Lee Kappes is the chief executive officer of the Danielson Group. Prior to her appointment in May 2024, she served as the organization’s founding director of program development, growth and impact. During her 18 years in the classroom, Kappes taught kindergarten and grades 2–6, serving six years as a union president. She continued her career in public education as a staff developer, school leader, coach, mentor, and senior academic leader in an urban school district. She went on to serve as an external partner to schools, districts, and state education agencies, providing instructional leadership and strategy guidance, instructional coaching, and developmental support for teacher-centered professional learning systems.

Jim S. Furman began his career as a middle school English teacher in New Orleans, Louisiana, later teaching high school English in Denver, Colorado, and working as a professor of education in Delaware and New Orleans. He has coached future, novice, and veteran K–12 teachers in literacy, social studies, math, and science instruction; supported school leaders in urban schools to build and improve systems of teacher professional development; redesigned teacher preparation programs, field experiences, and assessments; and conducted research focused on teacher preparation and adolescent literacy. Furman served as the executive director of the Danielson Group from 2018 to 2024.

When asked to oversee the pilot of The Framework for Teaching for the School District of Philadelphia, Shirley leveraged her experience as an elementary teacher, teacher of the blind and visually impaired, elementary principal, and central office administrator. Up for the challenge, her work resulted in the training of more than 200 principals and peer observers. Her understanding of and effective use of the Framework has continued as she trains educators in the United States and abroad, specializing in teacher practice, school leadership and formative assessment of student learning. Shirley holds a BS in Elementary and Early Childhood Education from Temple University; MA in Elementary Education from Antioch University; Masters of Education in Education of the Blind and Visually Impaired from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry; and a Certification in Elementary Educational Administration from Pennsylvania State University.