ERS Team

Melissa Piana DeBaun

Since joining ERS in 2022, Melissa has worked on projects with district partners in a variety of content areas, including the school planning process, ESSER progress monitoring, and schedule design. Melissa partnered with Metro Nashville Public Schools to redesign the annual school planning process to strengthen support for school leaders to make effective school design and resource decisions. Part of this work included supporting the capacity building and change management effort to evolve a compliance-oriented school support role to a strategic budget partner in service of schools and students.

Melissa is currently working with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to support a cohort of seven high schools in redesigning their schedules and staffing plans to align with student experience priorities, train school leaders in strategic scheduling and staffing, and conduct an analysis of their course schedule and transcripts.

Before joining ERS, Melissa was a 7th grade math teacher and grade chair at Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy in Central Falls, RI. She also taught 6th grade math and ELD at Providence Public Schools as part of Teach For America. Prior to that, Melissa worked at Public Consulting Group, a public sector consulting firm, where she worked on Medicaid program integrity in the Health Practice Area. Melissa earned a B.A. in Public Policy and Economics from Duke University and an M.Ed. in Secondary Education from Rhode Island College.

Outside of work Melissa enjoys cooking for friends, hiking in the White Mountains, and checking off another country on her travel bucket list.

Previous Experience

Seventh Grade Chair and Math Teacher

Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy 

Sixth Grade Math and ELD Teacher

Providence Public Schools 

Business Analyst

Public Consulting Group  

Education

M.Ed., Secondary Education

Rhode Island College  

B.A., Public Policy and Economics

Duke University