Maya Woods-Cadiz

Maya Woods-Cadiz
Founder & CEO, Novus Mundus 360

Maya Woods-Cadiz is a nationally respected education executive with nearly 30 years of success transforming schools, districts, and charter systems. As the Founder and CEO of Novus Mundus 360, she brings deep expertise in school turnaround and leadership development. Her 11-year tenure as Superintendent and CEO of the highest-performing charter school network in the California Bay Area, where every campus ranked in the top 5% statewide a distinction achieved through clear vision, operational discipline, and a deep commitment to students. Her leadership guided the network through four successful charter renewals, including a groundbreaking renewal under California’s AB 1505, securing county wide authorization.

Maya has worked across public, charter, and independent schools, as well as in central office roles in a large urban school system. She understands the demands facing struggling schools and has a proven track record of turning around underperforming campuses by rebuilding leadership capacity, restoring trust, and designing systems that work. Struggling schools choose to work with her because she brings more than theory, she brings results. She knows how to lead through crisis, engage community, and align strategy with sustainable student success.

Maya founded Novus Mundus 360 to expand her impact by coaching leaders, supporting boards, guiding compliance, and partnering with schools to deliver stronger systems, more effective leadership, and better outcomes for students, especially in communities that need it most.

Seth Feldman

Seth Feldman
Affiliate Partner, Novus Mundus 360

Seth Feldman brings a rare and powerful blend of expertise to Novus Mundus 360, distinguished by his ability to create calm out of chaos and lead struggling organizations back to clarity, strength, and operational excellence. With a Juris Doctorate and deep experience in law, leadership, compliance, and school systems, Seth is a trusted advisor to educational institutions navigating complexity and change.

His background includes a uniquely diverse skill set—one that spans legal research and writing, alternative dispute resolution, forensic accounting, EEOC representation, special education compliance, and Title IX oversight. Seth also has extensive experience in school leadership, project management, and organizational investigations, and frequently serves as General Counsel to school districts across California.

Seth is CASBO-certified as a Certified School Business Officer, demonstrating mastery of public school finance and operations. He also serves as a Committee Chair for WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges), where he leads comprehensive 360° reviews of school systems with a focus on institutional improvement and sustainable growth.

Whether he's advising on governance, conducting investigations, managing complex compliance mandates, or helping teams realign around mission and outcomes, Seth Feldman is a steady and strategic presence in any room. At Novus Mundus 360, he brings unmatched insight and versatility to help schools and systems solve problems, build capacity, and thrive.

Katema Ballentine

Katema Ballentine
Affiliate Partner, Novus Mundus 360

Katema Ballentine brings over 26 years of financial and operational leadership in public education. With deep expertise in budget development, fiscal oversight, special fund management, position control, and project coordination, Katema is a trusted partner to school systems striving for financial clarity, operational strength, and long-term sustainability.

She has managed and supported complex school district budgets exceeding $500 million, led district-wide budget adoption processes, and overseen state and federal compliance reporting—including categorical funding, capital facilities, and special education fiscal management. Katema is especially known for her ability to translate complex budget information into actionable guidance for superintendents, boards, and school site teams.

Katema has served as Chief Business Officer for AIMS K12 College Prep Charter District, as well as Budget Director and Analyst for Oakland Unified School District.

She is certified in CBO Bootcamp, Advanced Excel, and Project Management, and has served as a CASBO Facilitator.

At Novus Mundus 360, Katema brings unmatched precision, integrity, and dedication to helping schools build systems that support strong student outcomes, informed decision-making, and organizational health.

Brian Wilson

Brian Wilson
Affiliate Partner, Novus Mundus 360

Brian Wilson is an accomplished executive leader with a proven track record of strengthening operations, compliance, and systems alignment across the public, nonprofit, and education sectors. As Vice President of Operations at Charter Benefits, he helped lead the company’s evolution from a specialized insurance agency into a comprehensive HR and compliance solution provider—serving over 500 organizations including school districts, private schools, and mission-driven nonprofits.

Brian specializes in helping schools build strong back-office foundations, enabling leadership teams to focus on student achievement and organizational health. By addressing the unique operatoinal needs of schools. Brian’s calm leadership and sharp problem-solving make him a trusted advisor.

His work reflects a simple belief: great schools require great systems. At Novus Mundus 360, Brian helps make that possible.

Dr. Tanja S. Thompson, EdD, MBA

Dr. Tanja S. Thompson, EdD, MBA
Affiliate Partner, Novus Mundus 360

When you partner with Novus Mundus 360, you gain direct access to the transformational expertise of Dr. Tanja S. Thompson—a nationally recognized conflict resolution specialist, TEDx speaker, and 25-year Air Force veteran with unmatched credibility in high-stakes organizational support.

Dr. Thompson brings deep experience in mediation, HR investigations, trauma-informed leadership, and organizational design. Whether navigating employee disputes, repairing broken teams, or coaching executives through tough transitions, she delivers outcomes with professionalism, empathy, and precision.

Her ability to combine military-grade discipline, emotional intelligence, and equity-centered solutions makes her the trusted partner schools, nonprofits, and agencies turn to when the stakes are highest.

Clients trust Dr. Thompson to:

  • Lead confidential investigations with care, clarity, and compliance
  • Resolve conflict and restore team trust through expert mediation
  • Design sustainable leadership and HR systems that actually work
  • Coach leaders through high-pressure decisions and difficult dynamics