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Leadership
Our Team
Nicole Neily
President
Nicole Neily is the President & Founder of Defending Education. She is also the founder of Speech First, a national campus free speech organization, and has worked at the Independent Women’s Forum and the Cato Institute. She is the mother of two school age children.
Sarah Parshall Perry
Vice President and Legal Fellow
Sarah Parshall Perry is Vice President and Legal Fellow at Defending Education. A former Senior Counsel at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and former Legal Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, she focuses on parental rights and civil rights law. Perry serves on the Federalist Society’s civil rights executive committee.
Phil Willard
Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operating Officer
Phil Willard is Chief Financial Officer and the Chief Operating Officer for Defending Education. He has over 14 years of experience in the conservative nonprofit sector, serving as both CFO and COO. He has also been a small business owner for over twenty years.
Erika Sanzi
Senior Director of Communications
Erika Sanzi is the Senior Director of Communications at Defending Education. She is a former educator and elected school board member and currently serves on the board of advisors for The Boys Initiative. She is the mother of three teenage sons.
Marissa Fallon
Senior Director of Advocacy
Marissa Fallon is the Senior Director of Advocacy for Defending Education. She is a founding member of Coalition for TJ, a group of parents and community members in Northern Virginia and has had leadership roles in her Parent Teacher Association. She has over two decades experience as a business owner and researcher. She is the mother of two sons.
Andrew Kozusko
Senior Director of Development
Andrew Kozusko is the Senior Director of Development for Defending Education. He has been working in development since 2018 after graduating from LaGrange College with his Masters in Philanthropy and Development.
Paul Runko
Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives, K-12 Programs
Paul Runko is the Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives, K-12 Programs for Defending Education. Paul has many years of experience in media as well as in education. He is the father of two.
Betty Braun
Director of Finance
Betty Braun is the Director of Finance for Defending Education. She has nearly 12 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, with a focus on financial operations, compliance, and organizational sustainability. She is also the mother of a teen daughter.
Rhyen Staley
Director of Research
Rhyen Staley is the Director of Research for Defending Education. He has fifteen years of experience as a public and private school teacher and coach at the middle, high school and college level. He is also the father of two school aged children.
Terry L. Stoops
Director of State Affairs
Terry Stoops is the director of state affairs for Defending Education. Over the last two decades, he has held leadership positions in North Carolina and Florida focused on influencing state education policy and championing parental rights through advocacy, research, and public commentary.
Reagan Dugan
Director of Higher Education Initiatives
Reagan Dugan is the Director of Higher Education Initiatives at Defending Education. He previously worked in Higher Education at his alma mater, Hillsdale College, and as a coach at the middle and high school level.
Scarlen Valderaz
Advocacy Advisor
Scarlen is an Advocacy Advisor for Defending Education. She has a background in telecommunications and business ownership. She is the mother of five children.
Isabella Rossini
Donor Relations Officer
Isabella Rossini is a Donor Relations Officer at Defending Education. Previously she was a Regional Field Coordinator for the Leadership Institute. Isabella graduated from Benedictine College with her degree in Communications with an emphasis in Political Science.
Ashley Johnson
Digital Communications Manager
Ashley Johnson is the Digital Communications Manager for Defending Education. She has worked in Communications for various non-profits since 2015. She is the mother of three children.
Randall Austin
Development Coordinator
Randall Austin is a Development Coordinator at Defending Education. A graduate of Lynn University with degrees in Political Science and Sports Management, he has been using his skills in development to advance the organization's mission since joining the team.
Kendall Tietz
Investigative Reporter
Kendall Tietz is an investigative reporter for Defending Education. She previously worked as a writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, Kendall was a Robert L. Bartley Fellow for the Wall Street Journal Opinion page and an education fellow at the Daily Caller News Foundation. Kendall graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Journalism.
Chloe Hunt
Investigative Reporter
Chloe Hunt is an investigative reporter for Defending Education. She previously worked as an Editorial Intern for IW Features, a project of the Independent Women’s Forum, and a Research Intern for Fundación Libertad y Progreso in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in English and Political Science.
Hannah Detter
Government Relations Associate
Hannah Detter is the Government Relations Associate for Defending Education. She graduated from Colorado Christian University in December of 2022 with a degree in Politics, and is currently getting a masters in government from the Hillsdale Van Andel School of Government in DC.
