Introducing SBP's Cohort 7 Fellows!

SCHOOL BOARD PARTNERS ANNOUNCES 7TH COHORT OF COMPETITIVE FELLOWSHIP FOR ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER

71 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 seventh cohort of Fellows to join its School Board Partners National Policy and Leadership Fellowship. SBP has selected 71 individuals to participate in the competitive, one-year fellowship for elected school board members. This year’s cohort is made up of 76% people of color, with participants hailing from 61 different school districts and 30 different states, representing close to 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 student-centered policies in their districts.

“I am honored to welcome this incredible group of leaders into the School Board Partners Fellowship,” said Ethan Ashley, CEO of School Board Partners. “School boards have the power to create transformational change for students and families, but many members don’t receive the training and support necessary to be successful in the mission of transformational change. This fellowship equips them with the tools, mentorship, and community they need to lead with student-centered impact. I’m excited to see how Cohort 7 will advance bold policies that deliver on their promises and ensure every student has access to a quality education.”

These leaders will be trained on governance where they will develop an understanding of their own leadership style and profile, ways to improve as a leader, strategies to become more balanced and sustained leaders, and strategies to attack disparities within the education system to improve student outcomes, experiences, environments, and access.

The 2025 SBP Cohort 7 School Board Fellows are:

1. Mai Abdullah, Rush-Henrietta CSD – NY

2. Amber Allred, Ogden School District – UT

3. Arlene Anderson, Ogden School District – UT

4. Veronica Andrade, Morgan Hill Unified School District – CA

5. Jesus Andrade, San Joaquin County Office of Education – CA

6. James Austin, Woburn Public Schools – MA

7. Patrice Berry, Oakland Unified School District – CA

8. Jonathan Briggs, Prince George's County School District – MD

9. Jennifer Brouhard, Oakland Unified School District – CA

10. Hector Bustos, Santa Ana Unified School District – CA

11. Jennifer Ciok, Mount Prospect District 57 – IL

12. Xaras Collins, Norristown Area School District – PA

13. Jen Corn, Berkeley Unified School District – CA

14. Jeanne Costello, Dudley Charlton Regional School District – MA

15. Kelli Davis, Worthington City Schools – OH

16. Carla Delacruz Davila, Southbridge – MA

17. Jamie L. Devine, Richland County School District One – SC

18. Shavonda Dixon-Fernandez, Richmond Public Schools 9th District – VA

19. Tim Doran, Fairbanks North Star Borough School District – AK

20. Hannah Edelen, Covington Independent Schools – KY

21. Nohelani Etienne, Schenectady City School District – NY

22. TK Fayne, Metro Nashville Public Schools District 5 – TN

23. James Ferguson, Milwaukee Public Schools – WI

24. Tashiba Graham, Appoquinimink School District – DE

25. Nate Gruber, Cedar Falls Community School District – IA

26. Nicole Gutierrez Miller, Tempe Union High School – AZ

27. Clay Hale, San Jose-Evergreen Community College District – CA

28. Jessica Haselkorn, Fox Chapel Area School District – PA

29. Vicki Hatter, Little Rock School District – AR

30. Christine Hernandez, Huntington Beach Union High School District – CA

31. Hunter Holt, Marana Unified School District – AZ

32. Celeste Kafri, Santa Barbara Unified School District – CA

33. Angela Knighten, Winton Woods City Schools – OH

34. Rachel Latta, Oakland Unified School District – CA

35. David Li, Redwood City School District – CA

36. Andy Lie, Jefferson Union High School District – CA

37. Jennifer Mallo, Howard County Public School System – MD

38. Dion Manley, Gahanna-Jefferson Public School District – OH

39. Roxanne Martinez, Fort Worth ISD – TX

40. Natalie McKinney, Memphis Shelby County Schools – TN

41. Lizette Mier, Phoenix Union High School District – AZ

42. Kathy Mulkerin, Walla Walla Public Schools –WA

43. Versha Munshi-South, Stamford Public Schools – CT

44. Wilena Old Person, Missoula County Public Schools – MT

45. Sable Otey, Memphis Shelby County Schools - TN

46. Ashiah Parker, Baltimore City Public Schools – MD

47. Francisco Pastor Rivera, Phoenix Union High School District – AZ

48. Tamarques Porter, Memphis Shelby County Schools – TN

49. Shauna Priest, Stockton Unified School District – CA

50. Stefan Redding Lallinger, Baltimore City Public Schools – MD

51. Jocelyn Rhynard, Dayton Public Schools – OH

52. Carlos Rivas, Chicago Public Schools – IL

53. Ellen Rosenfeld, Chicago Public Schools – IL

54. Tameka Scott, Douglas County Schools – GA

55. HerBrina Shepherd, Maple Heights City Schools – OH

56. Kareem Simpson, Covington Independent Schools – KY

57. Diane Singer, Berkshire Hills Regional School District – MA

58. Perla Soria, Lindsay Unified School District – CA

59. Rachel Stone, Gwinnett County Public Schools – GA

60. Tiffany Tasker, Aurora Public Schools – CO

61. Rosie Tejada, Jefferson Union High School District – CA

62. Teresa Tenorio, Jefferson Union High School District – NM

63. Steven Thompson, Metropolitan School District Of Washington Township – IN

64. Stephanie Tidholm, Highline Public Schools – WA

65. Michael Valdez, Edgewood ISD-Bexar County – TX

66. Erica Valliant, Saint Paul Public Schools ISD 625 – MN

67. Marlon Verasamy, Essex Westford School District – VT

68. Jackie Weatherspoon, Evergreen Public Schools – WA

69. Janet White, Highland Park, Michigan Board of Education – MI

70. Stephanie Whitehorn, Rochester Public School #535 – MN

71. Stephanie Winslow, Newport Public Schools – RI

This cohort represents SBP’s seventh cohort since 2019. Including fellows from previous cohorts and the newly named seventh cohort, SBP has worked with over 500 school board members in 41 states and 190 school districts, serving over eight million students.

##

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