Jeremy Fowler is the Chief Executive Officer of Effective Youth Solutions (EYS).  Jeremy has been in education for 20 years starting with opening a tutoring and mentorship organization while enrolled as an undergraduate. He also worked at various middle schools facilitating and coordinating recreation for the City of Sacramento in after school programs.  Upon graduating from Sacramento State University, Jeremy began teaching students with emotional disturbance in a residential treatment facility’s non-public school.  He was quickly promoted into a behavior specialist position.  While earning his Master’s Degree he began writing behavior and treatment plans for students that connected behavior supports and  academic progress.  In 2006 he began working for school districts creating and coordinating specialized three tier programs for students with emotional disturbance and autism spectrum disorder.  These efforts  took roots in schools where the programs resided, creating a school-wide whole child approach to interventions whereas traditional practices tended to silo student supports into separate academic, behavior, and mental health buckets.  For the past 5 years, coming out of the public sector, he has been focusing on district and school thought partnering to implement effective system approaches across the state.  EYS was born from an idea back in 2015 that would bring a streamlined support system for students by applying the principles of systems thinking and multi-tiered systems of support.  After his years in public service, the chance to innovate and create and align systems for schools became a passion and now a reality for EYS.  Jeremy’s motto, “every child should be provided the conditions in which to accomplish their purpose,”  can be seen in his innovative systems for supporting each student’s success made possible through systems alignment. 

Dr. MaryBeth Kropp is the Chief Innovation Officer (CINO) of Effective Youth Solutions. Mary Beth has been in education for 35 years, with 20 of those years as a site principal.  After graduating from Chico State, MB took a position as a teacher with aspirations for school leadership.  Moving through the ranks, she took her first administrative position as an assistant principal of a large year-round system.  Her focus became systems-oriented striving to keep the multi-track system in order.  She moved into the role of principal, then opened a new elementary school on a year-round schedule.  Organizing systems for success was always her focus ensuring that each student and each staff member had access to the right opportunities.  MB’s focus has always been on the whole child, ensuring that the school environment was always positive and welcoming for students.  As a school leader, she was not afraid to try new innovations before their time.  Her success as a leader came by focusing on creating shared leadership with staff and families.  Stifled by what she calls bureaucratic silos, MB returned to school pursuing her doctorate in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California.  Her research has aligned with her values and beliefs leading her to a career shift to the role of consultant.  She has spent the last 5 years working with districts and schools across the state that have a desire to focus on systems thinking and alignment in support of the whole child.  Before joining EYS as the CINO, MB served as a thought partner, coach, and professional developer for districts of all sizes.  MB’s motto has always been “relationships matter.”  Working with EYS helps her bring her years of experience, mistakes and successes, systems alignment, and passion to support site leaders into action for schools and districts committed to putting research into action to improve student and staff outcomes.  

As EYS’ School Systems Expert, Seth Lenz brings a true passion for systems work.  As an undergraduate student in Elementary Education at Humboldt State, Seth was struck by how the inequities of education can exist not just from site to site, but even between two next-door classrooms, when there aren’t effective systems, cultures and supports in place. It was then that his desire to ensure each student had the opportunities to succeed, and each teacher and school employee have the skills and mindset to create those opportunities for each and every child. Following graduation, Seth worked providing behavior support and enrichment programs to students with a wide range of abilities. In this non-traditional school setting, Seth recognized the importance of understanding behavior as a skill that we can develop. After completing his Applied Behavior Analyst coursework, Seth transitioned into the role of district behavior specialist and systems coach. Seth helped administrators, teachers, service providers and community members recognize the transformation that can occur when teams utilize the right tools to create long-lasting, effective systems for all students. As a true believer in this work, Seth then took the opportunity to travel and coach various districts and sites throughout California.

In his years as a systems coach, Seth supports his teams to engage in courageous conversations. Seth is intensely student-focused and he empowers all teams to ensure that they have the structure, knowledge and community commitment to put all students first.