Erica Champagne is the Director of the Office of Effective Practices in Turnaround (OEPT) at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE). In this role, Erica directs the state’s efforts to evaluate and share best practices in school turnaround, oversees the accountability and monitoring functions for turnaround schools, and manages the implementation of the federal School Improvement Grants (SIG) program. Throughout her 18 years at DESE, she has also led projects on principal development and cultural proficiency. Prior to her current role, Erica served as a research associate with the Center of Criminal Justice Policy Research and the Institute on Race and Justice at Northeastern University, where she specialized in research on racial profiling by law enforcement in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Erica holds a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice/Legal Studies from Northeastern University.