Leadership
Executive Director: Cescely Hill
Cescely is a native of Atlanta and earned a BA and MA from the University of Virginia. She was a 2000 Teach For America (TFA) Atlanta corps member at Perkerson Elementary in APS and taught fifth grade ELA at KIPP WAYS Academy, an APS charter school. She has also served as the Art, Music and Electives Community Leader on TFA’s teacher support website and as a Recruiting Associate for KIPP Metro Atlanta Schools.
Teacher-in-Residence, Atlanta Public Schools: Marla Johnson
A native of Atlanta, Marla began her teaching career in APS after becoming a corps member of Teach For America in 2003. She received an ABJ from the University of Georgia, a certificate in Early Childhood Education from Agnes Scott University, and a MS from Georgia State University in Urban Teacher Leadership. Marla taught at East Lake Elementary for seven years, and she is a 2007 winner of the Atlanta Families' Awards for Excellence in Education.
Founder & Board Co-Chair: Edward G. Michaels III
Ed Michaels was a director with McKinsey & Company for 32 years in both Los Angeles and Atlanta. With his wife Joanie, Ed was Teach For America’s board co-chair and with daughter Katie, he founded the Atlanta Families’ Awards For Excellence in Education in 2005. Ed has an avid interest in golf and currently serves on the Executive Committee of the USGA.
Co-Founder & Board Co-Chair: Katie Michaels McDowell
As a former Communications Specialist at McKinsey & Company, Katie collaborated with her father, Ed Michaels, on his book, The War for Talent, a guide to attracting and retaining quality employees. It is through this lens that Katie and her father established the Atlanta Families’ Awards for Excellence in Education in 2005. She serves on the Advisory Board at the Atlanta Speech School, Board of Trustees at the Lawrenceville School in Princeton, NJ, and is on the Fund for Teachers Selection Committee. Katie is the Executive Director of the Michaels Family Charitable Foundation and a 2011-2012 SECF Hull Fellow.
Board Chair: Prescott C. Miller
Prescott is the Managing Director of Round Hill Capital LLC. He and his family have been active partners in the Atlanta Families’ Awards for Excellence in Education since 2007. Prescott also serves on the Boards of Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, MA and Manduka, LLC in Los Angeles.