Our Staff
Linda M. Noonan, Executive Director
Linda M. Noonan joined MBAE as Executive Director of MBAE in June 2005, where she is responsible for advancing MBAE’s mission to ensure a high quality public education that will prepare every child in Massachusetts for success in college, career and citizenship. Previously, Linda served as Executive Director of The Alliance for the Commonwealth (currently the AIM-International Business Council), a nonpartisan research and educational foundation established by Associated Industries of Massachusetts to help companies increase their global competitiveness in order to create and maintain jobs locally.
Linda has also served as State Director for the National Federation of Independent Business in Massachusetts and as Assistant Secretary for Economic Affairs for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She began her career as a policy analyst with the U.S. government at the Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her civic and volunteer activities include serving on the Westwood School Committee and on the town’s Permanent Building Committee, during which time three schools were renovated and expanded, and a new high school was approved and designed. She was also a member of the Westwood Finance Committee and the Economic Development Advisory Board.
Linda is currently a member of the Teachers21 Board of Directors, the Steering Committee of Global Education Massachusetts, the Accountability and Assistance Advisory Council to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, The Commonwealth Institute and other boards and advisory committees. Linda holds degrees from Cornell University and the University of Chicago.
Tricia Lederer, Director of Communications and Development
Tricia Lederer joined MBAE as Director of Communications and Development in November 2010 and is responsible for raising awareness of the educational challenges in Massachusetts and the reforms MBAE advocates to address these. Tricia oversees media relations, the MBAE newsletter, website content and other outreach. She also leads the organization’s development activities. Tricia has 18 years of public relations experience including working with regional and national companies, industry organizations and nonprofit agencies. Most recently Tricia worked with Slowey/McManus Communications on media relations campaigns for Walmart, a national nonprofit child advocacy organization and the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association. From 2000 to 2003 Tricia was Senior Vice President at The Hubbell Group where she managed strategic communications programs for Merrill Lynch and a corporate communications program for ISO New England, the independent system operator of the region’s bulk power grid. Before joining the Hubbell Group, Tricia was director at BSMG Worldwide, an international communications consulting firm, working on corporate, crisis and issues management assignments. Previously, she worked for Phoenix House Foundation and the New York City Campaign Finance Board. Tricia holds a B.A. in Communications from Fordham University.
Ishara Casellas-Katz, Director of Policy and Research
Ishara Casellas-Katz joined MBAE as Director of Policy and Research in June 2012 and is responsible for promoting policies and research that ensure that all students in the Commonwealth have access to high quality public education. Prior to joining MBAE, Ishara served as the Director of Development at Bottom Line, a non-profit college access and success organization working with low-income, first-generation high school students in Boston. Previously, Ishara was an Education Pioneer Fellow with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. In addition, she worked with the New Jersey Council of Colleges promoting statewide collaboration among the community colleges. Ishara has a B.A. in Business Management from Clark University and a M.A. in Higher and Postsecondary Education from Columbia University, Teachers College.
Anti-Discrimination Employment Policy
The Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, national origin, race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.
