Valerie Joell

Senior Partner & Fellowship Director

As a School Acceleration Partner, Val works with the Executive Director to improve and refine the Jounce coaching model, and leads training for school leaders and teachers across Jounce partner schools.

Val brings extensive experience as an educator and school leader. She previously served as Principal of Roxbury Prep Lucy Stone, a 5–8 middle school within the Uncommon Schools network, where she led her team in implementing strategic, schoolwide priorities to drive academic achievement. Prior to that, she was the STEM Dean of Curriculum and Instruction in a turnaround setting with UP Education Network. Val began her career as a seventh-grade math teacher, driven by the belief that mathematics should be engaging, empowering, and meaningfully accessible to all learners.

Val earned dual BAs in Africana Studies and Urban Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master’s in Effective Teaching from the Sposato Graduate School of Education (graduating with Distinction), and a Master’s in School Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.