National School Climate Center

Kori Hamilton Biagas, M.Ed. is an educator, connector, truth seeker, master facilitator, and the founder of Just Educators. Kori has nearly 20 years of experience in strategic planning, policy analysis and development, instruction, coaching, and technical assistance. As an Equity Specialist for the Region IV and Region IX equity assistance centers, Kori managed large-scale, racial equity driven school district transformation efforts, led district and state leaders through policy analysis, coached state leaders through school climate transformation initiatives, and provided equity-focused professional learning opportunities at all levels of education. Kori specializes in addressing and resolving inequitable policies, practices, and processes in organizations related to racial equity and social justice.

Christian Villenas is the Co Executive Director and head of Research, Evaluation, and Measurement at the National School Climate Center (NSCC), where he co-leads the vision and operations of NSCC focusing primarily on research and programmatic initiatives. Christian has spent the last 25 years conducting program evaluation, policy, and statistical analysis on projects related to education at organizations such as GLSEN, American Institutes for Research (AIR), and Advocates for Children of New York. His research has focused on social disparities in education, education policy, school climate, disability studies, LGBTQ students, the diffusion of new educational practices in schools, and college access. He has also taught courses in the sociology of disability, sociology of education, sociology of sports, and statistics. Christian holds a B.S. from New York University, an M.S. in Urban Policy Analysis and Management from the New School, and a Ph.D. in sociology from The Johns Hopkins University.