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Meerim Kanatova is a Communications and Research Project Manager at the Philadelphia Academy of School Leaders (PASL).

Before joining PASL, Meerim worked at the University of Pennsylvania, supporting academic initiatives across the Wharton School and the Master of Science in Social Policy programs through communications, event coordination, and program operations.

She earned her M.S.Ed. in Learning Sciences and Technologies from the University of Pennsylvania, where she focused on educational innovation and learning design in STEM. Before moving to the United States, Meerim spent over six years working in the nonprofit sector within youth leadership and education equity in Central Asia. Part of this work included U.S. Embassy-supported initiatives in Kyrgyzstan under the Emerging Leaders pillar, where she helped expand leadership and educational opportunities for young people. Her work also included developing digital educational media — a comic book and documentary on gender equality — that led to an invitation from UN Women Kazakhstan to share her work.

Originally from Kyrgyzstan, Meerim is passionate about building programs and stories that help young people and educators feel supported and empowered to lead meaningful change.

Katharine O. Strunk is the Dean of the Graduate School of Education and the George and Diane Weiss Professor of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. A nationally recognized scholar, her work focuses on partner-driven, multimethod research that addresses pressing policy challenges facing educators and education systems. Her research is grounded in close collaboration with district and state education leaders, including partnerships with the Los Angeles Unified School District and the California and Michigan Departments of Education. She served as the sole researcher on Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Student Recovery Advisory Council, which helped shape statewide COVID-19 recovery efforts in education, and she has advised on numerous major local and state education reforms.

Dr. Strunk served as president of the Association for Education Finance and Policy from 2021 to 2022 and is a member of the Executive Leadership Board of the National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice (REACH). From 2017 to 2023, she was director of the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC) at Michigan State University, where she led research partnerships with the Michigan Department of Education and local school districts to produce policy-relevant, practitioner-informed scholarship.

Prior to joining Penn GSE, Dr. Strunk was the Clifford E. Erickson Distinguished Chair in Education and a professor of education policy, with a courtesy appointment in economics, at Michigan State University. From 2009 to 2017, she served on the faculty of the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education and the Sol Price School of Public Policy. She began her academic career at the University of California, Davis School of Education, where she served on the faculty from 2007 to 2009.

Rosie Tarnowski is a Program and Development Manager at the Philadelphia Academy of School Leaders. Prior to joining PASL, Rosie served as a Director of Special Projects in the School District of Philadelphia’s Office of Professional Learning. In this role, she led The Pathway to Leadership Principal Preparation Program, a key initiative delivered in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University. Before joining the School District of Philadelphia, she was a Medical Education Program Specialist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Rosie’s work is characterized by building strong relationships, fostering meaningful learning, and connecting resources to ensure success for those she serves.

Before moving back to the Philadelphia area, Rosie spent eight years working in Division I college athletics at Texas Christian University and Penn State University, serving as a dedicated advocate for student-athletes by guiding their academic progress and classroom achievements.

A graduate of Archbishop Wood High School, Rosie earned her Bachelor’s degree from Washington State University, where she also competed as a student-athlete. She went on to earn her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Texas Christian University. A resident of Center City, she enjoys exploring the city on foot and Philadelphia’s vibrant restaurant scene.