Meet the Team
RootedChange
Mark Parmet
Founder & Executive Director
Mark Parmet brings more than 23 years of experience in education, with a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and a lifelong commitment to equity, community, and student-centered learning. Over the years, he has worked as a teacher, coach, and school leader in diverse settings, always focused on building learning environments where every student feels seen, supported, and inspired.
Throughout his career, Mark has felt a strong pull to work in communities that are too often overlooked or under-resourced. While much of his work has touched on issues of equity and access, he is now fully stepping into that mission—turning a long-held passion into focused action. Founding RootedChange is Mark’s way of creating the change he has always wanted to be a part of.
He believes that every student and family deserves more than the bare minimum. They deserve opportunities that unlock potential, build pride, and support the dreams they carry. His work is rooted in the belief that real change comes from working with communities, not just in them.
Through RootedChange, Mark is building a new kind of education support system—one that connects schools, families, and communities in meaningful ways and puts power back in the hands of those most impacted. He is proud to be walking this path, not alone, but alongside the people who inspire the work every day.
Ashley Johnson
Executive Director of Community Engagement
Ashle Johnson is a seasoned operations leader with a background in healthcare administration and a passion for systems that prioritize wellness, equity, and collective care. With over a decade of experience managing high-stakes operations in clinical and community-based settings, Ashle has built a reputation for designing people-centered structures that actually work—for staff, for families, and for the community.
Her healthcare background provided her with a deep understanding of trauma-informed care, holistic wellness, and the importance of access, which now informs her approach to community and organizational work. Whether streamlining processes, facilitating healing spaces, or holding teams accountable to their values, Ashle leads with clarity, compassion, and cultural humility.
She partners with RootedChange to support initiatives that are grounded in healing justice and community transformation. Ashle believes that joy is strategy, systems can be soulful, and our collective legacy is built one intentional choice at a time.
