We would not be able to fulfill our mission without our staff, a group of professionals who intentionally work across difference, are experts in their field, and care deeply about young people and their postsecondary journeys.
Each month, we’ll highlight a member of our team by “passing the mic” to hear directly from them about their work and purpose. This month, we are highlighting our Transformation Manager, Elizabeth Brown.
What do you do at the Network for College Success?
I serve as a Transformation Manager at NCS. In this role, I’m responsible for supporting the Freshman Success for Equity (FS4E) Improvement Network and collaborating with district leaders on the partnership between NCS and CPS.
How do you help high school teams build on the work they’re doing and make improvements?
As a coach and professional learning facilitator in the FS4E network, I help high school teams work toward reaching our network’s common aim of repaying the educational debt to Black and Latinx 9th grade students by increasing the proportion of Black and Latino males who earn a 3.0+ GPA, attaining a 95% FOT rate across the network, and creating deep and joyful learning experiences for all students. In both coaching and convenings, I work with team leads and teams to reflect on student data and experiences, try new practices, deepen adult collaboration, and work from an equity stance in order to make improvements for students and their schools.
What about the culture of NCS empowers you to show up the way you do?
Collaboration is a core value and part of the deep culture at NCS. Given this, I am empowered to show up as both a learner and a leader in the organization. My team and I support and push each other to speak our truths, to take risks and be open to interruption, and to invite multiple perspectives and ideas into our space so that, collectively, we do our best work for each other, our school partners and students.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job?
Ilove working and learning alongside my NCS colleagues and educators to help strengthen adult practice in schools! The work we do together improves the experiences and outcomes of students, and prioritizes making schools excellent for our least-served youth. To me, this is both highly meaningful and truly rewarding.
Can you share a memorable moment or achievement during your time with NCS?
This spring, the FS4E team and I supported all of our schools in using empathy interviews to learn more about 9th grade student experiences across our network. After talking with students, educators made meaning of the data as a network and identified Student Belonging as a practice area to improve on as a network community. FS4E schools then tested a variety of belonging practices in 9th grade classrooms throughout the network and presented their learning and impact in our May network convening. I am proud of the action-reflection cycle the FS4E schools engaged in and the learning that was exchanged across the network, and I’m excited to work with the FS4E community on improving student belonging across all FS4E schools in SY25.
Outside of work, what are some of your hobbies or interests that you enjoy pursuing?
Some of my favorite things to do outside of work include spending time outdoors in the sunshine with my partner and our two sons, watching documentaries on Netflix/Hulu/Max, dining at local restaurants with friends, and reading educational texts for fun! :)
