About Us

Nicole Neily is the executive director of PDE Action and the president and founder of Defending Education. She sits on the board of Speech First, a national campus free speech organization, and has worked at the Independent Women’s Forum and the Cato Institute

Sarah Parshall Perry is the Legal Director of PDE Action and the Vice President for Defending Education. Sarah is a former Senior Counsel to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education, and former Senior Legal Fellow in the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at the Heritage Foundation.

Marissa Fallon is a Senior Advisor at PDE Action and the Director of Advocacy for Defending Education, where she assists parents and parent groups to advocate for their students. She is a founding member of Coalition for TJ, a parent organization that promotes meritocracy in K-12 education. She has over two decades experience as a business owner and researcher. Marissa has a MA from The George Washington University.

Scarlen Valderaz is a Senior Fellow at PDE Action and the Advocacy Advisor for Defending Education, where she assists and equips parents with resources to successfully advocate for their students. Scarlen is an active member of her local PTA and other parent groups that believe in public school student advocacy. She holds a BA in business leadership and has a background in telecommunications and business ownership.

Paul Runko is the Digital Communications Specialist for PDE Action and the Director of Strategic Initiatives for Defending Education. Paul has many years of experience in media as well as in education.