The Institute is a research unit of The University of Texas at Austin College of Education. The Executive Director reports directly to the Dean of the College of Education. An Advisory Council, comprised of university, business, foundation, education, and community leaders, provides advice and support to IPSI. In addition to the Executive Director (Darv Winick), the management team includes three Directors (Paula Moeller, Karen Nelson, and Matt Orem), project coordinators and program managers, and a business manager and staff.
Dr. Darv Winick, Executive Director, is responsible for overseeing current and future public education projects, providing strategic guidance to IPSI's efforts, and providing leadership to the organization. Darvin Winick served as Chair of the National Assessment Governing Board from 2002 to September 2009 and is currently an advisor to the Governing Board's National Assessment of Educational Progress 12th Grade Preparedness Commission. He is President of Winick & Associates. Dr. Winick is a Senior Research Fellow, College of Education and Executive Director of the Institute for Public School Initiatives at The University of Texas at Austin. Previously, Dr. Winick was an advisor to the 1984 Texas Select Committee on Public Education, and also helped organize the Texas Business and Education Coalition and Texans for Education. He was Chairman of the Research Advisory Committee of the Texas Educational Economic Policy Center, which set out the framework for the current Texas Public School Accountability System. He has served as volunteer Chief of Staff for the Texas Governor's Task Force on Education, Vice Chair of the Governor's Focus on Reading Task Force, as a member of the Education Commissioner's Committee on Accountability and as an advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Education. He co-authored Four-Star Schools of Texas, a report on public school campus performance, and has edited reports on education accountability, early reading instruction, and teacher preparation. Dr. Winick is a certified management consultant and a founding member of the Institute of Management Consultants. He holds a doctorate in organizational psychology from Purdue University.
Dr. Paula Moeller, Director of College Readiness Initiatives, leads initiatives to promote college readiness among Texas students by: refining key practices to help campuses meet the needs for students at risk for failure in Algebra I, providing technical assistance for grants in excess of $66 million to support algebra readiness and accelerate learning opportunities in core content areas, creating student support materials in an online environment which promote college readiness in the area of mathematics, and creating middle school mathematics interventions that have the potential to serve over 150,000 students.
Karen Nelson, Director of Academic Foundation Initiatives, manages the implementation of support and professional development for the 700 Reading First schools in Texas, supervising five Project Managers and 64 Reading Technical Assistance Specialists. In addition, Karen supports other statewide initiatives in pre-K through 5th grade.
Matt Orem, Director of College Access Initiatives, is responsible for leading the development and implementation of the early financial aid estimator, TexasCollegeMoney.org, and the National Association of State Land Grant Colleges College Costs Calculator for the Voluntary System of Accountability. He leads the Café Con Leche parent support network and the University of Texas Volunteer Corps for College outreach and public awareness programs and is also the Director for the College for Texans Web Portal development at Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Dr. Darv Winick |
Executive Director (Interim) |
|
Dr. Paula Moeller |
Director,
College Readiness Initiatives |
(512) 232-2559
|
Karen Nelson |
Director of
Academic Foundation Initiatives |
(512) 232-4217
|
Matt Orem |
Director of
College Access Initiatives |
(512) 232-2563
|
Please find contact information for IPSI staff via The University of Texas at Austin Directory.
Return to Top
