Our Team

Lisa A. Gray is the founding president of Ohio Excels. Gray’s career has been dedicated to improving the educational outcomes of ALL of Ohio’s students. Prior to leading Ohio Excels, Gray had her own consulting practice specializing in public policy development, government relations, advocacy, strategic planning, and project management with an emphasis on public education. Her clients included the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Achieve, Inc., Philanthropy Ohio, Battelle for Kids, Ohio Business Roundtable, Teach for America, Jobs for the Future and the Office of Governor Taft, among others. Prior to starting her consulting practice, Gray was the Director of Policy and Communications at Battelle for Kids from 2001-2005. In 2000, Gray served as the Project Director of the Governor’s Commission for Student Success. The bi-partisan commission, appointed by Governor Taft, developed recommendations for improving Ohio’s K-12 public education system. Gray also served as the Deputy Executive Assistant to Columbus Mayor Greg Lashutka. Prior to joining the Mayor’s office, Gray served in a number of positions at the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce. Gray graduated from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, with a BS in Elementary Education. At the start of her career, she served as an elementary school teacher. She and her husband have four wonderful sons, all of whom have been educated in Ohio’s public schools.

Donna J. Anderson serves as the Executive Assistant to the President and Director of Operations at Ohio Excels, where she brings over 20+ years of experience to overseeing daily operations and financial management. In addition to her administrative and financial leadership, she also serves as the Treasurer of Ohio Excels' Board, where she contributes her expertise to the organization’s strategic governance. Before joining Ohio Excels, Donna played a key role at The Pizzuti Companies, a prominent commercial real estate firm known for navigating the complexities of public-private partnerships. Here, she supported the President by managing both administrative functions and financial operations, ensuring that the company’s initiatives were executed with precision and care. Donna’s career is marked by a deep commitment to supporting small businesses and educational institutions. She spent over a decade as an entrepreneur, where she successfully founded and managed her own business. In this capacity, she was responsible for all aspects of business administration, including financial management and client relations, gaining valuable insights into the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship. Following this, Donna dedicated 16 years to the Visionary Leaders Institute, a national educational consulting firm committed to revitalizing urban America. Her work there spanned a variety of responsibilities, including managing contracts and designing impactful visual materials that supported the Institute’s mission. Her efforts contributed to the Institute’s goal of providing leadership training, inspiration, and technical assistance to those involved in public education. Donna studied Political Science at Bowling Green State University and is widely recognized as a dedicated advocate for small businesses and an active community volunteer. She is a proud mother whose son was educated in Ohio’s public schools, pursued higher education at the University of Cincinnati, and went on to a military career. Donna is also a devoted grandmother to Marlee Jai.

Kevin Duff is the Executive Vice President of Ohio Excels. He is committed to improving the lives of children by ensuring that all students, especially low-income students and students of color, have schools that prepare them for success. Before joining Ohio Excels, Kevin was a consultant and senior analyst with Education First Consulting from 2015 to 2018. In that role, he led project teams conducting research, provided direct support to education policymakers in seven states, and developed high-profile guidance on federal policies and stakeholder engagement. Before Education First Consulting, Kevin served in the Ohio Department of Education. Starting as an intern in 2008, he rose to the position of senior policy analyst during his final three years. Interfacing with the State Board of Education and elected officials, Kevin played a leading role in the formulation and implementation of a wide range of major policy initiatives. These initiatives include Ohio’s graduation requirements, academic standards, assessments, report cards and accountability, the third grade reading guarantee, and school improvement efforts. Kevin earned his Master of Public Administration from the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at Ohio State University. He also earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Ohio State University. He currently lives in Columbus, Ohio.

Cassandra Palsgrove is the Director of K-12 Education Policy at Ohio Excels. She is dedicated to public policy development, state advocacy, and research efforts at the critical intersection of education and workforce development with the goal of improving educational outcomes for all K-12 Ohio students. Cassie brings more than 15 years of experience in education, most recently with the Ohio Department of Education where she led the Office of Graduate Success. In this role, she focused on projects that engage stakeholders and partners from higher education, business & industry, workforce and other state agencies to help support school and district leaders to develop and implement systemic K-12 strategies to help students consider their post-high school paths and ensure they are well prepared to pursue them. The Office of Graduate Success team coordinates efforts to support schools in systemic K-12 career advising, graduation requirements, early career & college programming and business-education partnerships. As a classroom agriculture educator prior to her work at the Ohio Department of Education, she engaged students in meaningful experiential learning and career exploration opportunities. Cassie holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Agriculture and a Masters of Arts in Educational Administration from the Ohio State University. She and her husband Brent reside on a small farm in Fairfield County Ohio with their two children Carter and McKinley.

Madison Yoder is the Director of Development at Ohio Excels. She is a passionate advocate for equity and has dedicated her career to making an impact on the most vulnerable and underserved youth in Ohio. Along with her passion for education, Madison brings a decade of experience leading successful fundraising, communications and event planning efforts to this role. Prior to joining Ohio Excels, Madison served as the Communications and Grants Manager for Star House from 2019 to 2023, helping lift Central Ohio youth, ages 14-24, out of homelessness and into a community of hope. Madison grew and managed Star House’s extensive grant and donation portfolio while simultaneously leading all its communications efforts. In addition, she co-chaired and organized lucrative annual galas and oversaw major communications campaigns that attracted statewide and national attention, including Star House’s feature on 60 Minutes in 2021. Madison began her career in state-level education policy in 2014 at The Thomas B. Fordham Institute, serving as the Communications Specialist for The Ohio Standard Coalition, where she helped save and advance policies that promote educational excellence for all Ohio students. From 2017 to 2019, she served as the Communications and Policy Associate for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, where she led many communications efforts for their national and Ohio offices. Madison graduated from Ohio University with a BA in English – Literature, Culture, & Writing and a minor in Environmental Health Sciences. She is proud to serve as a member of the Ohio Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Commission Public Awareness Subcommittee. Madison is the youngest of seven children and is a first-generation college graduate. She lives in Columbus with her boyfriend Sam, their three cats and Keeshond-Shepherd mix, Smokey.