Francesca I. Carpenter is the Director, Equity Initiatives for Achieving the Dream. Francesca is responsible for serving as the point of contact for equity related programs and services at ATD, assisting and advising colleges on how to align equity focused change efforts on campuses with ATD’s strategic plan and goals.

Prior to joining Achieving the Dream, Francesca served as the Education Technology Officer at the Qatar Foundation International (QFI), where she led the work focused on the creation and delivery of open education tools and platforms that served as a vehicle to build community and connect cultures. During her time at QFI, Francesca spearheaded the organization’s technology plan which included an open source Arabic Language and Arab Culture resource website, a cross cultural online youth community focused on breaking down stereotypical barriers as well as a host of other platforms.

Francesca has an extensive background in education technology, instructional design and online professional development. Previously, she worked as an instructional designer at the Johns Hopkins University, Center for Technology in Education, where her focus was on rethinking the delivery of online content that would empower teachers to build community and become change agents in their field. While at Hopkins, Francesca also taught graduate courses in the School of Education focused on technology integration and adult learning theory. Francesca believes that technology serves as a support system when solving challenging education issues. She understands that empowering teachers is a necessity directly related to cultivating empowered learners.

Francesca earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of West Florida. She also completed a Master of Arts degree in Educational Communication and Technology at New York University as well as a Graduate Certificate in Adult Learning from Johns Hopkins University.