Friendship PCS

Patricia Brantley, CEO of Friendship Public Charter School, is driven by the belief that education can shape the life trajectory of every child. In her previous role as COO, she worked to expand Friendship’s capacity—academically, financially, and operationally—enabling the network to steadily increase enrollment and academic results. As CEO, Brantley is strengthening Friendship’s pipeline to college. Inspired by Friendship’s record of producing over 2,000 college-educated alumni, Brantley’s passion for children compels her to continually ask, “What more must we do to empower our scholars?” Brantley is a graduate of Princeton University and is noted as one of the top 20 African American women in education.

UNCF

Sekou Biddle leads UNCF’s advocacy efforts to ensure more African American students will be college-ready and better prepared to enroll in and complete college by driving sustainable education reforms that benefit students and empower parents and communities to demand improvement. He manages UNCF’s advocacy platform, which includes three major components: grasstops partnerships, grassroots engagement, and messaging and research. In addition, Sekou leads UNCF’s Student Professional Development Programs, preparing students to navigate from college to early-stage careers by exposing students to industry-sector career opportunities through summer and semester training.

He has more than 20 years of experience in urban public education reform and is a former at-large member of the District of Columbia City Council. He represented Wards 3 and 4 on the District of Columbia State Board of Education. As executive director of the southern region of Jumpstart for Young Children, he partnered trained adults in year-long relationships with preschool-aged children to prepare them for success in school.

Sekou previously was director of community outreach for KIPP DC, which operates 16 schools in the District of Columbia. Prior to this, he trained and supported first- and second-year teachers as a program director with Teach for America, the national teacher corps. He has hands-on experience in the classroom working as a teacher in New York City, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. While in the Atlanta Public School System, he provided professional development for elementary school teachers through the Elementary Science Education Partnership, sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

Sekou has a bachelor’s degree in business from Morehouse College and a master of education degree in early childhood education with a focus on urban education from Georgia State University. He also completed advanced studies in education policy at Georgia State.

KIPP DC PCS

Allison Fansler joined KIPP DC in 2006 and serves as president. In this role, Ms. Fansler leads all business operations and external affairs for KIPP DC, a system of 18 schools that aims to empower the next generation of leaders in Washington, D.C. During her tenure at KIPP DC, Ms. Fansler has led the strategic planning and growth of the organization from 575 students to more than 6,800 students. Ms. Fansler and her team have focused on creating a strong financial and operational footing, allowing instructional leaders to keep students and great teaching at the center of every organizational decision.

Hogan Lovells

Ambia Harper is a lawyer at Hogan Lovells LLP, where she supports thought leadership and business development for the communications and privacy and cybersecurity practices. She serves on the board of Phyllis Wheatley YWCA, and previously served on the FOCUS board and Citizen Schools New York Board of Advocates. Ms. Harper graduated from Columbia University and received her J.D. from the Yale Law School where she was managing editor of the Yale Law Journal. After law school, she was an associate in the education practice at Hogan & Hartson LLP, before serving as senior counsel for civil justice and education at Common Good, a New York nonprofit. Ms. Harper also spent several years as a litigator in New York.

Carlos Rosario PCS

Allison Kokkoros is a mother, an educator, and an ed-entrepreneur at heart who is a passionate believer in the transformative power and role of adult education not only for learners themselves but also their children, the workforce, and our society. She brings 20+ years of experience in adult education and immigrant integration to her work at the helm of the Carlos Rosario School. Under her leadership, the school has grown to serve more than 2,500 diverse adult learners annually and expanded to offer new programs and services including the Bilingual Teacher Training Program and the Puentes Exchange Programs with counterpart adult schools in El Salvador and Ethiopia. Allison attended the Harvard University Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management Program, earned her master’s degree in business administration with a focus in nonprofit management from George Washington University, and completed undergraduate studies in English, Education, and Journalism at Eastern Mennonite University.

Social Justice School PCS

Myron Long is the founder and executive director of the Social Justice School. He is a native Washingtonian, a graduate of DC Public Schools, and a veteran D.C. teacher and principal, most recently at the E.L. Haynes Public Charter School. He graduated from Morgan State University in Maryland with dual degrees in philosophy and political science and received his master’s degree in philosophy with a concentration in social policy from American University. At every stage of his career, Long has brought a commitment to social justice into his educational practice.

Elsie Whitlow Stokes PCS

For more than 35 years, Linda Moore has worked to improve conditions for underserved children and families. As the founder and former executive director of the Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School, one of the premier public schools in Washington, D.C., Moore has long contributed to a vibrant landscape where both charter schools and charter school students can thrive. Three important principles have guided Moore in her work with charter schools:

“Every student can succeed academically and become a responsible citizen.”

“Every student needs a solid foundation in reading, mathematics, social studies, science, and the arts.”

“Every student can contribute to the community through service activities that prepare that student to become a caring neighbor and responsible citizen.”

Since its founding in 1998, the Stokes School has prepared culturally diverse preschool and elementary school students to be leaders while teaching them to think, speak, read, write, and learn in multiple languages. Throughout her career, Moore has designed and provided professional development programs for educators and community leaders throughout the United States, focused on working effectively in multicultural settings on behalf of children and families.

A tireless advocate and leader, Moore has served on the FOCUS Board of Trustees, the D.C. Charter School Association Board of Directors, and as the chairperson of the D.C. Special Education Cooperative. She has been recognized locally and nationally, including an induction into the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools’ Hall of Fame in 2013, an honor that affirmed a vision for developing a new generation of scholars and global citizens who are committed to social justice and prepared to be the leaders required by our communities, our nation, and our world.

IDEA PCS

Justin Rydstrom believes that all DC students should experience excellent public education regardless of zip code. As CEO, Mr. Rydstrom has led IDEA Public Charter School through a transformative turnaround from the brink of closure to the highest performing in Ward 7 and top 10 citywide among non-selective high schools. He began at IDEA as a dean in 2012, then became principal, and has served as head of school and CEO for the past four years. Prior to coming to IDEA, Mr. Rydstrom served as dean of students at DC Prep and the SEED School of Washington, D.C. He has worked as an educational coach and was a social studies and special education teacher in North Carolina and New Hampshire schools. Mr. Rydstrom earned his bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from the University of Rochester, and his master’s degree in American studies from Georgetown University. He has also completed graduate coursework in special education at North Carolina Central University and in school administration at George Washington University. Mr. Rydstrom has a particular passion for environmental education and stewardship and has been instrumental in making IDEA’s infrastructure and campus ecologically sound and involving students and staff in green initiatives. Mr. Rydstrom lives with his wife and three children in Ward 7.

City Fund

Simone Ward is a partner with City Fund. Most recently, she was the vice president of regional strategy at the Educators for Excellence (E4e). She served as the executive director for the Women Effect Fund (WEF) and the national political director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC). She is a veteran campaign manager for three U.S. Senate races and four presidential campaigns including serving as the Florida state director for Hillary for America. She was raised in Kansas City, Missouri, proud home of the Super Bowl LIV–winning Chiefs. She is an e-CLC Certified Leadership Coach and continues to advise national advocacy organizations on developing leadership and power for women, people of color, and their families at SLW Strategies. She is currently pursuing an executive master’s in leadership at Georgetown University McDonough School of Business and lives in Washington, D.C., with her daughter.

Education Forward DC

Margie is the managing partner overseeing all of Education Forward DC’s grantmaking and grantee support work. Margie was drawn to the work at Education Forward DC because she believes deeply in supporting equity and opportunity for students and has seen the incredible potential of students across DC when they have access to excellent educational opportunities.

Prior to joining Education Forward DC in 2018, Margie was the director of advocacy and policy for Chiefs for Change where she supported a bipartisan coalition of state and local leaders working to drive transformational systems–level change for students. Previously, Margie served as chief of staff to the DC deputy mayor for education. Margie started her career as a second-grade teacher with Teach for America at Simon Elementary in DC Public Schools (DCPS).

Margie earned a B.A. summa cum laude in psychology and sociology from Tufts University and an MPP with honors from Harvard Kennedy School. Margie was born in Santiago, Chile, and was raised in Maryland. She currently lives in the Palisades neighborhood of DC with her husband and three young sons, all of whom attend Mann Elementary in DCPS. Margie is an avid DC sports fan and can regularly be found attending Nats, Caps, or Wizards games with her family.

EYA

Terry Eakin co-founded EYA LLC in 1992 as a builder/developer of urban “in-fill” housing in the Washington, D.C., area, and he remains active there today. EYA has built over 5,000 homes, was twice selected as America’s Best Builder, and has received over 300 other national and local awards. In 2009, Terry received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the DC Metropolitan Area Builders’ Association. Education reform has long been a major passion for Terry. He served on the Federal City Council’s Committee on Public Education (“COPE”), as chair of the DC Charter School Resource Center, as vice chair of the Sidwell Friends School Board, as a board member of The Learning Alliance of Vero Beach, Florida, and as the initial board chair of DC Prep PCS, where he continues to serve on the board. Terry has also served on numerous other boards including the DC Builders’ Association, the Stanford Graduate School of Business Advisory Board, the Washington Hospital Center, and the Medlantic Healthcare Group. Terry received a BSE from Princeton University and an MBA from Stanford University.

Friendship Public Charter School

Donald Hense founded Friendship Public Charter School in 1997. Thanks to Mr. Hense’s vision and relentless insistence on excellence, thousands of District students have achieved academic success with the nation’s best educators and administrators directing students to college and a rewarding future. Friendship Public Charter School now operates nine public charter school campuses in Washington, D.C., and has partnerships with schools in Baltimore, Maryland, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Mr. Hense’s service has extended to the District and well beyond its borders. In addition to serving as the chairman of the Friendship Public Charter School Board of Trustees, he is the treasurer of the board of directors for the DC Association of Chartered Public Schools, a member of the board of directors of the Center for Education Reform, and a member of the board of the Children & Youth Investment Trust.

He previously served as director of development of the Children’s Defense Fund; national vice president for development of the National Urban League in New York; vice president for development of Prairie View A&M University and Texas A&M University System; and director of governmental relations at Dartmouth College, Boston University, and Howard University. He is also the co-founder of the Bridges to Friendship Initiative, which was highlighted by Vice President Gore at the White House Summit on Community Empowerment as a model initiative.

Mr. Hense’s dedication and achievement have been widely recognized. In June of 2011, Mr. Hense was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools. He was among selected Washingtonians showcased in the Choosing to Participate: Portrait of Courage Exhibition, which highlighted how civic choices shape individuals as they grow into active community members and global citizens. In celebration of Black History Month, Mr. Hense received the Amtrak Pioneer Award from the Washington Wizards to honor African Americans who have made outstanding contributions to the greater DC community. In 2015, Mr. Hense was inducted into the Washington DC Hall of Fame, which recognizes District of Columbia residents who have had an outstanding impact on the city and individuals from the region who have significantly contributed to the city.

Mr. Hense is a graduate of Morehouse College and received one of the most prestigious awards offered by Morehouse College, the Bennie Award for Service, which honors alumni who have performed great acts of service to others.

He also received the Presidential Award of Distinction. He attended graduate school at Stanford University where he was a Ford Foundation Fellow. He was a Rockefeller intern in economics at Cornell University; a Merrill Scholar to the University of Ghana; and a lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley.

President, Peabody Theoharis Management

Mr. Peabody’s career has combined a successful real estate practice with work in public service and charitable institutions.

After graduating from Harvard Business School in 1952, and a short stint with a small business in Boston, he became the executive secretary of the New York State Commission Against Discrimination. Later he moved to Massachusetts where he worked in civil rights and housing, both at the city level, where he worked for the Boston Redevelopment Authority as a specialist in minority housing, and at the state level, where he was the advisor to his brother, Governor Endicott Peabody, on civil rights and low-income housing.

In 1968, Mr. Peabody moved to Washington, D.C., where he served as deputy assistant secretary for equal opportunity at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, in which position he launched HUD’s first trial of housing vouchers allowing HUD clients choice in housing. This experiment led eventually to the current Section 8 housing allowance, which currently funds over one million low-income families who would otherwise be located in public housing. In 1973, he started a real estate development business in Washington, D.C., which continues to the present time.

For two decades, Mr. Peabody devoted considerable time outside his business to developing the Washington International School, where he was board chair for 11 years until 1995. In that same year, he founded Friends of Choice in Urban Schools (FOCUS), with the mission to establish the public charter school movement here in the nation’s capital.

Through FOCUS, he worked with others to pass the School Reform Act of 1996, which established the public charter school program in DC.

The original charter school law for DC had no provision for financing facilities for schools, so in 1998 he worked with the U.S. House Appropriations Committee to amend the act to add such financing, and later with the DC City Council to develop the funding formula that now provides over $3,000 per student, or over $100 million annually to the more than 39,000 charter students.

Currently, he is on the board of the D.C. Promise Neighborhood Initiative in the Kenilworth neighborhood, which is seeking to replicate the results of Geoffrey Canada’s Harlem Children’s Zone in New York City.