IPsquared is led by Josh Thomases.
Josh Thomases is the Founder and CEO of IP², a leadership consulting and facilitation organization working at the intersection of program and potential. Josh founded IP² to help organizations confront the gap between where they think they are and where they need to be. Through leadership coaching, facilitation, and organizational development, he builds the trust and structures to close it. IP²'s clients include public school districts, charter networks, statewide policy initiatives, and nonprofit organizations. An independent evaluation by Metis Associates found that 100% of clients would recommend IP²'s work, with an average impact rating of 8.4 out of 10, and zero neutral or negative responses.
That work draws on 30 years of deep relationships across leadership development, instructional design, data and research, school turnaround, systems change, and equity-driven reform — from classroom teachers and school leaders to superintendents, researchers, funders, and policy makers. When people need the right thinking partner, expert, or collaborator, Josh is often a useful first call.
Josh began his career as a founding teacher and leader at El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice in Brooklyn, a nationally known model for community-driven, culturally responsive education. He worked at the NYC Department of Education for a decade, ultimately serving on Chancellor Dennis Walcott's cabinet, where he oversaw the opening of 350 new small schools. Nine randomized controlled trials by MDRC documented transformative outcomes on high school graduation, college attendance, persistence and completion, particularly for historically underserved students. He later led the city's transition to the Common Core and spearheaded the K-20 college and career readiness agenda.
Josh was the Dean of Innovation, Policy & Research at Bank Street College of Education, where he oversaw community programs, launched the Center for Culture, Race and Equity, and founded Prepared to Teach, a national policy institute focused on transforming the teacher ecosystem in the United States. He later served as Executive Vice President of the Great Oaks Foundation, a multi-state charter network and AmeriCorps program built around high-dosage tutoring and national service.
Josh lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two adolescent sons who keep him deeply grounded. Beyond work, parenting, and social justice, he coaches baseball, loves the outdoors, and walks his very scruffy dog.
Contact Josh at Josh@IPsquared.org.
IPsquared leverages a network of education leaders and content experts. These colleagues contribute as needed to our work with partners.
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From the classroom to the corner office, Vanda has witnessed firsthand how the right strategy, simply executed, changes everything. Working alongside school districts, workforce agencies, and community organizations to build systems that actually work for the young people who need them most, she knows change happens when people know their voice matters, their experience is valued, and the path forward is one they helped build.
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Vero’s superpower is translating deep educational research and lived experience into joyful learning experiences that keep children connected to language, culture, and community. Through advising, leadership coaching, facilitation, curriculum design, and product development, she helps organizations create meaningful supports for multilingual children, families, and educators.
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Jemina dedicates her time, talent, and voice to advancing equity and access, while serving as a mentor and role model to emerging senior leaders, particularly women of color. Through her executive coaching practice, she cultivates wellness‑centered, sustainable leadership that fuels long‑term impact and organizational excellence.
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Kenan sees the problems beneath the problems, spots patterns others miss, and turns them into systems that get results, with 150% of ambitious daily goals reached on average. (Focus areas: Enrollment systems, Program Design, Leadership Capacity building).
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Rod grounds his leadership coaching in identifying both effective strategies and cultivating productive mindsets. Values that inform his approach are relationship building, inclusion, collective learning, and innovation.
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Hector is recognized for building equity‑centered strategies that deepen school‑community partnerships. Adept at crafting culturally responsive frameworks, developing leadership capacity through a human-centric approach, and mobilizing teams around a shared mission of educational excellence. He is a visionary designer of soulful professional development that transforms instructional practices and creates greater staff cohesion.
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Michael helps leaders build excellent institutions that honor both performance and human dignity. By combining strategic clarity, prudent decision-making, and capacity building, Michael helps organizations thrive in complex environments.
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Kate partners with organizations who are working to balance service, mission, productivity, accountability, and humanity in their culture. Through coaching, care, strategic advising, training, and intervention she enables transformations in the places that matter most.
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Johannah is drawn to work with organizations confronting messy problems or trying to change big systems. Through strategic planning, facilitation and coaching, she supports leaders with root-cause analysis, effective stakeholder engagement and charting ambitious courses for the future.
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PowerTools offers customized, comprehensive "academic-adjacent" support to schools, districts, and youth-serving organizations through consulting, coaching, facilitation, and thought partnership. Whether you're seeking capacity building for teachers, career-connected learning, effective teaming/leadership coaching, positive school culture/climate, restorative practices, Social Emotional (Academic) Learning, youth workshops, or organizing staff appreciation events, we've got you covered.
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Chris has spent his career building school and organizational systems and processes for schools and educational organizations. He infuses his values of relationship and integrity with a strategic lens.
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Jonah founded Learning Path to work with educators and schools to create the tools and space for every learner to discover and walk their unique journey to become the best version of themselves. Learning Path focuses on data engineering, impact evaluation, data analysis, data visualization, and AI tools of all shapes and sizes.
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MarGrady Research helps education leaders make better decisions to improve the lives of students. The team does this through rigorous analysis of data, clear and insightful presentation of results, and the development of lasting partnerships with the school districts, foundations, and other education organizations we work with.
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Aliento transforms trauma into hope and action. Aliento supports students, Dreamers, and mixed-status families move from surviving to thriving. By combining healing, education and career readiness, leadership development, and advocacy, we build pathways to opportunity and lasting change.
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Jessica works with mission-driven organizations to turn ambitious goals into meaningful results. Drawing on expertise in strategy, policy, and stakeholder engagement, she creates the alignment, influence, and accountability needed to move from vision to sustained impact.
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Gene's leadership improves human and organizational systems so that we can better serve every student and find joy in our work. He draws on scholarship and experience leading schools, districts, and nonprofits to find the patterns and connections that accelerate change.
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Angelica helps leaders tackle complex organizational, executive, and public policy challenges with clarity and confidence. Through strategic facilitation, stakeholder engagement, and thoughtful analysis, she builds alignment and translates ideas into actionable plans that drive results.
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Matt and his team at Noble Story Group operationalize Emotional Intelligence (EI) to support leaders and teams to reach their potential. They apply their EI 5-Square Framework through 1-1 coaching, team coaching, cohort learning and coach training.
