Our Team

John David “J.D.” Merrill is an experienced and trusted leader in public education who adds capacity and value to every team he is a part of. Prior to founding Mangrove Strategies, he served as a teacher, school district leader, and Assistant Principal in Baltimore City Public Schools, where he helped lead his school to be the most improved K-8 in Baltimore City. You can read about J.D.'s work in these roles here.

 

In addition to his formal roles in Baltimore City Public Schools, Merrill has served on the new charter school review team, reviewing and evaluating new charter school applications; the district negotiating team to develop an MOU with the Baltimore Teachers Union for school reopening during COVID-19; and on the district’s contract negotiating team for negotiations with the Baltimore Teachers Union.

 

J.D. started his career as a Teach For America corps member, teaching high school social studies at the same high school he attended. He earned his B.A. in Educational Policy Studies from Davidson College and an M.S. in Educational Studies from Johns Hopkins University.

 

J.D. enjoys working out, swimming, playing pickleball, biking, kayaking, and exploring nature. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

 

Reach out to J.D. to explore working together.

Julia Ellis is an experienced American and international educator and writer who is passionate about helping schools tell their stories in compelling ways.

 

Julia began her career teaching English in Yangsan, South Korea and has since taught multiple subjects and grade-levels in Baltimore City Public Schools and Albemarle County Schools in Charlottesville, Virginia. She has mentored new teachers, led instructional teams, and collaborated with school leaders to implement equity audits, develop after-school programming, implement virtual and hybrid learning, launch new technologies, and conduct community outreach. 

 

Julia’s work outside of the classroom has included writing policy memos for local government, writing for an ed tech company, and developing social media strategy and content for a municipal agency. 

 

Julia graduated from Davidson College with a B.A. in Religious Studies and went on to earn her M.S. in Education from Johns Hopkins University School of Education.

 

She enjoys cooking, sewing, camping, and exploring her home city of Baltimore, Maryland where she lives with her husband Sawyer and dog Jeb.