Project Team

Mr. Abdelaziz El ghordaf is responsible for the monitoring, evaluation, and learning component of the HEP-M project. Mr. El ghordaf has a type A master's degree from Laval University in Quebec in the didactics of physics. This diploma is equivalent to the postgraduate doctorate. This enabled him to access the post of Assistant Professor. From 1985 until 2005, he worked in the Ministry of National Education. In that capacity, he was in charge of pre-service preparation of teachers of physics at the high school level from 1985 to 1998. He was the National Coordinator of the pre-service preparation of physics teachers from 1987 to 1998. He was the head of the Learning Assessment Division within the Educational System Assessment Directorate from 1998 to 2003. Mr. El ghordaf also led the Coordination Unit for Cooperation Projects within the Directorate of Evaluation of School Life and Inter-Academic Affairs from 2003 to 2005.

After 2005, Abdelaziz El ghordaf worked as an independent consultant with UNICEF and the European Union. Since 2010 Abdelaziz has led monitoring, evaluation, and learning for multiple USAID projects including ALEF, RASID, Reading for Success Small Scale Experimentation, the National Program for Reading, and currently HEP-M. Abdelaziz El ghordaf authored educational books. He has also led hundreds of training workshops for teachers, inspectors and guidance counselors.

Dr Abdessamad Fatmi is the project CoP, he is an education expert with an accumulated experience of 27 years in higher education executive offices and project management in Morocco, Spain, the UAE and the UK. Dr Fatmi also served as senior advisor to two education ministers and was in charge of strategy, research and international cooperation. Dr Fatmi was also closely involved in the design process of the 2015-2030 strategic vision of the Moroccan Ministry of Education and took over the coordination of strategic projects such as the improvement of literacy competencies in primary education, in-service teacher training through teacher coaching, and the implementation of ICT pilot projects involving gamification, ICT training courses for teachers, and the development of e-learning platforms.

Alexander Kurz is an associate research professor at the School for Social and Family Dynamics and affiliated faculty member with the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. He serves as the director for the Arizona Practitioner Researcher Partnership (AzPREP) office and the graduate internship program for Applied Data Analysis and Visualization. He has co-authored over 30 peer-reviewed publications and received over 50 million dollars in external funding focused on teacher effectiveness, instructional coaching, and educational technology. He has extensive expertise related to program evaluation, researcher-practitioner partnerships (RPPs), and community engagement through collective impact. His work on RPPs and collective impact has been supported by government agencies such as IES, NSF, and USAID as well as non-profit agencies such as United Way and the StriveTogether Network.

Janice has experience as a K-12 teacher, assistant principal, and curriculum specialist. She is honored to be selected as a DRK12 CADRE Fellow. She was a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) Educator Award, both of which continue were the result of her passion to create and sustain inclusive and equitable STEM learning opportunities for every student. To this end, she is honored to serve on several boards, including the Arizona State Board of Education, Computer Science Teachers Association, NCWIT K-12 Alliance leadership team, and the National Science Teaching Association Technology Advisory Board. She was recently appointed as chair of Arizona Department of Education's technology task force and worked with stakeholders to create solutions to address the digital equity and opportunity gap. She is currently working as a postdoctoral researcher on an NSF grant on implementing computational thinking in elementary science classes with culturally relevant pedagogy. Additionally, she is working as a collaborator on the higher-education partnership grant with Morocco and teaching Environmental Education courses.

Julian Cashman is a Project Coordinator and Faculty Associate at the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. Prior to joining Arizona State University, Mr. Cashman  worked on community development initiatives nationally and internationally. He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the environmental education sector in Nicaragua helping develop teaching methodologies in K-12 schools and working with local communities on environmental education. Following his service, Mr. Cashman was appointed as an AmeriCorps VISTA Leader for ASU's Survivor Link program that aims to build capacity to promote healthy relationships and reduce gender-based violence in communities. He earned his Master's Degree in Global Technology and Development in 2021 through Arizona State University's School for the Future of Innovation in Society. Mr. Cashman is dedicated to empowering communities through sustainable development initiatives in the education sector.

Nadia El Fassi is the field office Project Coordinator for the Higher Education Partnership in Morocco (HEP-M). Before joining HEP-M, Nadia El Fassi was a Project and Office Assistant at the Heinrich Boll Foundation in Morocco, an organization focused on awareness around environmental responsibility and democracy. She also worked as a Financial Assistant at the Moroccan Association ‘l'Espace Associatif’. She also was the Project Coordinator at the Moroccan Women Network to help improve women's leadership. She earned her Master's Degree in Financial Risk Management in 2015. Nadia is a lifelong member of AIESEC Association, a global platform for the development of youth leadership potential. She co-organized multiple events focused on promoting socio-emotional well-being of young people with special needs.

Nicole Thompson is an associate professor and director of the division of teacher preparation in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. She came to ASU from the University of Memphis, where she was a dean's fellow in the College of Education. Her research interests include teacher preparation, American Indian education and reform in education. She's a member of the Association for Middle Level Education, NaPOMLE and the American Educational Research Association.  

Salma Elkhalfaouy is an intern at the HEP-M project. She holds a bachelor degree in economic science and management. Prior to her position with HEP-M, Salma worked as a junior accountant for an automotive trading company and interned at an accounting firm. As a HEP-M team member, Salma is involved in event planning, data collection, VAT reimbursement, and a variety of other aspects of the project.

Tanya Pinkerton is an instructor in the division of teacher preparation for Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College. Prior to joining Arizona State University, she spent 10 years teaching preschool and elementary-aged children in a public school setting with a focus on educating students with disabilities in an inclusive school environment. Ms. Pinkerton additionally worked with children from birth to age 3 with disabilities, or at risk for developing a disability, with the Arizona Early Intervention Program. Her interests include universal design for learning and early childhood education. Ms. Pinkerton's focus is in embedding universal design for learning elements into each course in order to model effective strategies for future educators.

Wendy Peia Oakes is an associate professor at the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. Her work focuses on practices that improve educational access and outcomes for young children with and at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders. For example, her research addresses comprehensive, integrated, three-tiered (Ci3T) models of prevention; the implementation of evidence-based academic and behavioral interventions; and professional development for preservice and in-service educators in implementing practices with fidelity.

Professor Oakes serves as an associate editor for Remedial and Special Education and the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, Behavioral Disorders, and Special Issue Co-Editor for Education and Treatment of Children. She served as the President of the Council for Exceptional Children–Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders.