August 20, 2026
For many educators, teaching is more than a profession. It is a calling rooted in service, growth, and the belief that every student deserves the opportunity to thrive.
Few individuals embody this philosophy more fully than Mike Williams ’05ED—an educator, innovator, and proud graduate of The School of Education. Mike serves as an Adjunct Professor within the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. In addition, he is the founder of CollabED, an innovative online platform designed to support educators at every stage of their professional journey.
Driven by a passion for supporting teachers and improving outcomes for students, Mr. Williams has transformed a simple idea into a growing national community dedicated to helping educators connect, collaborate, and succeed. Through CollabED, he is creating an ecosystem where teachers can find the resources, mentorship, professional learning, and support they need to navigate an increasingly complex educational landscape.
A Teacher First
Mr. Williams’ journey began with a desire to make a difference in the lives of young people. Reflecting on his decision to enter the profession, he explained, “To me, there is no better job. To be around students and watch them grow, learn, and accomplish things—there really is no better feeling in the world.”
Like many educators, Mr. Williams witnessed firsthand the challenges that emerged during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers faced increased demands, changing instructional models, and growing concerns about burnout and isolation. While educators have always been resilient, Mr. Williams recognized that many lacked the support systems necessary to sustain their work.
“Teachers need support,” he said. “They need to be able to speak to people who can help them with the things that they’re struggling with. What they don’t need is isolation.”
That realization became the foundation for CollabED.
From a Simple Idea to a Growing Ecosystem
What began as a concept resembling a social networking site for educators has evolved into something much more ambitious. “CollabED was more of a Facebook for teachers,” Mr. Williams explained. “Since then, we have evolved into what I am calling an ecosystem. It’s an ecosystem of support for teachers.”
Today, CollabED serves as a multifaceted professional community designed to support educators at every stage of their careers, from teacher candidates preparing for their first classroom experience to veteran educators looking to share expertise and mentor others. The platform welcomes anyone interested in supporting education and currently benefits from more than 60 volunteers from across the United States and around the world.
While many contributors are classroom educators, others bring expertise from fields such as human resources, technology, recruitment, and organizational leadership. This interdisciplinary approach allows teachers to gain insights not only about instruction, but also about professional growth, career development, and workplace wellness.
Five Powerful Resources for Educators
At the heart of CollabED are five interconnected platforms that work together to support teachers.
- EngagED - Community Channels
The original cornerstone of CollabED remains its professional learning community. Educators can participate in conversations led by volunteer “channel captains” who facilitate discussions around specific content areas, instructional approaches, and educational interests. With channel leaders representing topics ranging from problem-based learning to secondary health education, teachers have opportunities to exchange ideas, seek advice, and learn from colleagues who have faced similar challenges. Mr. Williams envisions educators logging in with practical questions and receiving real-world answers from peers who have already tested strategies in their classrooms.
“It’s a place where people can go to build the community that we don’t have in our classrooms every day,” he said. Our captain for the elementary education channel is Angela Gallo ’25ED, ’26M.S.Ed., secondary mathematics is Linda Melendez 25ED, ’26M.S.Ed and Carly Cassiere, '26ED has been an active leader in our organization.
- EngagED - Self-Paced Professional Learning
Recognizing that teachers often need flexible professional development, CollabED offers a growing library of self-paced learning opportunities. One resource Mr. Williams is particularly passionate about focuses on parent communication, a topic many new educators encounter with little formal preparation.
“How to best deal with parents is something we don’t really touch on a lot before your first parent-teacher conference,” he noted.
The self-paced courses are designed to complement, not replace, formal teacher preparation programs. For students currently enrolled in education programs, CollabED serves as an extension of classroom learning, providing practical insights into the realities of teaching.
- Built By Educators, A CollabED Podcast
The platform also features a podcast dedicated to professional reflection and growth. Unlike entertainment-focused educational podcasts, the CollabED podcast is intentionally designed to help teachers think critically about their practice. Episodes provide actionable insights, practical strategies, and opportunities for educators to reflect on their work.
“It’s not designed to go viral,” Mr. Williams said. “It’s designed to help teachers think about certain things and get takeaways.”
- ThriveED - Teacher Wellness
One of the most innovative components of the platform is ThriveED, a wellness initiative focused on teacher mental health and well-being. As conversations about educator burnout continue nationwide, ThriveED seeks to remind teachers to prioritize self-care and reconnect with the purpose behind their work.
“ThriveED focuses on the mental health of teachers and creating wellness for teachers, reminding us to take a step back, reminding us why we do this work,” Mr. Williams explained. The initiative reflects his belief that supporting educators emotionally and professionally is essential to supporting students.
- StackED - Resource Library
StackED offers educators a collaborative resource-sharing platform inspired by the stacks of a traditional library. The goal is to create a centralized collection of free instructional materials, websites, lesson ideas, museum resources, and educator-created content that teachers can easily access and share. StackED is overseen by Alisha Sampath ’25ED, ’26M.S.Ed.
“We’re looking for stuff that you’ve made or free resources,” Mr. Williams said. “We’re looking for a place to share.”
Together, these five pillars create a comprehensive support system that addresses instructional practice, professional learning, wellness, and collaboration. However, more features are on the horizon, including GatherED, a chat group, and EmergED, a space for new/beginning educators.
Building Community Across Generations
A defining feature of CollabED is its commitment to bringing educators together across experience levels and generations. Mr. Williams believes some of the most powerful learning occurs when veteran teachers and aspiring educators engage in meaningful dialogue.
“This is not only experienced teachers teaching inexperienced teachers,” he explained. “It’s teachers of all generations coming together and putting things together for the benefit of the students.”
That philosophy resonates strongly with teacher candidates and early-career educators, who often seek practical guidance as they transition into the profession. For Mr. Williams, community is not merely a feature of CollabED—it is its purpose.
“Community is important because we have to develop our people and let them spread their wings and bring ideas to the table so that we can all succeed,” he said.
Rooted in the St. John’s Mission
Although CollabED serves educators from many institutions, Mr. Williams sees a strong connection between the platform and the values he learned at St. John’s University. “Everything we do at CollabED really is in the spirit of service,” he said. “It’s serving the people who are going to become teachers.”
That commitment aligns closely with St. John’s Vincentian mission of service, respect, excellence, and care for others. Mr. Williams believes these values continue to guide both his work as an educator and the growth of CollabED. As the platform expands toward its vision of eight integrated support systems, he remains focused on one goal: empowering teachers so they can better serve students.
“I don’t think there’s anybody more important in the education field than teachers,” he said. “They are the ones who sit in front of our students every day. My thought and my feeling is that we have to take care of those people.”
As the fall semester begins, Mr. Williams is excited about the future of CollabED and The School of Education as he returns to campus to adjunct.
Join Alisha Sampath ’25ED, ’26M.S.Ed. and Amber Collazo'26ED as they virtually host GatherED on September 1 at 7 p.m.(www.collabed.org), and mark your calendars for a reception for educators and future educators on September 14 on the Queens, NY, campus with Mr. Williams.
For more information, please contact:
Aliya E. Holmes, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Innovation and Partnership
[email protected]