Who We Are

Francesca Gamber joined BERC in 2023.  She has extensive experience in Baltimore City Public Schools, having served as principal of Bard High School Early College Baltimore from 2015 to 2022.  She has also worked in nonprofit and higher education programs in college access, alternative teacher preparation, and community art, in addition to adjuncting at area universities in African-American and women’s history.  She earned a bachelor’s degree in Afro-American Studies from Harvard University and a doctorate in Historical Studies from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

Lieny Jeon is the Jane Batten Bicentennial Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development. She leads the Early Childhood Data Collaborative (ECDC) which is an early childhood focused research-practice partnership. She received her PhD degree in Human Development and Family Science with a minor in Quantitative Method at Ohio State University. She completed her post-doctoral training in the Department of Defense Child Development Virtual Laboratory School. Her research focuses on early care and education, family characteristics and neighborhood disadvantage that impact children’s lives. 

Rachel E. Durham is an Associate Professor in the School of Education at Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) and has a background in sociology of education, education policy and demography. Prior to joining NDMU, she spent 11 years as a full-time researcher at BERC, serving as Research Co-Director and Evaluation Director, and representing BERC on a number of citywide workgroups and taskforces. Her research focuses on graduates’ transition to adulthood, differences between career and college readiness, and community schools.

Jay Plasman is an Assistant Professor in Workforce Development and Education program housed in the College of Education and Human Ecology’s Department of Educational Studies at The Ohio State University. Dr. Plasman earned his Ph.D. in Education Policy, Leadership, and Methodology from the University of California Santa Barbara. He earned a M.A. in Education – Research Methods from the University of California Santa Barbara, a M.A. in International Service from Roehampton University in London, England, and a B.A. in American Studies from Carleton College.  His research focuses broadly on education policy as it relates to promoting college and career readiness through career and technical education. His work in CTE examines both traditional outcomes such as high school completion, postsecondary education participation, and labor market benefits as well as non-traditional benefits of career and technical education, including: 21st Century skill development, engagement, and criminal behavior.