Meet Our Team
Allan Shedlin, MA, ABD
Creator
Most importantly, Allan Shedlin is the father of and daddy to three daughters and a “bonus son,” as well as five grandchildren, and three “bonus grandchildren.”
Allan is a former teacher, adjunct professor, school principal, advisor to the US Secretary of Education, state superintendents of education, and the White House Office of Faith-based & Neighborhood Partnerships. He earned a BA in English from Colgate University, MA in both Elementary Education and Special Education from Columbia University Teachers College, and an ABD in Education Administration from Fordham.
He's held a variety of leadership positions in education and child advocacy at the local, state, and national levels. Shedlin has written widely in the popular and professional press on education and parenting issues. During the past two decades, he has devoted his research and energies to working with parents – with a concentration on dads, granddads, and father figures. He has conducted qualitative research with children (5 to 21 years old) and dads and granddads (16 to 104 years old) from more than 20 countries.
Shedlin has been described as a “serial social profit entrepreneur” because he has been founder, executive director, or president of several education- and family-focused organizations, including the National Elementary School Center, DADsUnlimited, REEL FATHERS, New Mexico Alliance for Fathers & Families, and currently the DADvocacyConsulting Group (DCG).
Shedlin's work with DCG includes developing and conducting programs for dads/granddads/father figures at schools and agencies, as well as one-on-one parenting coaching, workshops, and speaking engagements in a variety of venues. He also continues to write on a broad range of parenting topics. He and DCG are based in the greater Washington, DC area.
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Scott Beller
Communications Director
Scott is the proud daddy of two daughters. He is also a seasoned writer and public relations agency veteran with more than 25 years experience helping organizations of all sizes reach audiences and tell their stories, credibly and with impact. Prior to launching his own creative communications consultancy in 2003, he led PR teams with some of the world’s most respected agencies, including Fleishman-Hillard and The Weber Group.
Scott’s strategic communications talents have been called upon by some of the most recognized brands, including Nike, Dell, Anheuser-Busch, XM Satellite Radio, NASDAQ, American Public University System, Sprint, FEMA, and Southwestern Bell. During his career, he’s developed and managed numerous campaigns supporting the improved quality of life for children and families. As an independent consultant, he’s helped launch two other parenting advocacy nonprofits with DCG founder Allan Shedlin. His first book, Beggars or Angels (Oaklight, August 2013), was a ghostwritten memoir for the nonprofit Devotion to Children's founder Rosemary Tran Lauer.
In addition to his role directing DCG’s communications strategy and activities, Scott serves as Head Writer/Editor for the Raising Nerd blog, which supports parents in inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers, and creative problem solvers.
Scott’s work with DCG and Raising Nerd is the perfect storm allowing him to pursue all his passions at once: being a dad, writer, teacher, and creative Nerd. He earned his BA in Communications from Virginia Tech and lives in Arlington, VA, with his girls and wife Elisabeth.
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David goldstein, MA
special projects Director
David aspires to be a dad who guides his son, Kaleo. He and his wife Nani have enjoyed every minute of Kaleo’s life since the howling little guy was born. That first soliloquy led to the name, Kaleo, which literally means “the voice” in the Hawaiian language and reflects his mom’s roots in Honolulu.
David grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from UCLA in the 80s. He was a Rotary International Graduate Scholar and Ambassador in Caracas, Venezuela. He also has lived in Spain and Mexico. He taught Spanish to bilingual 4th-6th graders in LA and Oakland and led an initiative to improve San Francisco’s middle schools through a year-long Principal Leadership Institute.
He earned a Masters in Public Policy from UC Berkeley’s Goldman School and worked for the Office of the President of the University of California on initiatives to improve teacher professional development. He then served as the Associate Director of the Center for Research, Evaluation and Assessment at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science, where he focused on afterschool math and science programs for underrepresented minority and English learner students, advanced math and science students, and teacher professional development, as well as curriculum development and evaluation.
David moved to Washington, DC, in 2009 and began working on afterschool math and science programs, national educational standards, and improving national educational data collection and its use. Today, David consults on workforce development for “opportunity youth,” which means initiatives that support young people’s efforts to identify areas of interest compatible with a pathway to 21st century, sustainable-wage careers that may include traditional post-secondary education or other certified vocational training.
By supporting special projects of the DADvocacy team, David hopes to amplify the message that involved dads gain two priceless gifts: better time spent with their kids and the chance to nurture critical, social-emotional development through deep and continuous presence in their children’s lives.
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Robert Richardson, MA
Financial director
Rob Richardson is the proud father of three girls and “Papi” to two grandsons and a granddaughter. He is a senior strategist who bridges business and academia to advance the objectives of each. He is an educator and business leader with a career as the head of major non-profit, philanthropic, and educational programs and organizations.
Playing communications and leadership consulting roles at The Conference Board and the Committee for Economic Development, Rob prepares business leaders to amplify their voice and to direct corporate resources to propel state and local education improvement. Previously, he led program development and fund raising at Achieve, Inc. and Change the Equation, both national non-profit organizations launched and supported by CEOs.
From 2001-2011, Rob served as the East Coast education manager for Intel Corporation. He provided strategic direction to Intel’s investments in K-12 schools and higher education to improve programs in math, science, and engineering, particularly for women and under-represented minorities. Prior to that, he founded and was president of a regional education center for nine years, offering professional development to teachers in 10 school districts. For this, his organization won a White House citation for public/private partnerships.
Rob earned a bachelor’s degree from Tufts University and a master’s from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He currently lives in Washington, DC, not far from family members.
Ben Garber
IT Director
Ben is a student at the University of South Carolina, College of Engineering and Computing. He is studying Computer Science and is employed as a technician by the University of South Carolina Division of Information Technology. He is also acting Chief Technology Officer for H&K Capital.
