ANNOUNCEMENTS

Over the past several years, the Nellie Mae Education Foundation has welcomed a new cohort of education leaders into our Speakers Bureau community. This year, we are thrilled to officially announce and welcome the 2023-2024 cohort of speakers who are committed to advancing racial equity in the public education system. At a time when both learning and teaching is under threat, their voices are more important than ever.

This year’s cohort brings together experts from across the region committed to fighting for an equitable education system for all students. The cohort is a respected group of education, youth, and community leaders who are leading the effort to dismantle structural racism and implement more equitable solutions in our education system. They each have unique backgrounds and different perspectives to offer, but are all committed to helping students thrive.

We could not be more excited and thrilled about this new cohort of diverse thought leaders with the passion, expertise, and fortitude to shape the education ecosystem. Welcome to the 2023-2024 Nellie Mae Speakers Bureau cohort!

Maria Davies lives in South Burlington, Vermont. She is the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator at the Lamoille North Supervisory District in Hyde Park, Vermont. Raised in New York City, but born in Central America, she got a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and International Law from the City College of New York and is currently getting a Master’s of Education Degree with a focus on Leadership and Policy at the University of Vermont. In her role of DEI Coordinator, Maria offers the District a unique perspective on how to create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment in schools. Part of her role includes building relationships among colleagues and youth through DEI training. Maria is a strong believer in listening to understand and to connect before correcting or redirecting. Maria is fluent in Spanish and is currently learning French in her spare time.

Jessica Vega is a Senior Policy Analyst at Rhode KIDS COUNT. In her role, she leads statewide policy analysis, advocacy, research, and project management in education and economic well-being. Jessica holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Rhode Island College, where she was awarded the 2022 Faculty of Arts & Sciences Honor Roll Award in Recognition of community activism, and a Master’s Degree in Community Development from Roger Williams University. Previously, she was the President of the Central Falls City Council, championing progressive policies in housing, immigration, police reform, and youth-led programs. She currently chairs the Central Falls Juvenile Hearing Board, dedicated to keeping youth away from the juvenile criminal justice system.

Addie Lentzer is a student activist from Bennington, Vermont. She is the founder of the Vermont Anti-Racism Network, an organization dedicated to achieving education without racism, and is currently the Executive Director as well. She also works as an Executive Fellow at Our Turn, an education nonprofit that focuses on youth voice in the right for education justice. Addie is dedicated to fighting for a better world for young people – so that everybody has equitable opportunities in education and beyond. Aside from education and anti-racism, Addie has also led a successful campaign in high school that extends a housing program for people experiencing homelessness. Addie is passionate about making change and has done so through being a community leader and organizer.

Ivette Martinez is the Director of the Welcome Center at Lynn Public Schools, a district that serves almost 17,000 students, 80% of them minorities. Originally from Bogota, Colombia, Ivette is an effective, strategic, and passionate leader with 13 years of experience developing partnerships to address social justice, equity, and inclusion matters affecting students and families. Prior to her current role, she has also worked as the Director of Student Services at Pathways Adult Education in Lynn, Massachusetts, as a Community Organizer in the Essex County Community Organization, as a Community Organizer with the Lynn Workers Center, and as a Consultant with the Alliance of Inclusion and Prevention. Ivette is currently a 2023-2024 Massachusetts Education Policy Fellow with the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy. In addition to this, Ivette also serves on the Board of Casa Mariposa, sits on the Board of The Latino Support Network, and on the Steering Committee of the Lynn Rapid Response Network.

Pema Latshang is the founding Executive Director of Teach Western Mass (TWM). She has worked in urban public education since 2003, as a teacher, school, and district leader in New York City, Holyoke, and Springfield. Originally from the Western Massachusetts area, she received a B.A. in Public Policy with Honors from the University of Chicago and an M.S. in Educational Leadership from Baruch College-CUNY, along with an M.S. in Elementary Education from Pace University. Pema is skilled at building innovative systems, programs, and organizations that produce quality education for all students and gives educators what they need to be effective. As a former teacher, Pema knows that dedicated teachers are pivotal in paving the way for inclusive and transformative learning experiences that are the launchpad to economic mobility. Pema serves on the board of Thonmi, a small Buddjist translation non-profit organization, and the Tashi Nyima Foundation, a small foundation supporting education in Eastern Tibet.

Shineika Fareus is an anti-racist educator, a community organizer, and a transformative leader. A youth organizer since 2014, she is a co-founder of Hearing Youth Voices and values the importance of having access to equitable education. Through her organizing work as a Program Associate at the Center For Youth & Community Leadership In Education at Roger Williams University, her role as a Organizing Director at CT BBSU, and as the previous Board Member at a Better Way Foundation, she believes and fights for a world where we choose the well-being of people over profits.

Dr. Arria Coburn is the Executive Director of School Leadership in Hartford, Connecticut. She is entering her eighteenth year in education. Prior to her current role, she was a special education teacher, an assistant principal, and principal at the Springfield Renaissance School in Springfield, Massachusetts. During her time as principal, the school received the Magnet School of the Year award and a special recognition from the state of Massachusetts for increasing proficiency levels in math and english. Dr. Coburn earned her doctorate from Northeastern University in 2021 and completed two fellowships during the 2020-2021 school year, one with the Massachusetts Department of Education and another with Students at the Center. Her work is deeply rooted in leveraging student voice, creating equitable outcomes for all students, and encouraging conversation around race and equity in education.

Niamiah Jefferson is a Lead Organizer at ARISE. Before her current role, she was a Youth Leader at ARISE, allowing her to flourish in the various spaces she currently exists in. She is a Senior at Wheaton College and is an Eliza Wheaton Honors Scholar majoring in Psychology and minoring in Sociology with a concentration in Criminal Justice Reform. Niamiah has a deep desire to learn and constantly works to further educate herself. Since she is a strong believer in liberation through education, she uses what she learns to spread her knowledge to others. In addition to Niamiah’s role as a Lead Organizer, she is a student researcher at the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Center, at Bradley Children’s Hospital that is implementing interventions on suicide prevention among Juvenile Justice youth. Niamiah hopes to support her community to live both sustainable and fulfilling lives that center joy as it is an act of resistance against the oppressive powers that be.

Rodney L. Powell is a High School Principal and founder of EdArchy.org, where he and his team provide idea incubation, network development, and mini-grants for aspiring youth social entrepreneurs. In his 24-year career in education, he has designed and led several schools and programs in both Baltimore, MD and Hartford, CT. Powell is also a contributor to national conversations around educational revolution over reform, alternative accountability methods for opportunity youth, the power of our stories, and consensual educational practices. He is currently a doctoral candidate at Northeastern University, where his research focuses on authentically increasing agency through partnering with youth to co-design new educational entities. Powell employs a “Feed the People” approach to learning, teaching, and leadership to promote the idea that all forms of education must be learner-centered and voluntary if it is to be effective, equitable, and just.

Jeannie W. Salomon is a professional with over fifteen years of non-profit management experience. She is the Founder and Director of the Cultural Society. Jeannie has used her formal training in humanities, business, and education to start the Asian American Connections initiative in the non-profit organization she founded and turned them into many “firsts” in the state of Rhode Island. These included the first,” Uniting the AAPI Community for Change” public art, a three-weekend-long celebration of the AAPI Heritage Month in May 2023, and the exploratory research and creation of the first AAPI history museum for Rhode Island and the Northeast. Jeannie possesses excellent organizational, interpersonal, and intrapersonal skills, patience in training young people, and unswerving faith in mentoring those placed on her path. Her desire to be an effective speaker of the social justice movement has never been stronger. Jeannie strives to get rid of the white supremacy beliefs and the misinformation that has been so rampant in the last few years.

Dr. Jaykyri Simpson is the Executive Director of Young Man with a Plan, a holistic mentoring program serving young Black and Latino men “in the middle” across 8 Boston schools. Under Jaykyri’s leadership, YMWAP has grown from a small program serving 20 students to a 501c3 organization serving over 200 students and alumni in a unique mix of in- and after-school mentoring and success planning. In 2021 Jaykyri received his doctorate in Educational Leadership from New England College where his dissertation research, “Persistence Factors in Black Male College Graduates,” affirmed the value of mentoring and the degree to which young Black men crave explicit guidance respectfully delivered by trusted people. Jaykyri incorporates everything learned through his research into YMWAP’s curriculum. Prior to leading YMWAP, Jaykyri launched Project Ochendo at New Mission High School in Boston, where he taught and mentored students of color, helping them improve study skills and grades, and to access and persist at college. Jaykyri was in the 2020 cohort of the Lewis Family Foundation’s Strong Leader Program and the 2021 TSNE Nonprofit Executive Directors of Color Program. He was named a 2022 Social Innovation Forum Innovator and Institute for Nonprofit Practice Changemaker. Jaykyri is a member of EdVestor’s Racial Equity Task where he leads teacher dialogues on effectively engaging young men of color in the classroom. He has been a consultant and guest educator at New England College.

Marquis Taylor is a dedicated advocate for educational transformation and an inspirational speaker. With a profound commitment to improving educational outcomes and fostering diversity within the educational workforce, Taylor has built a legacy of positive change through mentorship and innovative initiatives. As the visionary founder of Coaching4Change, Marquis Taylor has touched the lives of numerous young individuals across Massachusetts. The organization has provided invaluable support to students, equipping them with academic and socio-emotional skills while facilitating stronger family and community connections. For Marquis’ unwavering dedication and transformative impact, they have been recognized as a CNN Hero, a recipient of the Bridgewater State University Distinguished Service Award, and an Echoing Green Fellowship. Additionally, the Claniel Foundation has honored Marquis Taylor as an Emerging Leader, highlighting their exceptional contributions to the field. Marquis Taylor went to Stonehill College, where they majored in Communication, afterwards they pursued a Master’s degree in Teaching from Smith College, acquiring the necessary skills to drive meaningful change within the field.