Who We Are
We know that academic work is deeply personal and often overwhelming. As educators and researchers ourselves, we understand the challenge of balancing ambitious goals with everything else life demands. That’s why we’re committed to helping students and faculty make steady, meaningful progress on projects by offering thoughtful, high-quality support.
Meet Your Experts
Dr. Alexandra Laing
Dr. Alexandra Laing is an educator, researcher, author, editor, and speaker with nearly 20 years of experience across K–12 and higher education in national and international settings. In her career, she has served as a teacher, administrator, district instructional specialist, senior research officer, and educational legislator, bringing a broad, deeply-informed perspective to educational leadership and research. Alexandra earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership and Administration from The George Washington University and is a qualitative researcher with expertise in transformational educational leadership, grading policies and practices, higher education research development and oversight, STE(A)M education, problem- and project-based learning, curriculum design, and professional development.
Her work and leadership have been widely recognized through numerous honors, including being named a current ASCD and Worthy Educator Champion in Education, a 2024 George Washington University Willett Scholar, a 2020 ASCD Emerging Leader, and a 2019 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator U.S. Senate Fellow. She was also recognized as a finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and received both Boca Raton Rotary Club Teacher of the Year and J.C. Mitchell Elementary School Teacher of the Year honors in 2015. Alexandra is the author and editor of Solving School Challenges: The Everything Guide to Transformative Change and the illustrator of Actionable Assessment: A Step-by-Step Guide to Responsive Teaching and Student Growth. She has presented nationally at conferences such as AERA, CUR, BEYA, ASCD, and FETC. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys traveling, painting, writing, spending time outdoors, and being with friends and family.
Dr. Shaun Shepard
Dr. Shaun Shepard is an educator and researcher with expertise spanning K–12 education, higher education, and applied educational research. She has over a decade of experience across K–12 and higher education, having served as a high school teacher, instructional leader, adjunct professor, and senior research specialist. Shaun earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership and Administration from The George Washington University and currently supports master’s and doctoral students and faculty with academic writing and research across institutions, including George Washington University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Northern Michigan University, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Her teaching and research interests include educational leadership, equity-centered leadership preparation, trauma-informed education, and doctoral student development.
Shaun has experience supporting both quantitative and qualitative research projects, drawing from her undergraduate background in economics as well as her qualitative research at the doctoral level. She specializes in research design, literature reviews, qualitative coding, mixed-methods data analysis, and translating complex findings into accessible, actionable insights for a range of stakeholders. Her scholarship has been published alongside colleagues at George Washington University and presented nationally at conferences such as the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA). Outside of work, Shaun enjoys reading, traveling, hiking in national parks, exploring new restaurants, watching cooking shows, and spending time with her family, including her husband, Grant, their daughters, Thea and Phoebe, and their rescue dog, Achilles.