Supporting Families in School Choice

Gabriela Fighetti joins Executive Advisor Civic Solutions Group with nearly twenty years of experience working in education, specializing in the design of equitable enrollment systems. Fighetti relocated to New Orleans to join the Louisiana Recovery School District in 2011 and led the creation of a unified enrollment system. After the reunification of New Orleans public schools under local governance, Fighetti transitioned this work to the local school district, NOLA Public Schools, where she was responsible for a division that ensures families continued to have fair and equitable access to school and the safety net supports they need to remain in school once enrolled. Fighetti left the RSD briefly in 2014 to join the Institute for Innovation in Public School Choice (IIPSC). IIPSC was a national nonprofit that worked with school districts and their partners to create unified enrollment systems. Fighetti led IIPSC’s work in Oakland, CA and Indianapolis, IN. Prior to moving to New Orleans, Fighetti worked at the New York City Department of Education, where she held several leadership positions in the Division of Portfolio Planning over the course of her seven-year tenure. Fighetti studied at Columbia University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree at Barnard College and a Master of Arts degree in public administration at the School for International and Public Affairs. In 2014, Fighetti was named one of Gambit Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 in New Orleans.

Brian Eschbacher is an independent education consultant focused on portfolio planning and enrollment solutions. Brian served as the Executive Director of Planning & Enrollment Services for Denver Public Schools (DPS) during his seven years at the district. In this role, Brian managed two capital planning processes that led to over $1 billion in funding for the district in addition to leading the nationally-recognized SchoolChoice unified enrollment system. Prior to joining DPS as a member of the Broad Residency, Brian spent eight years in management consulting, holds an MBA from Indiana University, and a Bachelor of Science from Penn State University.