Louisiana Staff

Westley ensures effective collaboration with existing city, neighborhood, and constituency groups; develops and manages the execution of state and city-level strategic, electoral, and legislative advocacy plans; and organizes parents, teachers, and community members motivated to help improve New Orleans schools.

Monica returned home to Louisiana in 2011 after living across the U.S. for the past ten years. She is a graduate of Brown University with an B.S. in Environmental Science. After teaching sixth grade mathematics in Oakland, California, Monica decided to expand her understanding of the relationship between students’ home and school lives, so she is currently pursuing her doctorate in Education Administration and Policy from the University of Michigan. The focus of Monica’s dissertation is parent involvement in New Orleans schools. As a member of the Stand for Children Louisiana team, Monica works closely with teachers and parents from across the state to develop policy resources that support their advocacy efforts.