The America Achieves TeamOur team is dedicated to ensuring that all America’s youth – regardless of background – are ready to lead and succeed in a changing world. Read on for background on each individual as well as the team or initiative they support.

Jay Altman

CONTRACTOR - Senior Adivsor

Jay Altman is a senior advisor to America Achieves and a founding partner of Greenhouse E3, a fellowship program for aspiring charter network executives. Jay is the former CEO and co-founder of FirstLine Schools in New Orleans. He also worked in London as Director of Education for ARK Schools, developing a network of charter-type schools and helping develop training programs for leaders of open admissions urban schools, including Future Leaders, a program for aspiring principals of open-admissions urban schools, and Teaching Leaders, a program for mid-level school leaders. Prior to this he was co-founder and a school leader of New Orleans Charter Middle School, the first charter school in New Orleans. Jay also serves on the boards of Leading Educators, Catalyst:Ed, Special Education Leader Fellowship, and The New Orleans Career Center. He is the proud father of two children, Calder and Talia, and the lucky husband of Adrienne.

Allison Bajracharya

Chief Strategy and Communities Officer

Allison Bajracharya is a strategic and values-based leader who is motivated by systems level change, equity centered transformation, and bringing big ideas to life.

Ming Cheuk

Accounting Manager

Ming Cheuk is the Accounting Manager at America Achieves. As a trusted advisor, he provides guidance and support to upper management in accessing and meeting organization goals, as well as responsible for the day-to-day operations of the accounting team.

Molly Dillon

Senior Policy Advisor

Molly Dillon is a Senior Policy Advisor at America Achieves. In this role, she is focused on expanding an inclusive, good jobs economy, with opportunities for training and advancement for people from all backgrounds.

William “Bill” Ferguson

Program Director, State Recovery Now

Bill Ferguson joined the America Achieves team in the summer of 2021 to help launch and lead America Achieves' State Recovery Now initiative.

Diane Ford

Chief Financial & Administrative Officer

Diane joined America Achieves in 2015 as the organization’s first Chief Financial & Administrative Officer overseeing all of the organization’s administrative and finance functions.

W. Cyrus Garrett

Senior Policy Advisor

W. Cyrus Garrett, Senior Advisor, has a national security and domestic policy background. His expertise is in the areas of workforce development, risk management, educational attainment, and equity and justice policy.

Kevin Huffman

Chief Executive Officer, Accelerate

Kevin Huffman is the founding CEO of Accelerate, a national initiative that seeks to embed high-impact tutoring and personalized learning in public schools.

Allison Jones

Senior Director

Luke Kohlmoos

Managing Director of Operation and Data, Accelerate

Luke Kohlmoos supports Accelerate, the national tutoring initiative incubated and launched at America Achieves.

Seth Kolker

Program Manager, Accelerate

Seth Kolker serves as Tutoring Program Manager at America Achieves. He initially served as the organization’s Tutoring Policy Captain, helping shape and inform federal policy on high-impact tutoring.

Macklin Levine

Program Administration Manager

Macklin Levine started her work with America Achieves in 2018 as an intern, and has since held the positions of Development and Communications Associate, Executive Assistant to the CEO, Program Associate and Program Administration Manager at the organization.

Aman Panjwani

Special Assistant to Chief Executive Officer

Aman Panjwani serves as Special Assistant to Chief Executive Officer Jon Schnur.

Jim Peyser

CONTRACTOR - Senior Adivsor

Jim Peyser served as Massachusetts Secretary of Education under Governor Charlie Baker from 2015-2022, responsible for overseeing pre-school through post-secondary and adult education.  He also served as a member of the Workforce Skills Cabinet.

Jon Schnur

Chief Executive Officer

Jon Schnur serves as Chief Executive Officer of America Achieves — a national nonprofit organization that incubates and supports large-scale initiatives to advance economic opportunity, mobility, and pathways to good jobs and careers - including for low-income and other underserved populations and communities.

Jacques Steinberg

CONTRACTOR - Strategic Communications Advisor

Jacques Steinberg is a New York Times best-selling author and longtime, award-winning Times journalist who has more recently served as a senior leader, strategist, advisor, and board member for national nonprofit organizations, with a particular focus on strategic communications and higher education partnerships.

Austin Thompson

Senior Director of Strategy and Communities

Austin Thompson (MBA) is Senior Director of Strategy and Communities at America Achieves.

Andrew Trueblood

CONTRACTOR - Senior Advisor

Andrew is a housing, economic development, policy, and land use professional.

Kathleen Warner

CONTRACTOR - Senior Advisor

Kathleen Warner currently serves as a Senior Advisor to America Achieves, and as a member of the technical assistance team providing strategic guidance and support to the Economic Development Administration’s $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge (BBBRC) 60 regional coalition finalists.