Dr. Matthew Deevers assumed the role of Executive Director in the spring of 2020. Matthew joined SEI in 2012 as our Senior Research Associate. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Education from Cleveland State University in 2010. Matt specializes in learning theories, motivation, program development, and program evaluation. Matt began his career as a high school English teacher and assistant principal. Later, he played a leadership role in several Northeast Ohio school districts as a director of curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development. Matt has been involved in educational policy initiatives throughout his career. Matt resides in Streetsboro with his wife Shannon and their three children.

Email: mdeevers@seisummit.org

Phone: 330-535-8833 x601405

 Annie joined SEI in August 2019. She has previously worked as the Marketing and Event Manager at Habitat for Humanity of Summit County. Before that, she worked at the Summit Metro Parks. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Communications from Bowling Green State University. She participated in a study abroad program in Audenica, France at an International Business University. She is a member of the Torchbearers, Class of 2020. 

Annie is a Stow-Munroe Falls City Schools alumni and still lives in Stow today with her rescue puppy, Max. She continues her love for the Summit Metro Parks by completing the Fall Hiking Spree every year and her work with Habitat for Humanity as a Build in Style Event Commitee member. 

Email: aboyer@seisummit.org

Phone: 330-535-8833 x601402

Danielle Curry-Bentley joined the SEI team as the Early Childhood Network Facilitator in 2020.  Her educational philosophy is founded upon Frederick Douglas’ famous quote; “It is easier to build strong children than repair broken men.” Beginning her career in social services, Danielle learned the benefit of prevention and joined her love for social work with a passion for early childhood education. In her work as a Director, Danielle took a center of 95% publicly funded infant and preschool students/families, raised the educational level of teachers, added a school-age summer enrichment component, and elevated the center from zero stars to a 3-star program in 10 years.  Danielle has a Bachelor’s degree in Family & Child Development from The University of Akron and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the joint program between Cleveland State University and The University of Akron. Never a finished product Danielle is pursuing her doctoral degree in Leadership and Organizational Change from Baylor University. A former Upward Bound alumni and a graduate of Leadership Akron’s Diversity on Board Class II, Danielle understands the power of positive educational exposure in the formative years as an avenue to lifelong learning and academic persistence.

Believing “to whom much is given, much is required,” Danielle volunteers at her church, Arlington Church of God, as a van driver and sits on the boards of both First Glance out of Kenmore and Irma A Jones Preschool.

Email: dcbentley@seisummit.org

Phone: 330-535-8833 x601404

Dr. Piya Chatterjee joined SEI in September 2017. She completed her Doctoral studies in Secondary Education, Curricular and Instructional Studies in 2020 at the LeBron James Family Foundation College of Education, The University of Akron, where she also earned a Master’s in Assessment Evaluation and Data Literacy, MA (Ed) Educational Foundations and Leadership. Dr. Chatterjee earned a Bachelor’s with honors and a Master’s in Food and Nutrition from The University of Calcutta, India. She worked as a high school teacher in Biology and a lecturer in Food Science, and Nutrition & Dietetics for more than five years, in India, before joining The University of Akron. She is also an Assistant Lecturer at the University of Akron’s LeBron James Family Foundation School of Education. Piya manages the design and collection of data and the evaluation of programs and interventions developed by SEI or our community partners. She also leads our Out of School Time (OST) Network, a coalition of nonprofit programs that serve students and families beyond the school day.  Piya resides in Jackson Township with her husband, Deepraj, their daughter, Anahita, and their son, Anoush.

Email: pchatterjee@seisummit.org

Phone: 330-535-8833 x601410

Laura DiCola joined SEI on May 31, 2016, as our Early Childhood Strategy Leader. In the spring of 2020, she became our Director of Strategic Initiatives and Policy. Laura is a graduate of The Ohio State University, where she earned a BA in Psychology and a Juris Doctorate. She also holds a master’s degree in bioethics from Case Western Reserve University. After spending more than 20 years finding creative solutions to complex business problems as an attorney in the private sector, Laura left law to pursue her passion for education and community-based work.

Outside the office, Laura is a member of the Ethics Committee at Akron Children’s Hospital and currently serves on the boards of Girls on the Run of Northeast Ohio, the Women’s Endowment Fund of the Akron Community Foundation, ATHENA Akron, and Groundworks Dance Theater. Laura lives in Hudson. She has four very independent daughters who live and work in Boston, Chicago, Bloomington (Indiana), and Munich (Germany).

Email: ldicola@seisummit.org

Phone: 330-535-8833 x601449

Alyssa joined SEI in July of 2021 as the 3T’s Program Facilitator. Prior to coming aboard at SEI, she worked as a registered nurse for eight years in the long-term/skilled rehabilitation care setting. She also taught nursing students in the clinical setting for four years. She earned her associate degree from Aultman College of Nursing in 2014, her Bachelor’s degree in nursing from Kent State University in 2015, and her Master’s of Public Health with a focus in health policy and management from Kent State University in 2021. She has a passion for improving the health and education outcomes of her community.

Alyssa lives in Akron with her husband, Danny, and their cats. She serves on several committees of the Ohio Nurses Association and is a member of the Health Policy Council. In her free time, she enjoys hiking in the Summit Metroparks, gardening, and reading.

Email: afigueroa@seisummit.org

Phone: 330-535-8833

Matthew Frey joined SEI as the Director of Data and Applications in June of 2021. Matthew received a Bachelor’s in Applied Mathematics from the University of Akron. In addition, Matthew earned a certificate in Web Development from Case Western University, and is completing a Master’s in Computer Science, concentrating in Data Science, from Kent State University. Matthew has experience in application development processes, web development, product implementation, and data handling. Matthew enjoys communicating technical ideas and integrating IT solutions to strengthen internal and community operations.

Matthew resides in Akron with his cat Hedwig. In his free time, he enjoys reading, playing music, and strategy games.

Email: mfrey@seisummit.org

Phone: 330-535-8833

Julian joined SEI as the Operations and Grants Facilitator in August 2021. While earning a B.A. in English and Anthropology and M.A. in Arts Administration from The University of Akron, Julian developed an interest in serving the community through the nonprofit sector. He has developed his skills working with ArtsNow, Crafty Mart, NCCAKron, Myers School of Art and ArtsinStark, as well as grant writing for several nonprofits in Summit County.

Outside of work, Julian is a musician. He also enjoys working with photography and spending time with his wife Nicole and their four children. Both Julian and Nicole are proud to serve Summit County through their professional roles.

Email: jcuret@seisummit.org 

Phone: 330-535-8833 x401609

Dr. Kingsbury earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in political science at the University of Akron, where she also served as a research associate and a graduate instructor at the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics. Later, she earned her Master’s of Public Health at Akron while also managing the Practice-Based Research Network at Austen BioInnovation Institute.

In her doctoral studies at Kent State University’s College of Public Health, Dr. Kingsbury investigated how social networks among refugee women influence supports and resources accessed during pregnancy.  As a post-doctoral fellow, she has experience teaching and collaborating with colleagues on research at the Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) and Akron Children’s Hospital.  Dr. Kingsbury has been a primary or contributing author on more than two dozen peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, technical reports, and presentations.

Diana is a lifelong resident of Northeast Ohio and comes from a family of educators. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, reading, cooking, and exploring parks with her husband.

Email: dkingsbury@seisummit.org

Phone: 330-535-8833 x601403

Kaye joined our organization in the fall of 2009 and serves as SEI’s Controller and Operations Manager and was promoted to Director of Finances and Human Resources in July of 2021.  She is responsible for all of the day to day operations of the office, finances, and provides operational support to the staff with administrative responsibilities as well as technical computer assistance.  In addition to her accounting duties, Kaye works with several of the Cradle to Career Alliance workgroups.

Prior to being employed by SEI, Kaye was the controller for an automotive distributor in Cleveland for seven years.  She graduated with honors from The Ohio State University in 1982 and has spent her accounting career in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors in the Akron/Cleveland area.  She is a volunteer at St. Sebastian Church and has been an active member of the Christ Child Society of Akron for several years.  She currently is serving her second term on the National Christ Child Society Executive Board as Treasurer.

Kaye grew up in West Akron.  She and her husband, David resides there.  They have a daughter, Allison, who graduated from Walsh Jesuit High School in 2009 and is a 2013 graduate of Miami University who now lives and works in Cleveland.

Email: krowe@seisummit.org

Phone: 330-535-8833 x601401

Dan is the Adolescent to Adult Network Facilitator at Summit Education Initiative and is responsible for providing coaching and support to schools and community partners working to increase achievement and close equity gaps after third grade.  Prior to joining the SEI team, Dan worked as a grant writer and adviser to several regional nonprofit organizations.  Dan also has experience organizing political campaigns and action groups.  Dan earned his BA in Political Science at the University of Akron and is a lifelong resident of Akron. 

Email: dwhitaker@seisummit.org

Phone: 330-535-8833 x601411