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MURIELBOWSERMAYOR
November 26,2025
‘TheHonorablePhilMendelson
Chairman
Councilofthe Districtof Columbia
JohnA.WilsonBuilding
1350PennsylvaniaAvenue,NW, Suite504
Washington,DC 20004
Dear ChairmanMendelson:
Inaccordancewithsection2of theConfirmationActof1978,effectiveMarch3,1979(D.C.Law2-
142;D.C.OfficialCode§ 1-523.01),andpursuanttosection2214ofthe DistrictofColumbiaSchool
ReformActof1995,approvedApril26,1996(110Stat.1321;D.C.OfficialCode§38-1802.14),|am
pleasedtonominatethefollowingindividual:
Ms,MauraMarino
SStreet,NWWashington,DC20009(Ward1)
forappointmentasamemberofthePublicCharterSchoo!Board,fillingavacantseatformerlyheldbyNickRodriguez,fortheremainderofanunexpiredtermtoendFebruary24,2029.
Enclosed,youwillfindbiographicalinformationdetailingtheexperienceoftheabove-mentionednominee,togetherwithaproposedresolutiontoassisttheCouncilduringtheconfirmationprocess.
1would appreciatethe Council’s earliestconsiderationof this nomination forconfirmation.Please
do not hesitateto contact me, or Steven Walker, Director, Mayor’s Office of Talent and
Appointments,shouldtheCouncilrequireadditionalinformation.
Sincerely,
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at the request of the Mayor
A PROPOSED RESOLUTION
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
To confirm the appointment of Maura Marino to the Public Charter School Board.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
resolution may be cited as the "Public Charter School Board Maura Marino Confirmation
Resolution of 2025".
Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia confirms the appointment of:
Maura Marino
S Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009
(Ward 1)
as a member of the Public Charter School Board, established by section 2214 of the District of
Columbia School Reform Act of 1995, approved April 26, 1996 (110 Stat. 1321; D.C . Official
Code§ 38-1802.14), filling a vacant seat formerly held by Nick Rodriguez, for the remainder of
an unexpired term to end February 24, 2029.
Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia shall transmit a copy of this resolution,
upon its adoption, to the nominee and to the Office of the Mayor.
Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
MAURA MARINO
Professional Experience
CITY FUND 2023-present
Non-profit dedicated to transforming public education and closing achievement gaps.
Partner
• Member of Partnership team responsible for allocating $110M/year across 30 US cities to
r
eimagine public education systems.
• Lead work in four cities—Stockton, Miami, Cleveland and Oklahoma City—to grow excellent public
school
s serving low-income students, and rethink the talent, policy and advocacy capabilities
needed
to drive change.
• Serve on board of directors of grantees and coordinate with local and national philanthropic leaders
t
o catalyze investments in public education
EDUCATION FORWARD DC (WASHINGTON, DC) 2016-2022
Education Forward DC works to ensure all DC students have equitable access to a high-quality public education by
coordinating and aligning community stakeholders and allocating grant funds for transformative change in public systems.
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer (2016-2022), Senior Advisor (2022 to present)
• Founded, built and grew organization comprising a highly diverse team of 20 and an operating
budget of $12M in order to transform Washington, DC’s public schools. DC has been consistently
rated as the fastest improving city on the National Assessment of Education Progress for over ten
year
s.
• Navigated complex fundraising environment to secure more than $90M in 6 years.
• Led team to develop strategy and conduct extensive due diligence to pursue great outcomes for all
DC students, resulting in the opening or redesign of over 26 schools, serving 12,000 students when
at full scale.
• Served on seven boards and acted as key advisor to government and school leaders as part of
investment strategy; found alignment between elected officials, civic and nonprofit leaders, the
business community, and funders to enact public policies that benefit low-income, special
education students, and Black and Latinx students, such as at-risk student funding and equitable
access preference for school enrollment.
NEWSCHOOLS VENTURE FUND (WASHINGTON, DC) 2008-2016
Non-profit venture philanthropy organization dedicated to transforming public education by supporting education entrepreneurs.
Managing Partner (2015-2016), Partner (2013-2015), Principal (2011-2013), Associate Partner (2008-2011)
• Launched and led $25 million DC Schools Fund initiative aimed at improving school quality in
Washington, DC by defining investment strategy, leading fundraising efforts, conducting due
diligence, and advising ventures upon investment..
• Investments during tenure yielded more than 8,000 new high-quality charter school seats in Washington,
DC.
• Created the city’s first unified enrollment system across district and charter schools, easing access for
DC families to find schools that best meet their child’s needs. Within two years, consolidated 98% of
schools from 54 enrollment deadlines to a single deadline and application process.
KIPP PUBLIC SCHOOLS (SAN FRANCISCO, CA) Summer 2007
Largest national network of charter schools serving youth from low-income communities.
Education Pioneer Fellow
• Operationalized strategy to establish a growth management process, which helped drive high-quality
expansi
on of KIPP’s network from 57 to 100 schools in 4 years.
• Benchmarked best practices across public and private sector to create a process for green-
lighting network growth, emphasizing quality and leadership development.
EAST PALO ALTO ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL (EAST PALO ALTO, CA) 2002-2006
Charter school co-founded by Stanford University School of Education serving 300 students through a focus on college
readiness and access. School achieved 90% graduation rate as compared to 35% district-wide. Approximately one-third of
students were undocumented and 99% were first generation college-bound.
Program Director and Lead Teacher
• Designed and taught 12th grade humanities curriculum integrating government, economics and English.
• Elected by peers as member of Stanford Schools Corporation Steering Committee, a team of
Stanford professors and East Palo Alto High School faculty responsible for setting policy and
vision for high school.
• Served as member of leadership team responsible for school management.
Education
HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL (BOSTON, MA) 2006-2008
Master’s in Business Administration
Co-President, Educational Leadership Group. Assistant Vice President of Academics, Social Enterprise
Club. Member, Harbus Foundation Venture Philanthropy Program. Member, Women’s Student
Association.
TEACHERS COLLEGE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY (NEW YORK, NY) 2004-2006
Master of Arts in Teaching, with concentration in secondary social studies.
STANFORD UNIVERSITY (STANFORD, CA) 1998-2002
Bachelor of Arts with Honors in American Studies, concentration in Politics, Policy and Economics.
Fellowships & Honors
• Pahara Aspen Institute Fellow (2018-2019).
• Harvard Business School Leadership Fellow at NewSchools Venture Fund (2008-2009)
• Co-author of KIPP 2007: Implementing a Sma rt Growth Strategy (HBS Case # 9-308-073) (2008)
• Education Pioneers Fellow at KIPP Foundation (2007)
• William A. Clebsch Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research (2002)
• James W. Lyons Award for Service (2002)
• Public Service Scholar at Stanford University (2002)
Community & Board Service
• Member of Mayor Muriel Bower’s 2022 transition team for third term as DC Mayor
• Current Board Service: The Equity Lab, Future Ready Cleveland, Fuel OKC, AI for Equity
• Prior Board Service: Bainum Family Foundation, DC Prep, DC Charter School Alliance,
Education Board Partners, Education Pioneers, ElectED, E.L. Haynes Public Charter School,
Ingenuity Prep, LearnZillion, Promise54
• Volunteer: Immigrant and Refugee Outreach Center
E
xecutive Office of the Mayor – Mayor’s Office of Talent and Appointments
John A. Wilson Building | 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 600 | Washington, DC 20004
Ma
ura Marino
M
s. Maura Marino is a Partner at City Fund, where she collaborates with
local leaders to ensure all students have access to high -quality public
schools. In this role, she focuses on building partnerships and supporting
initiatives that drive educational equity and excellence across
communities.
Before joining City Fund, Maura supported citywide efforts to improve
public schools in Washington, DC, as CEO of Education Forward DC and
Managing Partner at NewSchools Venture Fund. During this time, DC
became the fastest-improving city in the nation on student outcomes —a
reflection of the collective efforts of educators, families, and community
leaders across the city. At Education Forward DC, she helped guide
investments and initiatives focused on elevating parent voices, supporting teachers and school
leaders, simplifying enrollment processes for families, and expanding innovative school models.
Over the course of her career, she has directed more than $150 million in philanthropic support
toward initiatives designed to expand educational opportunity and improve outcomes for students.
Maura began her career as a teacher at Aspire Public Schools' first high school in East Palo Alto,
California, where she developed a deep commitment to serving students in underserved
communities.
A Ward 2 resident, Ms. Marino earned her Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University, her Master
of Arts in Teaching from Columbia University, and her Master of Business Administration from
Harvard University.
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Executive Office of Mayor Muriel Bowser
Office of the General Counsel to the Mayor
______________________________________________________________________________
The John A. Wilson Building • 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW • Suite 300 • Washington, D.C. 20004 • Office (202) 724-7681
To: Kimberly A. Bassett, Steve Walker
From: Betsy Cavendish
Date: November 21, 2025
Subject: Legal sufficiency review of a resolution appointing Maura Marino as a member of
the Public Charter School Board
This is to Certify that this office has reviewed the above-referenced resolution and
found it to be legally unobjectionable. If you have any questions in this regard, please do not
hesitate to call Michael Porcello, Deputy General Counsel, Executive Office of the Mayor, at
202-727-0872, or me at 202-724-7681.
______________________________
Elizabeth Cavendish