Live It Learn It: About Us

Live It Learn It is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in Washington, DC in January 2005.

Supporters

Gifts both large and small help sustain the programs of Live It Learn It. Major funding has been provided by Lynne & Joseph Horning, Betsy & Robert Feinberg, DC Children & Youth Investment Trust Corporation, Herb Block Foundation, Commonweal Foundation Fund of the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region, John Edward Fowler Memorial Foundation, Hattie M. Strong Foundation, FedEx Corporation, Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Anonymous, Emily & Stephen Ward, 21st Century Community Learning Center, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Philip L. Graham Fund, Elizabeth & Michael Gray, Samuel P. Pardoe Foundation, Susan & Peter Hoffman, Spring Creek Foundation, Mullen Family Fund at the Boston Foundation, Joseph F. McCrindle Foundation, Harman Family Foundation, Richard E. and Nancy P. Marriott Foundation, Gannett Foundation, Sara & Jeff Lesk, Jeanne Hoffman Smith, Fannie Mae Foundation Fund of the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region, New York Avenue Foundation, and McDermott Will & Emery.

Executive Director

Matthew Wheelock

Founder Matthew Wheelock piloted Live It Learn It’s approach while teaching at DC’s Walker-Jones Elementary School, where he supplemented classroom instruction with carefully planned, educationally focused trips to local museums, memorials, and parks. In 2003, Wheelock was a finalist for DC public schools’ New Teacher of the Year award. He is a graduate of Williams College, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and Stanford Law School, and worked in the fields of international relations and law prior to teaching. A native Washingtonian, Wheelock is a product of DC public elementary and junior high schools and has spent countless hours exploring this city’s tremendous resources.

Program Manager

Erica Harper

A product of the Memphis City Public Schools, Erica Harper is deeply committed to public education and to Live It Learn It's mission. She is a graduate of Duke University, where she tutored local elementary school students, worked as a peer educator, and helped found and implement a mentoring program that connected Duke students with girls living in nearby Durham. Harper graduated with an A.B. in sociology and additional coursework in childhood education and psychology.

Program Associate

Danielle Massiah

After graduating from American University with a B.A. in Literature , Danielle Massiah decided to take her love for reading and writing into the classroom. While teaching in a New York city public school, she realized that in order to raise student achievement, learning had to take place not only inside the classroom, but outside it as well. She started a "Saturday Exploration Program" where she and her students explored New York City's cultural venues and restaurants. After completing a master's degree at Brooklyn College, Massiah discovered Live It Learn It. She whole-heartedly believes in its mission and tremendous impact on students.

Program Assistant

Lauren Hawley

Before joining Live It Learn It, Lauren Hawley taught 5th grade in rural North Carolina. She is passionate about bringing curriculum to life through hands-on educational experiences, in and out of the classroom. Hawley graduated with a B.A. in sociology from DePauw University and is a Teach for America alumna.

Museum Educator

Marjorie Mitzner

Marjorie Mitzner has been committed to public education for over thirty years. A former Montgomery County public school teacher, she has an M.Ed. in Special Education and an M.A.T. in Museum Education. Since leaving the classroom, Mitzner has spearheaded a planetarium program, volunteered as a docent for the National Museum of American History, and continues to work as a contract educator at the National Gallery of Art and the National Zoo. This dedication to community outreach programs has led her to be a part of the Live It Learn It team.

Museum Education Advisor

Sara Mark Lesk

Sara Mark Lesk coordinates the National Gallery of Art's Art Around the Corner program for students in the DC public schools. She has written multidisciplinary learning materials for the National Gallery of Art, the National Park Service, the Phillips Collection, the National Museum of American History, and others. She directed literacy-based museum experiences at In2Books and coordinated a teacher institute on African-American art at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Lesk worked for many years as a book editor at Time-Life Books and Time-Life for Children. She is a graduate of Stanford University and holds a master’s degree in Museum Education from the George Washington University.

Board of Directors

Ray Bledsoe

Ray Bledsoe has been an educator for thirty five years, twenty of which have been spent as principal of DC public elementary schools. He spent eighteen years as principal of Gibbs Elementary School in NE and, subsequently, was called in to turn around three other struggling elementary schools, including, most recently, Walker-Jones Elementary School.

Patrick S. Campbell - Chair

Patrick S. Campbell is a partner in the DC office of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and is on the boards of the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs and of Street Law, Inc., where he is vice-chairman. Mr. Campbell is a graduate of the DC public schools, Georgetown University, and Stanford Law School, and is a strong proponent of creating opportunities outside of the classroom for DC youth.

Kathleen Carroll

Kathleen Carroll, M.Ed, is a senior faculty member at Cambridge College, where she co-founded the College's National Institute for Teaching Excellence. She is the author of numerous books, including Science for Every Learner and Brain-Compatible Pathways to Scientific Literacy, and is currently writing a book on utilizing field trips as a component of instruction. Ms. Carroll conducts educational workshops and presentations nationally and internationally concerning topics such as multiple intelligences, classroom assessment, creativity, science education and brain-compatible teaching techniques. Ms. Carroll has won numerous awards for her work.

Joseph F. Horning - Treasurer

Joseph F. Horning is the president of Horning Brothers. Reflecting a long-standing commitment to Washington, DC, Mr. Horning has worked with six of the seven non-profit community development corporations (CDCs) chartered by the City. A belief that education is the most essential tool for economic advancement has led him to create after-school education programs and adult job training programs in Horning Brothers’ moderate-income communities throughout the City. Mr. Horning previously served on the Charter School Board and currently serves on the Boards of the Center City Consortium, Washington Middle School for Girls, and City First Bank, the first federally chartered community development bank in DC. He is recipient of the Minority Employment Award from the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Sidney Glassman Award from the Apartment and Office Building Association.

Mayealie T. Kamara

Mayealie T. Kamara is manager for government affairs at FedEx Corporation. She manages the day-to-day operations of the Washington, D.C. office and is responsible for monitoring certain legislative issues at the Federal and local level. Reporting directly to FedEx's corporate vice president for government affairs, Ms. Kamara is an instrumental part of a government affairs team responsible for protecting and promoting the interests of all FedEx operating companies. Ms. Kamara earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Akron McDowell School of Law and holds a bachelors degree from George Mason University. While in law school, Ms. Kamara served as a teaching assistant and tutor for first-year law students, was a trial team and moot court member, and served as mentoring program chair and chapter marshall for the Akron chapter of Phi Alpha Delta law fraternity.

Aleta Margolis

Aleta Margolis is the founder and executive director of the Center for Inspired Teaching, which trains teachers to inspire young people to become knowledgeable, self-disciplined, and compassionate citizens. Ms. Margolis was previously a professor of education at American University, where she specialized in authentic assessment, science and math education, and curriculum reform. She has also taught in both elementary and middle schools and designed and ran alternative educational programs for court-referred high school students. In 2001, Ms. Margolis was awarded a Fellowship from Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, in recognition of the Center for Inspired Teaching's work training teachers to transform the way schoolchildren are taught. Ashoka recognizes and supports social entrepreneurs worldwide who have created innovative programs with the potential to make large scale change in society. Ms. Margolis received her undergraduate degree at Brown University and her M.S. in Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University.

Stephen E. Ward

Steve Ward is president of Ward & Company LLC and executive director of the National Fund for the U.S. Botanic Garden. Previously, he served for seven years as a foreign service officer in the Middle East before returning to the Washington, DC area to work as a diplomat, staff member of the House International Relations Committee, senior aide to Senator Lloyd Bentsen, and, for eleven years, vice president of government relations for Shell Oil Company. Mr. Ward and his wife Emily have been married for forty-four years. They have two children, five grandchildren, and live in Reston, Virginia, where they are active in Reston Interfaith and Mrs. Ward volunteers at the Laurel Learning Center. Mr. Ward is a graduate of Amherst College and has a Masters in International Relations from Columbia University.

Background

Live It Learn It was then founded to create hands-on learning opportunities for public school students all across the city, and particularly in low-resource areas. The academic trips Live It Learn It
provides are tied to DC’s academic learning standards and designed to supplement classroom instruction.
All trips involve interdisciplinary learning, developing student skills in multiple academic areas.