Paula Arce-Trigatti
Director
Paula is the inaugural Director of NNERPP, which launched in 2016 at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University. In this role, she organizes and coordinates learning opportunities for members across the Network and the RPP field at-large in order to improve both our theoretical understanding of partnerships and how they actually work in practice. Prior to joining NNERPP, she was a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Education Research Alliance for New Orleans. She holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Houston, as well as an M.S. in economics, a B.A. in Music, and a B.S. in Business, all from Florida State University.
Kim Wright
Assistant Director
Kim joined NNERPP as Assistant Director in September 2022. She was previously at Texas A&M University where she was Assistant Research Scientist at the Education Research Center and also received her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in technology and teacher education. Prior to her work at Texas A&M, Kim spent several years working as a classroom teacher and in teacher leadership positions. Bringing her experiences of working on both the research- and practice sides, she is excited to help lead and expand NNERPP’s professional learning offerings on all things RPP.
Nina Spitzley
Marketing Specialist
Nina joined NNERPP in December of 2016. She comes to NNERPP from the Division of Research at the University of Houston, where she also earned her Master’s degree in Organizational Communication. She brings experience working in the areas of Knowledge Management and Collaboration in the oil and gas industry, and is passionate about facilitating knowledge transfer and collaboration. She is thrilled to now apply this knowledge to the RPP world.
Dezirae Choi
Instructional Designer
Dezirae joined NNERPP in November of 2024. Dezirae is an educator and educational designer bringing nearly a decade of experience in creating engaging learning experiences and universal design. She earned a Master of Education from Utah State University and has collaborated extensively with educators and researchers to design intuitive learning solutions. Driven by a passion for fostering impactful learning, Dezirae is excited to continue this work with NNERPP and the RPP field.
JIM KOHLMOOS
Senior Advisor
Jim serves NNERPP as Senior Advisor. With over four decades of experience in education, he has held leadership positions at the US Department of Education, Knowledge Alliance, the National Association of State Boards of Education, The Implementation Group, and the Close Up Foundation. Currently, he is founding principal of EDGE Consulting Partners, a consulting boutique in Arlington, VA focusing on policy, strategy, and innovation in education. A graduate of Stanford University, Jim started his education career in the US Teacher Corps and US Peace Corps in 1971.