Four accomplished former state and district leaders will bring decades of experience and trusted counsel to ILO’s work with education leaders nationwide

Washington, DC – ILO Group today announced the appointment of four accomplished former state and district chiefs as the organization’s newest Superintendents-in-Residence:

• Dr. Jill Baker, former superintendent of Long Beach Unified School District
• Dr. Lisa Coons, former Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction 
• Dr. Diane Gullett, former superintendent of Marion County Public Schools in Florida
• Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt, exiting superintendent of Alexandria City Public Schools, effective October 1, 2026. 

As Superintendents-in-Residence, Baker, Coons, Gullett and Kay-Wyatt  will work alongside ILO’s partners to provide strategic counsel and help turn ambitious goals into meaningful, sustained results. Their counsel is grounded in direct experience leading complex education systems through academic, operational, political, and organizational change.

“Jill, Lisa, Diane, and Melanie know what it means to lead powerfully when the stakes are highest,” said Dr. Julia Rafal-Baer, CEO and co-founder of ILO Group. “Each brings extraordinary judgment, deep conviction, and the hard-earned understanding that comes from carrying responsibility for an entire school system. Bringing them into ILO is about more than adding expertise. It means our partners will have access to leaders who know how to navigate pressure, make difficult decisions, build the conditions for real change, and never lose sight of the students and communities at the center of the work.”

The appointments build on ILO Group’s robust capacity to provide leaders with counsel grounded in direct experience. The new Superintendents-in-Residence join a roster of proven national leaders and experts including:

• Dr. Katy Anthes, Superintendent-in-Residence
• Dr. Peter Gorman, Superintendent-in-Residence
• Dr. Kyla Johnson-Trammell, Superintendent-in-Residence 
• Dr. Scott Muri, Superintendent-in-Residence
• Dr. Arsenio Romero, Superintendent-in-Residence
• Michael Sulmeyer, Senior Fellow

Baker, Kay-Wyatt, Coons, and Gullett will contribute across ILO’s work in executive leadership, strategic planning, organizational development, implementation, governance, and system transformation. They will also support executive coaching, leadership convenings, research, and the development of new tools and resources for education leaders.

“Leading a school system requires vision, discipline, and the ability to bring people together around the work that matters most,” said Dr. Jill Baker. “ ILO Group understands both the magnitude of the responsibility leaders carry and the practical support required to move from strategy to execution. This is an opportunity to apply what I have learned in service of leaders working to create lasting improvements for students.”

“State and district leaders must make high-stakes decisions at an unprecedented pace while staying focused on long-term improvement,” said Dr. Lisa Coons. “ILO Group understands that today’s leaders need more than advice. They need a trusted partner who can help them navigate complexity, anticipate challenges, and turn strategy into meaningful results. I am excited to join a team that works shoulder to shoulder with leaders to build lasting impact for students, educators, and communities.”

“The superintendent’s role demands the ability to translate a clear vision into action across an entire organization,” said Dr. Diane Gullett. “ILO Group delivers critical support when work becomes difficult. I look forward to helping leaders strengthen their teams, navigate pivotal decisions, and build the systems necessary to sustain progress for students.”

“Real progress depends on the strength of the people  and systems around top leaders,” said Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt. “ILO Group has built a powerful model for working alongside leaders as they make critical decisions and move complex priorities forward. I look forward to helping leaders build the strategic clarity and organizational capacity necessary to deliver on their commitments.”

The four leaders join a growing group of nationally recognized practitioners and experts working through ILO Group to help education systems address their most consequential challenges. Their appointments reflect ILO’s continued investment in pairing rigorous strategy with the practical knowledge of leaders who have successfully managed change from inside complex organizations.

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About Dr. Jill Baker

Dr. Jill Baker is an educational leader who believes that great leadership starts with listening, learning, and creating the conditions for others to thrive. Her leadership helped shape one of the nation’s most respected urban school districts, serving as Teacher, Principal, Assistant Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent before becoming the first female Superintendent of the Long Beach Unified School District from 2020 to 2026. Dr. Baker holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from University of California, Irvine, a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from California State University, Long Beach and a Doctorate Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California. Whether leading a large urban school district or coaching the next generation of educational leaders, she remains passionate about developing people, fostering collaboration, and creating lasting, meaningful change.

About Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt

Melanie Kay-Wyatt, Ed.D., is a nationally recognized education leader, scholar-practitioner and transformational superintendent whose 30-year career has centered on student-centered innovation, educator excellence and community engagement as cornerstones of systemic change. She currently serves as senior adviser to the state superintendent on agencywide school improvement at the Virginia Department of Education, and as a coach for VCU’s Leadership Coaching Lab. In September, Kay-Wyatt will conclude a historic tenure as superintendent of Alexandria City Public Schools, the first Black woman appointed to lead the division. Under her leadership, ACPS launched the Academies of Alexandria, founded Virginia’s first district-level family and community engagement center, and cultivated community partnerships.  A sought-after voice in education policy, Kay-Wyatt has delivered keynotes at the School Superintendents Association National Conference and its National Women’s Leadership Consortium. She currently serves as a National PTA Board Member. Kay-Wyatt has also served as past president and board chair of ASCD, the global association of educators across 128 countries, and has affiliations with  Women Leading Ed, Chiefs for Change, the CoSN/EmpowerEd Superintendent Advisory Panel, the University of Mary Washington College of Education Board and the Google GSV Fellowship.

About Dr. Lisa Coons

Dr. Lisa Coons is a career educator who served as the Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction from 2023 to 2025.  Dr. Coons was appointed by Governor Youngkin to implement his key educational initiatives during his single term as Governor. As the state superintendent, Dr. Coons supported the development and rollout of a new accountability system, led a statewide attendance campaign resulting in historic drops in chronic absenteeism, implemented a Grow Your Own apprenticeship program to reduce teacher vacancies, , launched long term high school redesign strategy, oversaw the Governor’s  cell-phone free initiative, instituted a family-based learning recovery program, spearheaded the focused implementation of the Virginia Literacy Act, and ensured the successful roll out of Virginia’s ALL in VA learning recovery program.   Dr. Coons  has served in multiple leadership roles in K12 education including as the chief academic officer for the Tennessee Department of Education to and through the pandemic. As the chief academic officer, she led all birth to grade-12 academic programming, including the implementation of the Tennessee Literacy Success Act, high-dosage pandemic recovery tutoring initiative, statewide Summer School, and the student learning needs within the student-weighted funding formula redesign.

About Dr. Diane Gullett

Dr. Diane Gullett has 38 years of experience in education, serving in multiple states. She has been serving as an Executive Coach with Women Leading Ed and most recently served as the Chief Academic Officer for Bailey Education Group supporting the national academic portfolio of services. Dr. Gullett served five years as a school superintendent for Marion County Public Schools, supporting more than 46,000 students in north Central Florida. Before her tenure as Superintendent in 2020, she was the Deputy Superintendent and second-in-command for the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada, supporting more than 320,000 students and 360 schools improving student pathways and school performance ratings in eighty-six schools. Prior to that role, Dr. Gullett served Orange County Public Schools, the eighth largest school district in the nation in roles from Dean through Area Superintendent, supporting school improvement in some of the lowest performing schools in Florida.  Her passion to reach every student originally began as a teacher in Volusia County, Florida. Dr. Gullett graduated with Honors from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and with High Honors from the University of Central Florida with Masters and Doctoral Degrees in Educational Leadership with a specialization in business administration. She earned a Certificate in Education Finance from Georgetown University.

About ILO Group

ILO Group is a women-owned education strategy and policy firm that works side by side with the country’s leading educators, experts, and government partners to address the toughest challenges facing school systems and leaders. ILO Group supports state and district leaders through strategic planning, initiative development, implementation support, leadership development, executive coaching, policy development, research, and organizational transformation.

ILO stands for “In the Life Of,” reflecting the firm’s commitment to working alongside leaders through the decisions and actions required to create meaningful change. Through its work, ILO Group has supported leaders serving one in two students in America.

For more information, visit www.ilogroup.com.