Marcie Oliver Brown, M.A.

Principal | Lead Consultant and Coach

For twelve plus years my consulting work has centered in the San Francisco Bay Area.  My experiences and successes have taught me the value of professional ethics, supportive relationships and confidentiality that I continue to extend to my clients. As an instructor and field supervisor at postsecondary institutions and as an administrator in both Oakland and Mt. Diablo Unified School Districts, I devoted over 35 years of my life honing my skills and applying strategies and techniques that successfully engage all students in schools. Armed with a passion for this equity work, I am a good listener with an equity lens that enhances my ability to quickly assess problems and use resources and data to determine possible solutions.

As educators we must understand and have a sense of urgency about changing our practice of leaving students behind. There is nothing more important than full inclusion and high academic achievement for all students in all aspects of a school, especially the classroom. Why? Because there is a direct correlation between an individual’s level of education and his/her future quality of life.

Our team of associates guides educational leaders and teachers in a continuous cycle of improvement toward the positive outcomes students deserve.

Marcie O. Brown

The names and bios of core associates are listed below:

Alma Lynch Williams, M.Ed.  

Alma offers over 20 years of experience and knowledge in the field of public education, specializing in building the capacity of teachers and administrators to collect, analyze and use data to inform their instructional practices and to make data referenced decisions. She served as a secondary math teacher in Atlanta Public Schools and Oakland Unified School District.  In Oakland, she advanced from high school math department chairman to such positions as district Title 1 Program Evaluator, Coordinator of Testing and Assessment where she implemented numerous large-scale testing programs from the Federal, State and District levels, and subsequently Director of the Department of Research and Evaluation. Following her retirement, Alma has worked as a consultant serving such clients as Project Pipeline, a program whose goal was to help districts “grow their own” teachers; the College Board, and Vantage Learning.

Ava Sudduth, M.S. 

Ava began her educational experience in Memphis, Tennessee as a fourth grade teacher. In California, she worked in Atwater, Wheatland, and Mt. Diablo Unified School Districts where her targeted population was at risk students.  She spent many successful years in education as an upper grades elementary teacher, assistant principal, and principal. After retiring from Mt. Diablo, she supervised student teachers for Project Pipeline.  Ava is an ACSA trained mentor and educational consultant.

Letitia Shelby, B.A. 

While working as an elementary primary grade teacher in Oakland, Letitia crafted her skills through professional development in math and Language Arts. She was recognized and served on the site leadership team.  As a Literacy Coach in Pittsburg Unified, she offered support to teachers by leading professional development events and coaching individual teachers. After being retired for eight plus years, Letitia continues her work to support teachers with curriculum and Instructional practices as a Contra Costa County Teacher Induction Program coach and as a consultant.

Linda Hutcherson, M.S., M.Ed. 

Linda is an educational consultant and professional development facilitator who has many years of experience with a comprehensive background as a district level curriculum coordinator, principal leadership coach, elementary and middle school principal, dean of high school counseling, English teacher, university professor, and CalStateTEACH faculty member. The focus of Linda’s work has been to support and motivate administrators and teachers in expanding their knowledge and expertise about Instructional Technology, equity, curriculum and instruction, special education, response to academic and behavioral intervention, school culture transformation and professional learning communities.

Lois Walker, M.A. 

Lois has 37 years of experience as an educator.  She spent ten years as a high school teacher and 27 years in school administration.  Lois has been an assistant principal at both the junior and senior high school levels, and a high school principal in Oakland Unified School District. She worked with diverse student and staff populations and brings experience, knowledge and commitment to her work as an educational consultant.

Yolonda Holmes, B.A.  

With work experience in both the public and private sectors, Yolonda worked as a project and operational manager, and human resources manager.  She is a trained leadership coach and trainer of trainers.  She has a strong background in employee relations and training and development. After retiring, Yolonda continues to manage her own consulting firm.