Robertson Hall
100 Arthur Lewis Auditorium

Sponsored by the Alumni Association of Princeton University

Moderator

Jennifer Jennings ’00
Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs

Panelists

Dale Kinsley ’64
Retired, Public School Superintendent

Robert Low ’74
Founder, Clear Choice Publishing Services

Aimee Rogstad Guidera ’89
Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia

Cecily L. Wilson-Turner ’99
Deputy Superintendent, Shenendehowa Central Schools

Claire Coughlin ’19
Content Manager, Curriculum Associates

Sugeni Pérez-Sadler *05
Senior Director of Policy, New York City Public Schools

Moderator

Jennifer Jennings ’00
Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs

Jennifer Jennings’ research interests are racial, socioeconomic and gender disparities in educational and health outcomes. A professor of sociology and public affairs and a faculty associate of the Office of Population Research, she is also director of the Education Research Section (ERS), an interdisciplinary unit within the School of Public and International Affairs that supports research, publication and teaching on matters relating to education policy and practice. Jennings earned an A.B., cum laude, from the School of Public and International Affairs and a University certificate from the Program in Teacher Preparation, as well as a New Jersey teaching license. She holds a Master of Philosophy in Education from the University of Cambridge (U.K.) and a Ph.D. in sociology from Columbia University, with distinction. She joined the Princeton faculty in 2017.

Panelists

Dale Kinsley ’64
Retired, Public School Superintendent

Dale Kinsley studied Near Eastern studies at Princeton, then joined the Peace Corps to teach English in Morocco. After he received a Doctor of Education from the University of Massachusetts, Kinsley moved to UC Santa Cruz e, where he established its teacher preparation program. After an assignment with the U.S. Agency for International Development, he became superintendent of the Santa Cruz City schools. Kinsley worked there with union and local teacher leaders to create legal agreements that became statewide models for facilitating collaborative negotiations. In 1991, Kinsley became superintendent of the Bellingham public schools in Washington, where he also worked with the Gates Foundation to demonstrate that districtwide emphasis on powerful instruction could raise the performance of all students. He was named Washington State Superintendent of the Year in 2001. After retiring, he developed the Washington State Leadership Academy, providing in-service learning and support for superintendents and principals.

Robert Low ’74
Founder, Clear Choice Publishing Services

Robert Low’s educational publishing career began in 1986 at Modern Learning Press, where he edited writing materials for K-5 students and professional books for educators. His continued work with professional books led to his developing and managing educator training projects for the Chicago and Washington, D.C., public schools. In 2006, he joined Benchmark Education and became a product manager of print and digital resources for English learners and dual-language students. After becoming a vice president of the company, he participated in the 2016 California reading adoption, which resulted in Los Angeles, San Diego and other diverse districts using the company’s reading programs. Since starting Clear Choice Publishing Services, Low has developed and managed numerous educational webinars and written a series of articles about equitable education, based on webinars presented by the American Association of School Administrators. 

Aimee Rogstad Guidera ’89
Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia

Aimee Rogstad Guidera was appointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin in December 2021 to serve as Virginia’s secretary of education. In this role, she oversees education from early childhood through postsecondary learning. Throughout her 35-year career in education, Rogstad Guidera has championed high expectations for every student and the changes needed to deliver on that commitment. She was the founder and CEO of the Data Quality Campaign, a national nonprofit advocacy organization leading the effort to empower educators, students, parents and policymakers to improve student outcomes. Rogstad Guidera also worked at the National Alliance of Business, National Governors Association and National Center for Educational Achievement. A graduate of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, she earned a master’s in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School. While on campus, Rogstad Guidera was junior class president, Mathey College council chair, and a member of the Honor Committee and Cottage Club.

Cecily Wilson-Turner ’99
Deputy Superintendent, Shenendehowa Central Schools

As deputy superintendent for the Shenendehowa Central School District in Clifton Park, New York, Cecily Wilson-Turner focuses on all facets of K-12 curriculum, instruction, assessment and leadership. Before joining Shenendehowa, Wilson-Turner spent 22 years in the city school district of Albany. Wilson-Turner taught for seven years at Arbor Hill Elementary School and was principal of the district’s Sheridan Preparatory Academy and Albany High School. She served as assistant superintendent for elementary education from 2015 to 2023. Wilson-Turner holds an A.B. in public policy analysis from Princeton, an M.A. in elementary education and teaching from New York University, an advanced certificate in education leadership from the College of Saint Rose and an Ed.D. in education leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Claire Coughlin ’19
Content Manager, Curriculum Associates

Claire Coughlin has held diverse roles spanning the education, nonprofit and tech sectors, specializing in early intervention and special education. Following her graduation from Princeton’s psychology department, Coughlin was an early intervention teacher in New York City through Teach for America for four years. During this period, she pursued her master’s degree in early childhood and special education, igniting a profound commitment to advancing equity in education. Amidst the pandemic, Coughlin’s teaching experience sparked her interest in the transformative potential of technology to democratize access to high-quality educational resources. Her journey into the education-technology sector began as a curriculum designer, where she crafted prototypes for Blossom, an interactive e-reading platform emphasizing early literacy and bilingual skills. Presently, she serves as a content manager at Curriculum Associates, contributing to literacy and dyslexia assessment content to ensure compliance with various state legislative requirements. 

Sugeni Pérez-Sadler *05
Senior Director of Policy, New York City Public Schools

Sugeni Pérez-Sadler brings multisector experience across nonprofit, government and education sectors, with a specialized focus on organizational change management. Committed to promoting equity in education, economic opportunity and the workplace, she serves as senior director of Student Pathways Policy for New York City (NYC) public schools. In this role, she leads policy efforts ensuring more than  300,000 high school students graduate with real-world skills and strong plans for postsecondary education and careers. Additionally, Pérez-Sadler holds volunteer leadership positions, including as a founding steering committee member of The BLEND, an employee resource group supporting Black and Latino employees of NYC public schools, and on the board of directors for Goddard Riverside Community Center, focusing on community development. Pérez-Sadler earned her Doctorate in Education from St. John’s University, dual master’s degrees in public affairs and urban planning from Princeton University and a bachelor’s in psychology from Barnard College.