Ian V. Rowe
Chief Executive Officer

Ian has over 15 years of experience leading organizations and campaigns in the private and nonprofit sector. Ian most recently worked for the Gates Foundation as the Deputy Director of Postsecondary Success where he worked on initiatives to increase college completion rates among low income young adults. Prior to working at Gates, Ian worked for MTV as the Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships & Public Affairs. At MTV, Ian oversaw the division driving multi-media campaigns that empowered young adults to be a great force for good in the world such as "Choose or Lose," "Get Schooled," and "Break the Addition." Prior to working at MTV, Ian worked as the Director of Strategy and Performance Measurement at The White House USA Freedom Corps office which formed after September 11th to encourage every American to make a lifetime commitment in service of others. He was also the President and Co-Founder of Third Millennium Media, a media consulting firm that worked with non-profit organizations to better utilize media to build awareness and action around a range of social issues. He also worked at Teach For America, where he helped develop a comprehensive portfolio model of assessment that measured teacher effectiveness as a function of gains in student achievement.

Ian Rowe is a product of the New York City public school system. He graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School. He received his BS in Computer Science Engineering from Cornell University and MBA from Harvard Business School. He is an Echoing Green Fellow and a Harvard Initiative for Social Enterprise Fellow. Ian and his wife have a beautiful daughter.

Verta Maloney
Managing Director of Student Learning and Achievement

Verta has been in the field of education for over 15 years. Prior to joining Public Prep, Verta spent four years with New Leaders for New Schools where she served as Managing Director of Programs, Senior Director of Leadership Coaching and as a Leadership Coach.  At the core of all her positions with New Leaders, Verta worked to support principals, aspiring principals and the schools they lead to positively impact student achievement for public school students in New York City and Newark.  Verta’s previous role as the Founding School Director for Bronx Charter School for the Arts (Bronx Arts) uniquely prepared her for her work with New Leaders. In 2005, Bronx Arts was one of only five schools in the nation to be selected as a Creative Ticket National School of Distinction by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  Prior to joining Bronx Arts, Verta served as an elementary and middle school classroom teacher for several years in Maryland and Washington, D.C., and then spent four years as an instructional specialist in literacy at the school and district level in the Chancellor's District in the Bronx. 

Verta holds a Masters in Politics and Education from Columbia's Teachers College and attended James Madison University where she majored in Human Communication and Education.

Tiffany Liston
Managing Director of Strategy and Development, Counsel

After seven years as a litigation associate at Simpson Thatcher & Bartlett LLP, Tiffany put her skills and experience in the not-for-profit community to work as Public Prep's new Managing Director of Strategy and Development. Tiffany leads Public Prep's strategic planning, external relations and development initiative. Tiffany has been committed to working with underserved New Yorkers throughout her professional career. Prior to working at Simpson Thacher, Tiffany worked in the development department at MFY Legal Services, Inc., a not-for-profit organization providing free legal services to underprivileged New Yorkers. During her tenure at Simpson Thacher, as part of her pro bono practice, she provided counsel to low-income communities, partnering with several not-for-profits such as inMotion, RAINN (Rape Abuse Incest National Network) and Harlem Legal Services, amongst others. Tiffany is currently on the Board of Directors of VIP Community Services, received her JD from the Georgetown School of Law and her BA from Harvard University.

Kelly Pesce Cassaro
Managing Director of Leadership Development

Kelly Cassaro joins Public Prep Network enthusiastically. Kelly has been a lead elementary teacher in New York City for the past seven years. She received her BA in Early Childhood Education and Spanish from Ohio Wesleyan University. She began teaching in the Bronx, New York as a Teach for America corps member. Kelly was a student of the Leadership for Educational Change cohort at Bank Street College of Education where she received her Masters degree in Educational Leadership and a School Building Leader Certification. Kelly was a founding lead kindergarten teacher at Girls Prep Bronx and is honored to transition to PPN to support leadership development network-wide.

Alexandra Steele
Director of Operations

Alexandra Steele is the Director of Operations at Public Prep. Alex is deeply passionate about education reform and compelled to help provide every student she serves with an equal education opportunity regardless of socioeconomic background.

Prior to joining Public Prep, Alex was an Education Pioneers Fellow in New York City the summer between her first and second years of business school. In this position, she worked with Harlem Village Academies where she managed the successful expansion and relocation of two schools. Prior to graduate school, Alex worked in New York City's art world, where she helped launch and grow Artist Pension Trust (APT), a barter-based investment program providing financial planning solutions to artists. Alex is passionate about finding, developing and implementing creative ways to help underserved communities and is dedicated to raising standards in today's diverse and dynamic urban education landscape.

Alex received a MBA and MA in K-12 Educational Studies from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and a BA from Columbia University in New York City. In her spare time, Alex likes running, visiting museums, and spending time with her gorgeous niece.

Stacey Coburn
Director of Recruitment

Stacey graduated from Ithaca College with a BA in Journalism with minors in English and Spanish. Following graduation, she taught fourth grade for two years in Phoenix, Arizona as a Teach for America corps member. While in Arizona, Stacey also founded an afterschool arts club at her middle school and served as an arts mentor for adolescent girls in a group home. Stacey moved back to New York in 2008 and interned for the arts section at The Villager newspaper before joining Public Prep. She also teaches test prep on Saturdays at Community Partnership Charter School in Brooklyn, where her twin sister — another educator — teaches full-time.

Tiffney Jones
Finance Manager

Tiffney is very excited to join the Public Prep team as the Finance Manager beginning the 2011-2012 school year.  Tiffney graduated from  Lehman College where she majored in Accounting.  Tiffney has over 10 years of accounting experience. Prior to Public Prep she was the Finance Manager at Sentinel Probation Services in Duluth, Georgia followed by Jewish Care Services of Long Island in New York where she was the Assistant Director.  Tiffney enjoys listening to music, dancing, watching TV and spending time with her family and friends, especially her daughter and her Yorkshire terrier.

Jenny Maderal
Administrative Associate

Jenny graduated from the University of Michigan with a BA in English and Communications Studies.  After college she moved to New York and worked as an assistant to the Director of Publicity at Henry Holt and Company Publishers, followed by a position at Furlined, a commercial production company, as a sales and publicity assistant.  She joined Public Prep in 2010, and has since been committed to supporting the wonderful Public Prep staff and family.