New @ BW

A few weeks ago I mentioned our new Bellwether partner, Rex Varner.  We’ve also added several new team members, here’s a little more about each of them:

Veenay Singla is now an associate partner. Most recently, Veenay was an independent consultant focused extensively in the education reform sector. Her consulting portfolio included Bellwether Education Partners, Chicago Public Schools, New Leaders for New Schools, Washington University in St. Louis/St. Louis Public Schools, The National Association of Charter School Authorizers, UChicago Impact, and The Achievement Network. She previously worked for the Chicago Public Education Fund, a Chicago-based venture philanthropy and taught fourth grade in Houston, Texas.

Saamra Mekuria-Grillo is also joining as an associate partner focusing primarily on leadership development. Prior to joining Bellwether, Saamra was a consultant at Bain & Company, where she worked on organizational design, strategy, and due diligence projects for clients in education, private equity, healthcare, and pharmaceuticals. Saamra also spent several years at Google.

Harsha Dronamraju is an Education Pioneers Analyst Fellow. Prior to joining Bellwether, Harsha was a consulting associate and team leader at Cambridge Associates, an investment consulting firm serving mostly non-profit endowments. Most recently, he served as an Education Pioneers Summer Fellow, launching a teacher coaching initiative with the Houston Independent School District.