Brett Peiser
Managing Director
Brett Peiser is Managing Director of Uncommon Schools New York City and oversees its network of 14 schools in Brooklyn, serving nearly 3,000 elementary, middle, and high school students, ultimately expanding to 8,000 students in 20 schools. The network’s first two middle schools, Williamsburg Collegiate and Kings Collegiate Charter Schools, are the #1 and #10 highest scoring schools in New York City on the NYC Department of Education Progress Reports since the DOE began issuing Progress Reports in 2006. Mr. Peiser is the Founder and former Principal and Executive Director of Boston Collegiate Charter School, one of Massachusetts’ highest performing public schools. Mr. Peiser is a graduate of New York City Public Schools and a former History Teacher at Midwood High School in Brooklyn. Mr. Peiser received a BA from Brown University and a MPP degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he also earned the 2001 Rising Star award.
Julie Kennedy
Associate Managing Director, K-8
Julie Kennedy is the Associate Managing Director of Uncommon Schools New York City grades K-8. Prior to founding Williamsburg Collegiate in August 2005, Julie Kennedy completed a Master of Public Policy Degree focusing on education policy and reform at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Mrs. Kennedy previously taught 5th Grade Science at Boston Collegiate Charter School where she founded the journalism club and outdoors club, and created the National Park Expedition Program. Mrs. Kennedy gained experience working in various teaching and tutoring capacities at North Star Academy Charter School of Newark. Mrs. Kennedy earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Chemistry from Willamette University in Oregon.
Lauren Harris Vance
Associate Managing Director, 5-12
Prior to serving as Associate Managing Director of Uncommon Schools New York City grades 5-12, Lauren Harris co-founded Kings Collegiate Charter School in 2007, and served as Principal from August 2007 – June 2010. Before moving to New York City to join Uncommon Schools, Lauren taught 7th and 8th grade mathematics at Roxbury Preparatory Charter School in Boston, MA, and Ferndale Middle School in High Point, NC. During her last year at Roxbury Preparatory Charter School, her students ranked #1 out of all districts statewide on the 8th grade Math MCAS exam. While at Roxbury Prep, she also served as Grade Level Team Leader and Numeracy Inquiry Group Facilitator. Ms. Harris earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Middle Grades Education at Appalachian State University in North Carolina and a Master of Education degree at the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University.
Tara Marlovits
Chief Operating Officer, K-8
Tara Marlovits is the Chief Operating Officer for Uncommon New York City grades K-8. She previously served as the Co-Director for Operations and Finance at Leadership Prep Bedford Stuyvesant Charter School, a member of the Uncommon Schools network. Ms. Marlovits joined Leadership Prep in 2006 as the Founding Director of Operations, and was instrumental in the school‘s growth from its launch, through its start-up phases, to becoming a high-performing elementary school serving 330 students in Kindergarten through 4th Grade. On the 2009 New York State Exams, 89% of Leadership Prep Bedford Stuyvesant students scored Advanced or Proficient on the English Language Arts exam, and 100% scored Advanced or Proficient in Math. Prior to joining Leadership Prep, Ms. Marlovits was the Associate Executive Director of Anchor, a nonprofit organization that designs and builds urban boarding schools in Brooklyn. She began her career in education as the Founding Director of Programs at The Neighborhood Academy, a private high school serving low income students in Pittsburgh, PA. Ms. Marlovits holds a B.A. from the College of the Holy Cross and an M.A. from Harvard University.
Laura Lee McGovern
Chief Operating Officer, 5-12
Laura Lee McGovern is the Chief Operating Officer for Uncommon New York City grades 5-12. Ms. Lee joined Uncommon Schools in 2007 as the Founding Co-Director of Operations at Kings Collegiate Charter School. Ms. Lee helped establish the systems, processes and cultural foundation that has led Kings to early outstanding achievement and parent/student satisfaction. Ms. Lee also worked as a Summer Fellow and Education Pioneer with Uncommon in 2006. In this capacity, she helped develop school inspection and performance measurement processes. Previously, Ms. Lee worked as a management consultant at Katzenbach Partners LLC, advising companies on strategic and organizational issues, and also served as the founding Director of Analytics in student enrollment at the New York City Department of Education. Ms. Lee received her MBA from Harvard Business School, where she was a Baker Scholar and co-leader of the Education Leadership Group. Ms. Lee earned her A.B. in Social Studies at Harvard College and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
