Ohio Department of Education is designing a process of increased support and collaboration to connect districts with federal funding suited to their students’ unique academic needs. The Education Department System of Tiered E-Plans and Supports (ED STEPS) will increase coordination and streamline the timelines and processes for assessing needs, planning, and applying for funds. As a part of the ED STEPS project, the One Needs Assessment and One Plan have been developed to assist with creating quality improvement plans. A common Consolidated Funding Application along with an interactive dashboard for reports, school and building profiles, and data filtering tools provide a systematic review of data for “funding the plan.”
Jeremy Marks has been the Director of the Office of Federal Programs at the Ohio Department of Education since 2013. In, addition to serving as office director, Jeremy is the Federal Liaison for the Department and the Business Owner of the ED STEPS Project. Mr. Marks has nearly 26 years of state/federal legislative and policy experience and has served as a key staff member for the Ohio Department of Education since January 2001. Prior to serving as office director for the Department, Mr. Marks served over 10 years as a legislative liaison developing and advocating on state and federal legislative recommendations to the Ohio General Assembly, members of Congress and other state and federal stakeholders. In addition to managing the agency’s federal education advocacy, Mr. Marks spearheaded the Department’s implementation of one-time federal funds, administered the Controlling Board requests, coordinated the development of federal applications and guidance, and led Ohio’s participation in the U.S. Green Ribbon Schools program. Prior to his service at the Ohio Department of Education, Mr. Marks served as a legislative liaison for the Ohio Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs, Senior Legislative Aide to the Chairman of the Transportation and Public Safety Committee at the Ohio House of Representatives and a Legislative Service Commission Fellow.
Morgan Brown is an Assistant Director in the Ohio Department of Education, Office of Federal Programs. He leads the Well Rounded Education Support Team, focusing on whole child supports including Title I-C Migrant, Title III English Language Learners, Title IV-A Student Supports and Academic Enrichment, vulnerable youth, parent and family engagement, nonpublic school service, and emergency grants. Morgan previously served as Education Program Specialist working with the Southeastern Ohio region, and prior to coming to ODE, served as Executive Director of a nonprofit. Morgan also has experience serving children and families through Head Start.
Diane is an Assistant Director in the Office of Federal Programs and Lead for the ED STEPS One Plan Committee. Diane has 35 years of experience in education after spending 30 years in working in districts. She was a Federal Programs Director in a district in Ohio prior to joining the Ohio Department of Education 5 years ago. Diane brings with her years of experience as a teacher, principal, and district administrator. With over 25 years’ experience in writing and developing improvement plans within districts and assisting districts, she brings with her a body of knowledge and experience in the plan development and school improvement process. Karen Auble is in her fifth year with the Ohio Department of Education’s Office of Federal Programs, where she currently serves as Assistant Director, proving management and support for CARES Act funding. Prior to becoming Assistant Director, she was a Program Specialist and State Coordinator for Title I, Part D. Karen’s experience includes two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Botswana, Southern Africa, working with the Ministry of Local Government to improve coordination and capacity of local organizations in addressing HIV/AIDS. She has also been a program consultant with the Ohio Department of Health’s Help Me Grow birth-to-three program, providing curriculum design consultation, evaluation, and technical assistance to state and local projects, and worked for seven years as a development and communications officer for community-based organizations in Cleveland, Ohio. Karen holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and Bachelor of Arts from The College of Wooster.
Scott C. May currently serves as the ED STEPS Coordinator within the Office of Federal Programs at the Ohio Department of Education. Previous to this position, he served as an Education Program Specialist since 2018, providing guidance and support to districts in federal funding and professional development. Scott was also the Title II-A lead for the office including federal programs licensure. With 25 years in education, 12 years as a building, and district administrator level experience, Mr. May has a well-rounded knowledge of the K-12 curriculum and educational leadership. Scott has several years of experience in analyzing data in developing improvement plans for buildings and districts. Scott currently lives in the Columbus area.