Division of Family & Community Partnerships → Study Circles → About Us → Meet Our Staff
Meet Our Staff - We're here to help!
John Landesman, Program Coordinator: Before coming to Montgomery County Public Schools, John was director of Community Assistance for Everyday Democracy, a national organization that provides technical assistance to communities around the country on issues such as race relations, immigration, education reform, and police–community relations. John also was the founding director of Community Wide Dialogue on Racism and Race Relations in Central New York. He lives in Silver Spring and has children in MCPS.
Laurene Thomas, Parent Community Coordinator, Department of Family and Community Partnerships: Laurene, one of our lead facilitators, has worked with Study Circles since 2002, when she first facilitated a community dialogue through Impact Silver Spring. As a parent community coordinator with the school system, she serves as a bridge between home and school, working with parents and school staff to facilitate parent involvement and help families navigate the school system. Passionate about her work with the Study Circles, she values the process for the insight it gives individuals about themselves and the world. She believes the work impacts not only her generation, but will impact those to come.
Alex Cartagena, Parent Community Coordinator: Alex is in his third year with the Study Circles program. He graduated from McDaniel College with a major in political science and history and enjoys being able to use his focus, the application of political theory in modern day society, in his work with Study Circles. He enjoys working with communities throughout Montgomery County and is looking forward to seeing the program develop over the next couple of years. He also works with Everyday Democracy as an associate in training, with the hope of continuing his career creating racial dialogues.
Angela Chen, Second year AmeriCorps member/Study Circles program assistant: Angela recently graduated from Vanderbilt University, with a double major in Chemistry and Medicine, Health, and Society. She is back working in the same public school system she grew up in looking to help her school community through Study Circles. She hopes this year away from school will give her a new, enriching experience working with the students, parents, and staff of MCPS.
Malcolm Coston, First year AmeriCorps member/Study Circles program assistant: Malcolm helps provide Montgomery County Public Schools and offices a tool to engage diverse staff, parents, and students in dialogue which helps participants to develop the relationships, awareness, and strategies needed to address racial and ethnic barriers to student achievement and parent involvement. Malcolm is a native of Wilmington, Delaware and he studied Organizational Business Management at Wilmington University.
Mayet Matungulu, First year AmeriCorps member/Study Circles program assistant: Mayet was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, she first moved to the United States when she was five years old. She received a B.A. in political science at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Mayet is happy to be working with the Study Circles Program to improve student achievement and parental involvement in Montgomery County Public Schools.