WASHINGTON, D.C. – October 29, 2024 –Whiteboard Advisors (W/A), a boutique strategy consulting, research, and public affairs firm focused exclusively on the education sector, today announced the appointment of Dr. Marguerite Roza as a Senior Advisor. A nationally recognized expert in education funding, Roza will collaborate with Whiteboard Advisors’ strategy and research and diligence teams to provide advisory services to clients, which include the nation’s most respected education investors, philanthropies, companies, and nonprofits. Beyond W/A, Roza will continue in her current position as a faculty member at Georgetown University, where she leads the Edunomics Lab, a research center focused on education finance and policy.
“Marguerite has been a long-time friend and collaborator to our team, particularly in recent years, as the complexity of education funding has emerged as a primary concern for our edtech and investor clients,” said David DeSchryver, Senior Vice President and head of W/A research and transactional due diligence team. “We’re excited to team up to deliver timely, accurate information to clients grappling with big questions as stimulus funds wind down and an election shapes national policy.”
For nearly two decades, Whiteboard Advisors has served as the go-to advisor for education investors and grantmakers, demystifying the complexities of education policy and market trends and translating them into actionable insights. The firm’s integrated PR and advocacy practices help to guide the public affairs strategies of the biggest brands in education. W/A clients include private equity investors KKR, Warburg Pincus, and Bain Capital, as well as charitable donors and nonprofits like JFF and the Siegel Family Endowment.
“As schools, districts, and policymakers face tough decisions in a post-stimulus landscape, the need for actionable, data-driven insights has never been greater,” said Roza. “I look forward to collaborating with W/A’s team to help clients navigate these challenges and unlock opportunities for more equitable and effective education funding.”
Roza is a leading authority in education finance, particularly known for her research on how leaders make spending decisions. Her work has helped policymakers at federal, state, and district levels make more equitable and efficient decisions about school funding and includes leading research projects funded by the Institute for Education Sciences and developing the first-of-its-kind Certificate in Education Finance at Georgetown University. She has served as Senior Economic Advisor to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and has written extensively on education finance and equity. Her work has been featured by the Brookings Institution and in Education Next and Public Budgeting and Finance. Dr. Roza holds a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Washington and a B.S. from Duke University.