Janelle Payne is a dedicated educator and instructional coach with over 11 years of experience across both public and charter school environments. She has taught Kindergarten, 2nd grade, and 4th grade before transitioning into a leadership role as an assistant principal, where she led the K-4 math department for four years.

Throughout her career, Janelle has specialized in strengthening teachers' understanding of Common Core standards while fostering equitable teaching practices, differentiation, and data-driven instruction. With a deep commitment to leadership development, she has successfully mentored and coached numerous educators and leaders in Newark, New Jersey. Janelle firmly believes in the transformative power of math education, envisioning it as a tool for students to become agents of change in the world.

Most recently, she has held roles as a Math Instructional Specialist for EdLight, a Certified Professional Learning Facilitator for Illustrative Mathematics, and a Math Instructional Coach for Teaching Lab, where she supported the development of teachers and leaders across grades 6-8 in five public schools in Charlotte, NC.