About PTAlink
Who We Are
Staff
Advisory Board
Lisa Ableman
PTAlink Co-Founder
Lisa is proud to be a product of the NYC public school system and has two daughters currently enrolled in public schools. She holds a B.A. from Cornell University and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. Before taking time off to be with her children, Lisa was responsible for evaluating and improving city programs and services as a Manager in the NYC Comptroller’s Office, Bureau of Management Audit. She has been very active in her children’s elementary school PTA, including leadership roles related to fundraising as well as working with children in need of extra support. Through these and various other volunteer experiences, she became increasingly aware of the ability of parent organizations to improve their children’s educational experiences and further, of the untapped potential of information sharing between highly effective PTAs and those struggling or just starting out. By the time she was looking to re-enter public service, Lisa was dedicated to focusing her energies on helping to reduce inequities in the NYC public school system. She is excited about PTAlink’s potential to help parent organizations maximize their effectiveness and raise the bar for schools and students across NYC.
Jan Atwell
New York City Council, Senior Policy Analyst
Jan Atwell is currently Senior Policy Analyst for the Education Committee of the New York City Council. A parent of three daughters who graduated from NYC public schools, she now has grandchildren in the public school system. Previously, she served in numerous positions with education advocacy organizations in New York City - as President/Director of United Parents Associations of NYC, a citywide parent organization; Chairperson/Associate Director of Educational Priorities Panel, a budget watchdog group; Coordinator of the coalition, New Yorkers for Smaller Classes; and board member of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, among others.