Our team
The Making Caring Common team, based at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, includes experts in moral and ethical development, empathy, social-emotional learning (SEL), mental health, parenting, and data analysis; seasoned communications and digital media professionals; and former classroom teachers and school counselors. Each fall, we welcome a new cohort of graduate student interns who contribute a wide range of skills, experiences, and perspectives.
Faculty Director
Richard Weissbourd
Faculty Director
Richard Weissbourd is a Senior Lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and he also teaches at the Kennedy School of Government. His work focuses on moral development, meaning and purpose, mental health challenges among teens and young adults, and effective schools and services for children facing risks. He directs the Making Caring Common Project, a national effort to make moral and social development priorities in child-raising and to provide strategies to schools and parents for promoting in children caring, a commitment to justice, and other key moral and social capacities. He leads an initiative to reform college admissions, Turning the Tide, which seeks to elevate ethical character, reduce excessive achievement pressure, and increase equity and access in the college admissions process. He is also conducting research on how older adults can better mentor young adults and teenagers in developing caring, mature romantic relationships.
He is a founder of several interventions for children facing risks, including ReadBoston and WriteBoston, city-wide literacy initiatives that were led by Mayor Menino. He is also a founder of a pilot school in Boston, the Lee Academy, that begins with children at three years old. He has advised on the city, state and federal levels on family policy, parenting and school reform and has written for numerous scholarly and popular publications and blogs, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Psychology Today, and NPR. He is the author of The Vulnerable Child: What Really Hurts America’s Children and What We Can Do About It (Addison-Wesley, 1996), named by the American School Board Journal as one of the top 10 education books of all time. His most recent book, The Parents We Mean to Be: How Well-Intentioned Adults Undermine Children's Moral and Emotional Development (Houghton Mifflin 2009), was named by The New Yorker as one of the top 24 books of 2009.
mcc@gse.harvard.edu
College Admissions
Trisha Ross Anderson
College Admission Program Director
Trisha Ross Anderson is the College Admission Program Director for Making Caring Common. She is an original member of MCC, having worked in leadership roles since it was founded in 2013. Trisha helped to research and write many MCC reports, including Turning the Tide, which aims to work with colleges to promote the importance of ethical character, reduce excessive achievement pressure, and promote access and equity for all in the college admission process. With Richard Weissbourd, she leads MCC’s efforts to collaborate with many colleges and organizational partners to facilitate original research, advocate for meaningful change, and develop tools and resources for diverse stakeholders in the admissions process. Formerly a classroom teacher, Trisha holds an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
trisha_ross@gse.harvard.edu | 617.998.5364
BRENNAN BARNARD
College Admission Program Advisor
Brennan Barnard is the College Admissions Program Advisor at Making Caring Common. Brennan has worked as teacher, dorm parent, advisor, coach, admission officer, and student affairs administrator at a number of independent high schools and colleges and serves as the Director of College Counseling and External Affairs at Khan Schools Network, CA. He is also the Director of College Counseling for the College Guidance Network, and College Partnership Manager for Schoolhouse.world. He was the founding Director of College Counseling for US Performance Academy, an on-line school for elite athletes.
Brennan served on the Executive Committee for the Character Collaborative, and was a member of the Advisory Board for the New Hampshire College and University Council’s New Hampshire Scholars Program. He presents regularly on character, athletic recruiting, mindfulness, discipline and other topics in college admission. A contributing writer for Forbes.com, he has written about college admission for the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Thrive Global, HuffPost, San Francisco Examiner, New York Times, Concord Monitor, Journal of College Admission and other publications. He has also been featured in articles in the Boston Globe and Associated Press and an occasional featured guest on New Hampshire Public Radio. He has been interviewed about college admission by New England Cable News, New York Living, and ABC News. Brennan was a New England Association of College Admission Counselors Professional of the Year for 2017 and honored with the Association for College Counselors in Independent Schools’ Excellence in Counseling Award in 2021. He is co-author of, “The Truth About College Admission: A Family Guide to Getting In and Staying Together” and the companion guide “The Truth about College Admission Workbook: A Family Organizer for Your College Search.”
A native of suburban Philadelphia and practicing Quaker, he is a graduate of Westtown Friends School. Brennan earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Spanish from Franklin & Marshall College and a master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration from The University of Vermont. This father of two college students lives in Hopkinton, New Hampshire where he is a volunteer firefighter.
brennan_barnard@gse.harvard.edu
JONATHAN JACOB
Direct Admission Research Project Manager
Jon is a Research Project Manager at Making Caring Common, where he helps manage key aspects of the Direct Admissions project. His responsibilities include overseeing grant administration, managing data collection and analysis, and facilitating collaboration between teams and stakeholders to ensure successful project delivery. He views the integration of financial aid with Direct Admission as groundbreaking for traditionally underserved students and is proud to support a research team dedicated to creating more equitable pathways to higher education.
Currently pursuing a joint PhD in Social Policy and Sociology at Brandeis University, Jon previously worked as a high school educator. He holds an MA in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago and a BA in Business from Brandeis University.
In his free time, Jon enjoys cooking, mixing cocktails, and playing pickleball.
jonathan_jacob@gse.harvard.edu
K-12 & Parenting
Kiran Bhai
Schools & Parenting Programs Director
As Program Director, Kiran Bhai oversees Making Caring Common’s K-12 and parenting programs, focusing on expanding empathy, justice, and care across differences.
Kiran is passionate about education, mental health, and the holistic wellbeing of children and youth. Prior to her time at MCC, Kiran was a school counselor in Massachusetts and New Mexico and worked at several global health nonprofits across the country focusing on mental health.
Kiran received her Master’s in Education and Counseling from Harvard Graduate School of Education and her Bachelor of Arts in Global Health from Duke University.
kiran_bhai@gse.harvard.edu
Nora Elton
Curriculum Intern
Nora is the Curriculum Intern at Making Caring Common and completing her masters at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, within the Education, Leadership, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship program.
Nora is interested in the ways positive relationship building can promote equity and inclusion and help all stakeholders in a school community feel seen, heard, and cared for. She has worked as an arts educator and curriculum developer for over 15 years in schools, museums, and community organizations with toddlers through adults. Supporting student voice and building empathy is central to Nora’s work and recently she has focused on the positive impacts of strengthening parent-school partnerships.
Nora earned a Bachelor of Science in Studio Art from New York University and a Master of Arts in Teaching in Art Education from Tufts University.
Michael McLaughlin
Schools & Parenting Programs Manager
Mike is the Schools & Parenting Programs Manager for Making Caring Common. He is passionate about making schools more equitable and nurturing environments that better support student mental health. As a teacher, project manager, and program manager, he has supported hundreds of schools, districts, and county offices of education by leading far reaching projects on SEL implementation, data collection and sharing, bridging differences, leadership development, and collecting student, family, staff, and teacher feedback to inform school and district improvements.
He has also worked for several presidential campaigns as a Field Organizer, Regional Field Director, and Regional Get Out The Vote Director and cares deeply about protecting and expanding voting rights.
Outside of work, Mike is an avid naturalist and surfer who loves spending time in the ocean and exploring the natural wonders of the world.
michael_mclaughlin@gse.harvard.edu
paige marshall
Research Intern, K-12 Student Support
Paige Marshall is the K-12 Student Support Intern with Making Caring Common. Paige leads our Youth Advisory Board, supporting YAB members with empathy-focused projects, eliciting their feedback on MCC resources, and building a community with the YAB to learn and grow together. She also works with the Relationship Mapping and Mental Health Initiative by supporting school survey administration and survey report creation.
She is passionate about the power of informal, community-based education to nurture adolescent identity development and sense of community. Paige holds a B.A. in English and ESL Education from St. Olaf College. She has previously worked as a high school English Language Development teacher and Department Lead, a Grade Level Lead, and a Faculty Advisor for Associated Student Body. Outside of work, she enjoys going to the movie theater, curling up with a good book, and spending time outside with the people (and animals) she loves!
paigemarshall@gse.harvard.edu
Research
MILENA BATANOVA
Director of Research & Evaluation
As the Director of Research & Evaluation at Making Caring Common, Milena oversees evaluation projects involving MCC's strategies for K-12 schools and caregivers, as well as research studies on timely topics relevant to caring and well-being. She is passionate about translating research into practice and using the latest science to inform MCC's growing library of resources.
Before joining Making Caring Common, Milena was a postdoctoral fellow and then a Research Assistant Professor at the Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development at Tufts University. That's where her love for applied research really took shape, as she helped to design, implement, and evaluate the AIM Buddy Project, an SEL and character education curriculum for elementary school-aged youth.
Milena received her PhD. in Health Behavior and Health Education from the University of Texas at Austin and her Master's degree in Communication Studies at Arizona State University. She has also worked as a Service Learning Coordinator, Lecturer, and Mental Health Practitioner. In her free time, Milena enjoys being in nature and amongst people and dreams of writing a book or screenplay one day.
milena_batanova@gse.harvard.edu | 617.384.7738
Joe McIntyre
Research Advisor
Joe McIntyre is a lecturer on education at HGSE. He teaches statistics and questionnaire design. His research interests include applying methods from statistics to address questions in education. He is especially interested in measuring student experiences and in answering questions around gender and education. McIntyre has a B.A. in mathematics from Dartmouth College, an Ed.M. in human development and psychology from HGSE, and has previous experience as a high school math instructor.Joe holds a B.A. in Mathematics from Dartmouth College and has previous experience as a high school math instructor.
joseph_mcintyre@gse.harvard.edu
Eric Torres
Research Advisor
Eric Torres is a Research Advisor with Making Caring Common and a postdoctoral fellow at the Segal Center for Academic Pluralism.
Eric has experience conducting both qualitative and quantitative research. His scholarship focuses on issues of political polarization, tolerance, and education. He holds a PhD and an EdM from Harvard University and a bachelor's degree from Washington University in St. Louis. He enjoys weightlifting, wandering the city streets, and spending aimless time with his friends.
etorres@g.harvard.edu
Rohit KALRO
Research Intern
Rohit is currently pursuing a Master’s in Education Policy and Analysis (EPA) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (2024-2025). At Making Caring Common, he works as a research intern primarily for the Relationship Mapping and Mental Health Initiative, where he assists with data organization, analysis, and synthesis. Rohit also contributes to creating data visualizations and helps with report writing to communicate a cohesive story about the program's potential impact.
Rohit chose to intern at Making Caring Common (MCC) because of its focus on creating safe and inclusive environments for students through initiatives like Relationship Mapping and the Mental Health Initiative. Having experienced the transformative power of positive adult relationships in school, he is passionate about MCC’s mission to foster mental health and belonging for all students.
Before joining Making Caring Common, Rohit gained five years of experience in the nonprofit education sector in India, working in roles that ranged from research and data analysis to curriculum development and child development. Most recently, as a Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist at Udhyam Learning Foundation, he led efforts to evaluate the impact of entrepreneurial mindset curricula for over 125,000 learners across two Indian states. His passion for creating safe, inclusive learning environments was further shaped through his work at U&I Trust, where he focused on closing education gaps for underserved communities.
In his free time, Rohit enjoys taking long walks, exploring new places, and binge-watching shows.
rohitkalro@gse.harvard.edu
TUMI OGUNDAMISI
Research Intern
Tumi is a Research Intern at Making Caring Common, focusing on the Relationship Mapping and Mental Health Initiative. Their work involves analyzing quantitative and qualitative data to tell compelling stories about young people's educational experiences in relation to their mental health.
Tumi's passion for combining research and practice led them to MCC, drawn by its dedication to working collaboratively with schools, communities, families, and diverse stakeholders. They earned their BA in Psychology, Philosophy, and Linguistics from the University of Oxford, where they worked in the Babylab tracking emotional responses to failed/successful helping behaviors through body posture and beavioural analysis.
Prior to joining MCC, Tumi worked with the social enterprise Thinking Black, empowering young Black students across the UK during their transition to higher education. They also contributed to youth participatory action research with the mental health charity States of Mind, investigating young people's mental health experiences in the education system and reforming school evaluation measures to consider school’s emphasis on supporting personal development.
Tumi's commitment to educational equity extends to their previous roles as a co-chair for the Fair Education Alliance. They have also worked with the Linguistics Society of Great Britain on decolonizing linguistics, demonstrating their dedication to promoting inclusivity in academic disciplines.
Beyond their commitment to research and social action, Tumi is an avid music lover and DJ. They spearhead Sounds of the Diaspora, a platform that celebrates identity and community through creative expression.
tumiogundamisi@gse.harvard.edu
Marketing & Development
KELLY DOLAN
Assistant Director of Digital Marketing
Kelly Dolan (he/him) is the Assistant Director of Digital Marketing for Making Caring Common. With a career dedicated to nonprofit and social impact, Kelly has creatively directed innovative brands, marketing campaigns, media, and creative teams for dozens of organizations, including National Medical Fellowships, World Relief, and the Geena Davis Institute. An experienced producer, Kelly has written and directed videos for clients such as SEIU 2015 and Higher Heights for America, produced music for the band WeAreTheSea, and currently produces Feeding People, a podcast he co-created with his wife and host, Amy Dolan.
Kelly lives in Chicago, Illinois, where he enjoys exploring the city for its incredible architecture, food, and all breeds of dogs (but especially pit bulls).
Whitney Retallic
Development Coordinator
Whitney (she/her) is the part-time Development Coordinator at MCC. For 25 years, the thread throughout all of Whitney’s professional endeavors has been the collaborative creation of systems and spaces (particularly for young people) that are caring, just, and serve the common good. She has served as Executive Director of two nonprofits (one serving LGBTQ+ youth and the other facilitating interfaith social action); Dean of Student Affairs and Community Engagement at a highly diverse, small, private college; and Director of Education at a conservation organization.
She also currently works part-time for the Yes We Must Coalition, helping colleges and universities that serve a majority of Pell-eligible students work together to build improved career pathways.
Whitney came to Massachusetts from Iowa, to attend Wellesley College, and then went on to get her M.Ed. from Boston University. Whitney loves being outdoors, spending time with family and friends, and starting (even sometimes completing) home improvement projects.
Administration
KATE HICKSON
Administrative Coordinator
As Administrative Coordinator, Kate ensures the smooth and efficient operation of the team, drawing on her extensive background in business administration and project management. Kate enjoys connecting with people, learning new systems, and working collaboratively to achieve the most efficient outcome.
With over 15 years of experience across corporate, nonprofit, and higher education sectors, Kate has developed strong skills in organization, problem-solving, event planning and administration. Recently, she has dedicated her time to consulting with local charities, teaching art classes and volunteering at her children’s school.
Kate lives in Redondo Beach with her family and loves connecting with her community through local events. You’ll often find her at the beach, enjoying that new restaurant or planning her next travel adventure!