Our Team

EMILY AYSCUE HASSEL is Co-Director of Public Impact. She provides thought leadership and oversight to Public Impact’s work on human capital, organizational transformation, parental choice of schools, and emerging opportunities for dramatic change in pre-K to grade 12 education. Her work has appeared in Education Week, Education Next and other publications. She previously worked for the Hay Group, a leading human resources consulting firm. Ms. Hassel received her law and master in business administration degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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JOE ABLEIDINGER is a consultant with Public Impact. His work focuses on a variety of education policy issues, including emerging technologies in education, human capital management, and charter schools. Before joining Public Impact, Mr. Ableidinger taught high school English with the Fulbright Program in Korea and started a family resource center at an underperforming elementary school as an Americorps VISTA Volunteer. Mr. Ableidinger received his B.A. with highest honors from Duke University, his Masters in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and his law degree with honors from Harvard Law School.

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DANA BRINSON is a consultant with Public Impact. She has conducted research and analysis on a wide variety of education issues, including educational philanthropy, school improvement and turnarounds, disconnected youth, talent assessment and selection, and charter schools. Ms. Brinson conducts critical fact-finding through interviews, literature reviews, site visits, and other qualitative methods.  She also serves as dissemination coordinator for Public Impact. Ms. Brinson previously worked as a special educator at a Boston-area public school for teens with behavioral and emotional challenges and learning disabilities. Ms. Brinson is a summa cum laude graduate of West Virginia University and holds a master's degree in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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DANIELA DOYLE is a consultant with Public Impact. Her work addresses a wide range of education issues, including teacher quality, school finance, charter schools, early and alternative education, and student engagement. A former elementary school teacher, Ms. Doyle is an alumna of Teach For America and Education Pioneers, a national human capital organization. She holds a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Princeton University, a master’s of science for teachers from Pace University, and a master's degree in public policy from Duke University.

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JULIE KOWAL is a senior consultant with Public Impact. She consults and leads teams to offer research-based guidance on several challenging policy and management issues in education, including teacher quality, evaluation, retention and compensation, and dramatic change in persistently underperforming schools.  Ms. Kowal recently led Public Impact’s involvement in several states’ applications for the federal Race to the Top competition.  She also serves as editor for all Public Impact publications. An alumna of AmeriCorps NCCC and Public Allies DC, Ms. Kowal earned her law degree with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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JACOB ROSCH is an analyst with Public Impact.  His work centers on examining school outcome data, developing quantitative models, and devising innovative and compelling methods for presenting education data.  Since joining the Public Impact team in 2008, Mr. Rosch has worked on a wide range of education topics, including value-added test score analysis, school turnarounds, teacher quality, school finance, and charter schools.  An accomplished saxophonist, Mr. Rosch performs in and around the Triangle area of North Carolina.  He earned a B.A. with honors in sociology and music from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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LUCY STEINER is a senior consultant with Public Impact. She researches and consults on a variety of critical education issues, including human capital, school restructuring, charter school policy, and teacher professional development. Ms. Steiner both conducts her own work and leads project teams to deliver research, training and consulting. Her work often provides a bridge between district leadership, school leadership and instruction. A former high school English teacher, Ms. Steiner holds a Masters in Education and Social Policy from Northwestern University and a B.A. with highest honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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ELIZABETH VALSING is business manager for Public Impact. In that role, Ms. Valsing coordinates Public Impact’s technology, financial, and office operations. Prior to working for Public Impact, she served for 18 years as a professional stage manager, most recently with the Carolina Ballet in Raleigh, N.C. Her stage management credits include Broadway, off-Broadway, and domestic and international touring. Some of her credits include the Tony Award-winning production Fool Moon, the New York City Ballet, and the Trisha Brown Company. In addition, she worked for five years as personal assistant to the writer, director, and actor Bill Irwin.