Our Team

SARAS CHUNG, PHD, MSW

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Dr. Saras Chung holds over three decades of experience in practice and research youth in schools, emotional health hospitals, and youth-serving organizations. Her interests stem from growing up as a child Korean immigrants in rural Missouri. As a system dynamicist and social worker, she is interested in feedback cycles between healthy emotional and mental development and academic success.

Dr. Chung’s work has been published in both peer-reviewed and mainstream media, such as the Journal of Adolescence and HuffPost. She given plenaries and keynotes on the system dynamics of educational policies in both national and international conferences. She has conducted system dynamics consulting for Google, X (the Moonshot Company), St. Louis Children’s Services Fund, the Dartington Social Research Unit in the United Kingdom, and the Gates Foundation. Her work has been recognized with the Chris Harris Youth Advocacy Award from the Missouri State House of Representatives, the St. Louis Cortex Kineses Super Collaborator Award, and she was nominated for the 2020 LaunchCode’s Moonshot Challenge category. She has completed fellowships with the International Society for Child Indicators with funding through the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Asian Pacific-Islander Social Work Educators Association via the Council of Social Work Education, and the Washington University Social System Design Lab. Additionally, she serves as the Vice President of Professional Practice for the International System Dynamics Society. Dr. Chung is also part of the Society for Social Work Research and American Education Research Association.

Dr. Chung holds a doctorate and master’s degree in social work from Washington University in St. Louis and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has two teens, enjoys running, yoga, and mountain biking, and data analysis for funsies.

Curriculum Vitae

ELLEN O’NEILL, MSW

DIRECTOR OF STRATEGY AND OPERATIONS

Ellen uses system design principles paired with her masters in social work to manage research and operations initiatives for SKIP. Prior to joining SKIP, Ellen served as the Children’s Savings Account Coordinator for the City of St. Louis Treasurer’s Office. During her tenure, Ellen ran the CSA program — College Kids — where she focused on equitable asset development for St. Louis students.

Ellen received her Master of Social Work degree in 2017 from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. During her time at the Brown School, Ellen worked on the Community Development Policy team at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, where she devised and conducted a community-based system dynamics study of underserved and unbanked communities. Additionally, Ellen has worked closely with Prosperity Connection, focusing on issues of financial health and well-being for underserved populations.

RACHEL MATSUMOTO

PROJECT MANAGER

Rachel is a Project Manager at SKIP. She believes every child has the right to an education that allows them to thrive both in the present and later in life. Rachel graduated from Dartmouth College in 2019, where she majored in psychology and minored in international studies. During her time at Dartmouth, she conducted research on the influence of media on childhood eating behaviors and worked with a local nonprofit to develop programs for special needs children and adults in the community. In her spare time, she enjoys playing board games and being outdoors. She is enjoying a career using system dynamics to build more equitable social systems.

JANET VALESQUEZ

PROJECT ASSOCIATE

Janet is a recent graduate from Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice which she plans on using to get involved with youth in the criminal justice system. During her educational career, Janet was part of the Changing System with the Brown School at Washington University. There, she was able to facilitate and mentor teens while taking a look at issues such as racial problems, gun violence, educational equity, and youth homelessness. Janet is passionate about giving back to her community by focusing on youth. She believes they are our future, which is why she is excited to be part of SKIP because its main goal is centered around youth. Outside of work, she loves to spend time with her daughter by doing anything and everything, especially going on picnics and reading books to each other. Lastly, Janet lives by the quote: “Be the change you seek to see in the world,” because she believes one cannot wait for others to take action when they themselves as capable of anything.

RYAN DELANEY

RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGIST

Ryan is a storyteller using skills honed from a decade of journalism, taking policy debates, data dumps, and wonky research to tell stories that go deep into an issue and change people’s perspectives. He helps smart, passionate people talk about their work in a way that grabs people’s attention and broadens its impact.

Ryan got to know SKIP’s work during his five years as the education reporter for St. Louis Public Radio. His journalism career also took him to upstate New York, Indiana, Germany, and East Africa. His reporting was heard on NPR and the BBC. Ryan previously was the senior writer at the National Center on Education and the Economy.

Ryan has a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism and international relations from Syracuse University. He’s also earned a graduate certificate in public management from the University of Missouri, Columbia.

Joe Heman

Research-Practice Assistant

Joe is committed to increasing equity for students and families and passionate about amplifying student voices in the process. She is currently studying social policy and social work with a focus on social impact leadership at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to graduate school, she taught in public schools in Tucson, St. Louis, and Chicago, and worked with non-profits providing services for at-risk children and youth. In her free time she enjoys anything outdoors, good books, or both, at the same time. 

JIM FORST

SENIOR ADVISOR

Jim Forst is Senior Advisor to SKIP and an advocate for equity in education. He believes all parents should have options and every child has the right to a high quality educational opportunity regardless of their economic circumstances. Jim is a life-long St Louisan and has held executive development positions with five universities and two non-profits. Being involved with positive educational transitions and innovations in his home town as well as other cities through his association with SKIP colleagues and partners is his most rewarding professional experience and a true privilege.

DAVE HILLIARD

ADVISOR

For 41 years Dave served as CEO of WYMAN, where he helped create a continuously evolving, mission-driven culture. Long-serving board and leadership staff were his partners in outcome-based strategies to fulfill mission. During his tenure, WYMAN evolved from a local camp for underprivileged children into a national leader in adolescent development, leadership and learning that is recognized for its expertise in program design and delivery, outcome research and professional training. Dave has served on several university executive and advisory boards and as a founding member of collaborative regional efforts to improve and increase equitable opportunities for children and youth. He earned a degree in psychology from St. Louis University and holds an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the Curators of the University of Missouri System. In retirement Dave continues to be inspired by this quotation from renowned cellist Pablo Casals’, which he first read in the 1970’s: “You do not lose your value or preciousness when you grow to be an adult. You are still that miraculous creation. You must work, we must all work, to make the world worthy of its children.”

ETHAN GUTMANN-GOLDSTEIN, MSW/MBA

K-12 EDUCATION SYSTEM RESEARCH FELLOW

Ethan comes to SKIP as the K-12 Education System Research Fellow, bringing experience in research, systems thinking, and education. While Ethan is spending part of his professional time with SKIP, he is also working with the Health Federation of Philadelphia to use systems understanding in order to achieve positive health outcomes and a connected social service ecosystem.

Ethan received his Master of Social Work and Master of Business Administration in 2020 from Washington University in St. Louis. During his time at Wash U, Ethan facilitated community-based system dynamics (CBSD) sessions with BRAND St. Louis to promote collaboration among black-owned businesses and developed system dynamics models analyzing wealth inequity in the United States.

TREVOR HICKS

PROGRAM ASSOCIATE

Trevor is currently studying secondary education with a concentration in social science at Harris-Stowe State University. Trevor believes that every child, regardless of their circumstances deserves the right to have an educational experience that allows them to reach their full potential. As a program associate for SKIP, Trevor provides support for educational initiatives in K-12 and directly to EdHubSTL at Innovation Hall for events and special projects. 

MELANIE HOUSTON

K-12 EDUCATION RESEARCH FELLOW

Melanie joins SKIP as our latest K-12 Education Research Fellow, with experience utilizing system thinking, group facilitation, project management, & dialogue practices as a DEI practitioner in higher education settings. Melanie also utilizes system dynamics to investigate and intervene on the relationship between structural racism and maternal health in her role at the Department of Community Health & Prevention at the Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health. Originally from North Carolina, Melanie earned her Master of Social Work from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis in 2018, where she studied health social work and system dynamics and has since passionately applied systems thinking principles in all of her individual and group-based work.

HAYLEY BUTLER

EDUCATIONAL POLICY FELLOW

Hayley holds a graduate certificate in educational policy and is currently finishing her Master of Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. As a psychology undergraduate at the University of Michigan, Hayley studied the relationship between school culture and pedagogy to students’ learning motivation and achievement. Having since moved from her home state of Michigan to the Texas-Mexico border, to the suburbs of Philadelphia, and now back to the midwest, she’s seen the broader impact of policy on matters of equity and the student experience in distinctly different regions across the country. She’s currently writing her thesis on state funding formula characteristics and their relationship to school-level factors that influence equity. Ultimately, Hayley’s career goals are founded in a desire to contribute to the improvement of access to quality, developmentally-appropriate education that sees all kids grow into empowered lifelong learners and productive, healthy citizens.

VALERIE HIRSCHBERG

EDUCATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT FELLOW

Val is currently at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and served as an education systems research and management fellow at SKIP. Her work at SKIP focuses on researching innovation in K-12 education and the unintended consequences of education innovations. Before joining SKIP, Val attended Washington University in St. Louis where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in educational studies and cultural anthropology. During her time at Washington University, Val conducted research on discipline patterns in charter schools, worked as a curriculum developer for the university’s sexual violence helpline, and was a science teaching fellow at Breakthrough San Francisco for two years. Val is originally from Warwick, Bermuda, and hopes to continue a career in education applying systems thinking to teaching.

JULIA WINEMILLER

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

Julia attends Harvard Graduate School of Education and is pursuing a Master of Education to teach middle school science. She believes education should make young people feel powerful, recognizing them as whole people capable of making change and producing valuable contributions to their communities. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with majors in education studies and psychological and brain sciences. During her time at Wash U, she studied the impact of positive preschool teacher-student relationships on depression in students through adolescence. She also developed curriculum for the university’s sexual assault helpline, initiated community partnerships with the music student group Beat Therapy, and interned at Breakthrough San Francisco teaching middle school science. She is interested in using community based system dynamics to create equity in educational systems, and has facilitated multiple group model building workshops with parents, students, administrators, and educators. She is originally from Rochester, Minnesota, and enjoys hiking, playing and teaching piano, and aspires to be a cross country biker.