Leadership Team

Leigh Tait, Director of Community Engagement & Experiential Learning

Leigh has been lucky enough to be a part of the GDS community since 2015, and in the Community Engagement & Experiential Learning Office since 2018. She has worked with students throughout her career to cultivate opportunities for authentic collaboration and social awareness-building, and to harness their capacities as young change-makers. She has founded and/or developed various well-loved GDS programs which utilize the DMV area as a classroom: the Middle School GDS Corps, High School Minimester, 11th Grade Internship Program, Summer Policy and Advocacy Institute, and the Cross-Divisional Buddy Program. Her philosophy on education centers around the importance of hands-on opportunities for student connection: with other young people, and with causes that matter (to the student and on a global scale). She says, "my favorite thing about GDS is the culture of authentic student activism." Leigh prides herself on her own identity as a lifelong learner, and loves that every day, she gets to teach and be taught by young people committed to growth and long-lasting social change. 

Michelle McKeever, Community Engagement and Experiential Learning Program Associate

Michelle has been at GDS since 2018 and joined the Community Engagement & Experiential Learning Office in 2022. Outside of the CEEL Office, Michelle is a 9th grade advisor and teaches mental health & wellness as part of the Middle School Health curriculum. In addition to her Master's in Education Policy and Leadership, Michelle uses her depth of training in mindfulness and wellness to ensure that students exploring difficult issues feel supported and are taking care of themselves as they dive into activism. She loves engaging with students and is consistently inspired by the way they see the world. Michelle joined the Policy Institute team in 2021 as the Addressing Sexual Assault and Consent track lead and is excited to now support each track through her new role in the CEEL Office.

Cara Henderson, Bodily Autonomy and Consent Track Lead

Cara Henderson joined the High School in 2021 as an instructional coach, providing support and guidance to teachers 9th-12th grade. Prior to GDS, she worked with students, faculty, and families in both independent and public schools as a Spanish teacher, a K-12 World Languages Department Chair, and a founding Head of Upper School. Cara received a BA in Spanish Language and Culture as well as an MA in Education from Stanford University followed by an EdD in Educational and Organizational Leadership from The University of Pennsylvania. When not at GDS, she enjoys spending time with her husband, having conversations with her two children, taking walks, reading a good book, or enjoying a delicious meal on her balcony. Cara shares GDS's commitment to valuing equity and kindness.

Darius Pardner, Advancing Equity in Higher Education Track Lead

Darius Pardner joined the High School in 2021 as an associate director of college counseling. Prior to GDS, he served as an admissions representative at the University of Northern Colorado, University of Colorado, and most recently, Colorado College. He received a BA in Organizational and Strategic Communication followed by an MA in Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. Darius has a profound, personal understanding of the importance of finding the right college or university; after all, he met and married his college sweetheart, with whom he has a three-year-old son named Princeton and a one-year-old named Berkeley. When not at GDS, Darius enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, and playing golf.

Julia Fisher, AI In a Human World Track Lead

Julia Fisher, a GDS alumna, joined the English Department in 2018. She has a BA from Yale University and a PhD in English from the University of Virginia, where she won a graduate teaching award. She has written for The Washington Post, The New Republic, Raritan, and other publications. Julia also advises The Augur Bit, GDS's student newspaper.

Chris Oster, Environmental Justice Track Lead

Chris Oster joined the High School in 2019 to teach physics, science, and math. He received an AB and SM in Geophysical and Physical Sciences respectively from the University of Chicago and is currently writing his doctoral dissertation on the impacts of alternative fuel technologies on air quality and policies that could be implemented to secure a just transition for all communities. Prior to GDS, Chris studied nuclear decontamination at the Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory and taught in the Chicago Public Schools. When not studying ways to save the planet from human-created destruction, you may find Chris riding his bike, combing his luscious beard, or working on his dissertation, obviously. Chris joined the Policy Institute in 2020 and plans on continuing his research endeavors around environmental justice with students.

Topher Dunne, "Waging Life in the DMV" Track Lead

Topher started at GDS as a substitute in 1990 while studying economics. He began teaching full-time in history and social science in 1995. He has been connected to GDS performing arts since 1993, and he has facilitated and advised the GDS adoptee affinity group since its inception in 2013. Topher received an MA in economics from American University following a BA in economics from Wesleyan University. He is a musician, who plays everything from Javanese Gamelan music to whatever the GDS jazz and creative music program picks up. He has played an integral role in the growth of the Policy Institute since the second summer the program ran. He has, and is continuing, to take the lead on the group focused on Waging Life in the DMV. 

Evelyn Chen, 2023 Environmental Justice Fellow, 2024 Policy Institute Intern 

Evelyn is a rising senior in the Class of 2025. She first started her journey with the Policy Institute in 2023 when she was a fellow in Chris Oster's Environmental Justice track. She loved it so much that she returned the following summer as the Policy Institute intern, through GDS' internship program. When she's not grinding at school, Evelyn enjoys playing basketball and hanging out with friends. She has played on GDS' womens varsity basketball team since her freshman year and has served as captain since her junior year. You can also find her on the soccer field, managing the women's varsity soccer team.