Our Team
Meg Norris, PhD
Executive Director
A Rochester native, Meg has recently returned after completing her Ph.D. in Sociology at Brown University. Her studies at Brown focused on social inequality, social capital, and the intersection of schools, families, and neighborhoods and incorporated a variety of research methods (quantitative and qualitative) and national datasets (ECLS-K, Common Core, US Census, SEDA).
Before attending Brown, Meg earned a Master’s degree from the University of Rochester Warner School of Education in Educational Policy where she did her thesis project analyzing the district's role in parent engagement in the Rochester City School District. After graduation, Meg worked on the New York State’s Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) Program in the Rochester region. She then worked in Chicago at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) on a range of projects with state education agencies in the Midwest, the Gates Foundation, and several other non-profit organizations. While working on her dissertation, Meg worked as a research assistant with the policy department at Opportunity Insights and as a research consultant at the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, supporting the development and execution of their grant strategy with research and evaluation support.
Madison Esposito
Program Administrator
Madison comes to ACT Rochester following her undergraduate years at the University of Rochester, where she studied English and History. Throughout her undergraduate career, Madison worked at a publishing company in her hometown in Western Massachusetts. She also did a summer internship with Girls Rock! Rochester. Outside of work, Madison enjoys crocheting, reading, and writing.
Advisory Committee
Members appointed by Rochester Area Community Foundation to guide and oversee this initiative include:
Tom Argust
Chair, Retired Commissioner of Community Development, City of Rochester
Hanif Abdul-Wahid
Retired Community Liaison for Neighborhood Initiatives, Monroe County Department of Planning & Development
Simeon Banister
President and CEO, Rochester Area Community Foundation
Erin Budd Barry
Vice President, Community Programs, Rochester Area Community Foundation
Tom Gillett
Retired Regional Staff Director, New York State United Teachers
Margaret Sánchez
Principal, Sánchez & Associates
Joe Stefko
CEO, ROC2025
Sharon Stiller, Esq.
Attorney, Abrams, Fensterman, Fensterman, Eisman, Formato, Ferrara, Wolf & Carone