaly@bctt.org

As President of The New Teacher Project (TNTP), Timothy Daly works to engage the wider educational community in TNTP’s efforts to increase the concentration of outstanding teachers working in high poverty schools. TNTP has provided more than 32,000 teachers to high need districts in the past decade and has released groundbreaking reports identifying obstacles to teacher quality in urban districts. Tim has been with TNTP since 2001 and previously served as TNTP's managing partner for the NYC Teaching Fellows (NYCTF), the nation’s largest single-district alternate route program, which has more than 8,000 active teachers in over 1,000 schools across New York City. Tim began his career in education as a middle school teacher in Baltimore. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Northwestern University and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University.

Hannah Dietsch, Director of Strategy and Achievement for the New York City Department of Education's (NYC DOE) Empowerment Support Organization
E-mail: hdietsch@bctt.org

Hannah Dietsch currently serves as the Director of Strategy and Achievement for the New York City Department of Education's (NYC DOE) Empowerment Support Organization. In this role, she is directly responsible for supporting four networks that serve a total of 88 schools and over 38,000 students. Hannah was recently selected to participate in the Broad Residency in Urban Education, a leadership development program that will support her work in the NYC DOE. Prior to joining the NYC DOE, Hannah served as Teach For America's National Director of Assignment and Matriculation. Hannah began her career in education as a Teach For America corps member in Baltimore, where she taught Language Arts at Calverton Middle School. She then started and managed a statewide, alternative-route certification program for special education teachers while working at the Maryland State Department of Education. Hannah holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Tulane University, a Master of Arts in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University, and a Master of Education from Harvard University.

Daniel Jones, Professional Staff, U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
E-mail: djones@bctt.org

Dan Jones currently serves as a Professional Staff Member on the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI). The Committee is tasked with overseeing the intelligence activities and programs of the United States Government. Prior to the Senate, he worked at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Dan currently serves as a Trustee at Elizabethtown College, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He taught Social Studies at Fallstaff Middle School in Northwest Baltimore and served as an instructor at Teach For America’s Summer Training Institute. In addition to his Bachelors, he holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University and a Master in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Beth Wierzbieniec, Dean of Academic Support Services, KIPP Ujima Village Academy
E-mail: bwierzbieniec@bctt.org

Beth Wierzbieniec currently is the Dean of Academic Services at KIPP Ujima Village Academy (UVA). Prior to her tenure at KIPP UVA, she worked in a variety of capacities in the educational landscape of Baltimore, from educational consultant, to school operator to classroom teacher. Beth began her work in Baltimore as a Teach For America Corps Member at West Baltimore Middle School where she taught social studies. She joined the KIPP UVA Team and Family as the Program Coordinator for the KIPP Carrera Partnership in the Fall of 2006. In addition to her role at KIPP UVA, Beth is an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University, where she works to train new teachers in the methods of Action Based Research and Curriculum Instruction and Assessment. She has a BA in Economics and Sociology from Union College, as well as a Master of Arts in Teaching and Certificate in Nonprofit Studies from Johns Hopkins University. Beth is an active member of the Baltimore community and serves on several volunteer boards.

BCTT logo and website design courtesy of Mark A. Clapper.