SCHOOL BOARD PARTNERS ANNOUNCES 6TH COHORT OF COMPETITIVE FELLOWSHIP FOR ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS

99 elected school board members from across the country will participate in this yearlong fellowship and mentorship program.

New Orleans, LA — Today, School Board Partners (SBP) announced its sixth and largest cohort of Fellows to join its School Board Partners National Fellowship. SBP has selected 99 individuals to participate in the competitive, one-year fellowship for diverse elected school board members. This year’s cohort is made up of 80% people of color, with participants hailing from 76 different school districts and 28 different states, representing a total 2.2 million students.

SBP’s fellowship empowers school board members — many holding elected office for the first time — with the knowledge, mentorship, community, and policy support to address the needs of their district and students. As part of the Fellowship, these emerging education leaders are paired with trusted mentors who provide them with the guidance, first-hand knowledge, and skills needed to implement real change through equity-centered policies in their districts.

“Our Fellowship equips new school board members with the skills, knowledge, and community they need to become effective school board members. Each Fellow receives personalized support, including a mentor and policy coach, to design policies that will have the greatest impact on students,” said Carrie Douglass, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of School Board Partners. “As an elected school board member myself, I’ve seen how kids-first policies can improve student outcomes, paving the way to more equitable and high-quality schools.”

SBP Fellows are trained in six high-impact areas: hiring, anti-racist policy-making, representing the community, developing goals, school performance frameworks, and budget and resource management. The Fellowship also includes an in-person convening, regular webinars with a community of practice, an individual executive coach, policy mentors, and access to SBP’s library of resources.

“We’re thrilled to welcome the latest cohort of Fellows into the School Board Partners community,” said Ethan Ashley, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of School Board Partners. “I’ve experienced firsthand the power of school boards to make a difference, both in my own life and during my time as an elected school board member. With this unique support and tools, the Fellows are empowered to address the challenges facing our schools, turning their campaign promises into real policy change for students.”

The 2024 C6 School Board Fellows are:

1. Alethea Smith-Tucker, Christina School District - Delaware

2. Amelia McMillan, Central York School District - Pennsylvania

3. Anamarie Avila Farias, Contra Costa County Board of Education - California

4. Andy Song, Kent School District - Washington

5. Angelica M. Alvarez, Highline School District - Washington

6. Ashley Esposito, Baltimore City Public Schools - Maryland

7. Ashley Hodge, Roosevelt Elementary School District - Arizona

8. Benjamin Walker, Central York School District - Pennsylvania

9. Brooke Ann Roper, Hopkins Public School District- Minnesota

10. Cesar A Looez, Nogales Unified School District #1 - Arizona

11. ChauWing Lam, Philadelphia Public Schools - Pennsylvania

12. Christina Horner, Wellesley Public Schools - Massachusetts

13. Courtney Graves, Ferguson Florissant School District - Missouri

14. Crystal D Williams, Newark Public Schools - New Jersey

15. Darryl Jackson, Milwaukee Public Schools - Wisconsin

16. Dawn Marie Johnson, Sioux Falls School District - South Dakota

17. Dr. Shonda Matia Harris-Muhammed, Richmond City Schools - Virginia

18. Emily Susanna Chávez, Durham Public Schools - North Carolina

19. Erin O’Hara Block, Metro Nashville Public Schools - Tennessee

20. Esmeralda Ortiz, Mountain View-Los Altos High School Union - California

21. Gabe Crenshaw, Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District - Ohio

22. Gary Hardie, Lynwood Unified School District - California

23. Gretchen Brandt, State College Area School District - Pennsylvania

24. Halla Henderson, Saint Paul Public Schools - Minnesota

25. Helen J.M. Bassett, Robbinsdale Area Schools - Minnesota

26. Hope Hampton, Indianapolis Public Schools - Indiana

27. Ingrid Parker, Norristown Area School District - Pennsylvania

28. Isaiah Santiago, Rochester City School District - New York

29. Jackie Hart, Ferndale Public Schools - Michigan

30. Jami Reever, Emporia Public Schools - Kansas

31. Janet Estrada, Adams County School District 14 - Colorado

32. Jason Simmons, Forest Hills School District - Ohio

33. Jelicia McMullen, Finneytown Local School District - Ohio

34. Jennifer Branch Stewart, Voorhees Township Public School District - New Jersey

35. Jessica Carda-Auten, Durham Public Schools - North Carolina

36. Jessica Goodman, Nyack Public Schools - New York

37. Jianan Shi, Chicago Public Schools - Illinois

38. Jim Vue, Saint Paul Public Schools - Minnesota

39. John Youngquist, Denver Public Schools - Colorado

40. Jonathan Guzman, Lawrence Public Schools - Massachusetts

41. Julio Mejia, Greater Lawrence Technical School - Massachusetts

42. Justice Rajee, Beaverton School District - Oregon

43. Kate Bishop, Chula Vista Elementary School District - California

44. Kati Cabral, Chelsea Public Schools - Massachusetts

45. Katie Gipson McLean, Creighton Elementary School District - Arizona

46. Kellie Hinkle, Haddon Township School District - New Jersey

47. Kendra Mapp, Cincinnati Public Schools - Ohio

48. Kesha Hamilton, Jackson Public Schools - Michigan

49. Keshia Thomas, Fresno Unified School District - California

50. Kiana Maria Sears, Mesa Public Schools - Arizona

51. Kimberlee Sia, Denver Public Schools - Colorado

52. Kina Chadwick, Bend-La Pine School District - Oregon

53. Leanne Greenberg, Osborn Elementary School District - Arizona

54. Ligia Andrade Zuniga, San Mateo Union High School District - California

55. Lisa Millwood, Randolph Public Schools - Massachusetts

56. Luis Peralta, Osborn School District - Arizona

57. Maia Pearson, Madison Metropolitan School District - Wisconsin

58. Manufou Liaiga-Anoa'i, Jefferson Elementary School District - California

59. Mao Howell, Norristown Area School District - Pennsylvania

60. Maria D. Zubia "Marina", Adams County School District 14 - Colorado

61. Maria Salamanca, Orange County Public Schools - Florida

62. Marlene De La Rosa, Denver Public Schools - Colorado

63. Mary Cleveland, Princeton City Schools - Ohio

64. Mary Wineberg, Cincinnati Public Schools - Ohio

65. Matthew Serafin, Val Verde Unified - California

66. Mayra Gomez, Gresham-Barlow School District - Oregon

67. Megan Frankiewicz, Roosevelt Elementary #66 - Arizona

68. Melody L Relerford, Flint Community Schools - Michigan

69. Michael Carter, Aurora Public Schools - Colorado

70. Michael Clack, Flint Community Schools - Michigan

71. Michelle DeFilippis, Tarrytown School District - New York

72. Michelle Morancie, Fulton County Schools - Georgia

73. Michelle Simmons, Douglas County School System - Georgia

74. Naveed Baqir, Christina School District - Delaware

75. Ngoc Vuong, USD 259 - Kansas

76. Nichelle DeWitt, Appoquinimink School District - Delaware

77. Peter Boyle, East Valley Institute of Technology #401 - Arizona

78. Rachel R. Barnett, Littleton Elementary SD - Arizona

79. Regina Chagolla, Emery Unified School District - California

80. Richard Rosen, Voorhees Township - New Jersey

81. Robert Carpenter, Essex Westford School District - Vermont

82. Sadia Khan, Albany Unified School District - California

83. Sam Davis, Oakland Unified School District - California

84. Sandra Dukhie, Ferndale Public Schools - Michigan

85. Shanika Perry, Brandywine School District - Delaware

86. Shawneece Stevenson, Sequoia Union High School District - California

87. Sherri Jones, Florence Unified School District - Arizona

88. Shiva Rajbhandari, Boise Independent School District - Idaho

89. Signa Oliver, Phoenix Union High School District - Arizona

90. Tanya D Woods, Chicago Public Schools - Illinois

91. Tashiba Graham, Appoquinimink School District - Delaware

92. Terae King Jr., Flint Community Schools - Michigan

93. Tessi Ruiz, Norristown Area School District - Pennsylvania

94. Tramaine Duncan, Aurora Public Schools - Colorado

95. Valarie Bachelor, Oakland Unified School District - California

96. Violeta M Ramos, Osborn School District - Arizona

97. Vivian Webster, Mansfield Public - Massachusetts

98. Yonnie Collins, Haverhill Ward 6 - Massachusetts

99. Yun-Fei Lou, Christina School District - Delaware

This cohort represents SBP’s sixth cohort since 2020. Including fellows from previous cohorts and the newly named sixth cohort, SBP has worked with nearly 349 school board members in 28 states and 120 school districts, serving over seven million students.

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School Board Partners is a nonprofit organization focused on transforming education in America by supporting, connecting and re-electing diverse, anti-racist school board members across the country to lead with courage, competence, and impact.