Meet the Team

Dan Sutera, Executive Director and Co-founder

After helping to found several companies including ShareFile and Yext, Dan left the tech world to become Executive Director at Impact Network. He combines his practical business background and his Master's in International Development from NYU to work to tackle the problem of education in rural Africa.

Caitlin Breen, Director of Development

Caitlin drives organizational growth of Impact Network through outreach, marketing and fundraising. Through her previous roles in communications and finance at American Institutes for Research (AIR), as well as volunteering internationally, she has worked on education, health, and youth empowerment projects in several developing countries. Caitlin is currently a MSW candidate at Fordham University's Graduate School of Social Service, where she is focusing on human rights and gender equity issues.

David Seidenfeld, Education Director and Co-founder

David is based out of Lusaka, Zambia where he is able to oversee education operations. He also works as a research analyst at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) where he serves as the technical lead on several international impact evaluations, including a five year RCT of Zambia's Cash Transfer programs. Previously he spent 2 years in Zambia with the Peace Corps and also completed a Ph.D. from the Policy, Measurement, and Evaluation Division of the University of Pennsylvania.

Daniel Mwanza, Zambian Regional Director

Daniel serves as our point person on the ground in Zambia, organizing communities to construct our schools and PTA's to operate them. He has organized and worked with community groups in Zambia for over 20 years, starting community centers, youth sports leagues, and winning numerous recognitions from the World Bank and Zambian Ministries.

Michael Weiss, Director of Research and Co-founder

Michael oversees our research and evaluation program. He is also currently at MDRC, a nonprofit social science research firm dedicated to building knowledge to improve social policy. At MDRC he serves as lead impact analyst on several multi-million dollar evaluations of education programs. Previously he spent 3 years working for the Educational Testing Services, followed by earning a Ph.D. from the Policy, Measurement, and Evaluation Division of the University of Pennsylvania.

Reshma Patel, Director of Operations

Reshma Patel is currently at MDRC, a nonprofit social science research firm dedicated to building knowledge to improve social policy. She serves as the project and data manager for their Performance-Based Scholarship Demonstration. Reshma has a Bachelor of Math from the University of Waterloo and she is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries. In addition, she has volunteered abroad on multiple occasions, concentrating her time and efforts in South Africa and various villages within Gujarat, India. Her work in South Africa was spent primarily at an orphanage and hospital in Kwa-Zulu-Natal. In India she was primarily focused on valuing microinsurance plans and training microinsurance practitioners, as well as community health awareness.

Heather Curl, Teaching and Curriculum Specialist

Heather manages our teacher training and curriculum. She is currently an Ed.D candidate at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education and a lecturer at Bryn Mawr College. She has extensive experience in both teaching and teacher training, including mentorship at Teach for America and Philadelphia Futures. She holds a M.S.Ed in Teaching, Learning and Curriculum from The University of Pennsylvania.