Makeda brings with her a depth of experience and content knowledge across content areas in middle and high school to the Lavinia Group. Makeda comes to teaching and learning with a proven track record of moving teacher practice through intense coaching, intellectual preparation, and collaboration. Through her experience as a teacher, instructional leader, and data & assessment specialist, Makeda was recognized for her exceptional performance and rapid growth that led to her attaining results for teachers and students. Most recently, Makeda had the privilege of being a founding leader of a high-performing high school in New York City where she successfully implemented innovative approaches, such as the Flexible Instruction Time (FIT) intervention, which led to an impressive 18% increase in academic performance on assessments.  

Her leadership across middle and high school models throughout Brooklyn and Harlem has fueled Makeda’s passion for bridging 5th through 12th-grade education to ensure student preparedness through college and beyond. As she embarks on this journey, Makeda is excited to leverage her expertise in data analysis, teacher development, and instructional strategies to empower educators to achieve their full potential in fostering student success and growth. Makeda is proud to utilize the law that she’s studied coupled with her boots-on-the-ground experience to invest in the communities that she has the honor of working in to ensure access for every student.