Strategic Council
*Board of Directors
Russ Campbell
Senior Communications Officer, Burroughs Wellcome Fund
Donnell Cannon
Executive Director of District Transition and Re-Design, Edgecombe County Public Schools
Kisha Clemons
Principal, Shuford Elementary in Newton-Conover City Schools
2020 Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year
Cris Charbonneau
Fidelity Investments
Enterprise Leadership Communications
Astrid Emily Francis
High school ESL teacher, Cabarrus County Schools
*Sonja Gantt
Executive Director, CMS Foundation
*Tracey Greene-Washington
President of Indigo Innovation Group
Founder, CoThinkk
Former Director of Special Initiatives, Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust
*Ferrel Guillory
Professor of the Practice, Director, UNC Program on Public Life, UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media
Author, Reporter, and Former Editor of the Editorial Page, News & Observer; Member, NC Journalism Hall of Fame
Gerry Hancock
Founder, EducationNC
D. Craig Horn
Former Representative, District 68, North Carolina General Assembly
*Dr. Anthony D. Jackson
Superintendent of Chatham County Schools
*Steve Lassiter
Assistant Superintendent of Educational Programs and Services, Pitt County Schools
2014-15 North Carolina Principal of the Year
Freebird McKinney
Participate Learning Director of Partnership Development
2018 Burroughs Wellcome Fund NC Teacher of the Year
Dwight Miller
Impact Officer at the John M. Belk Endowment
*Dr. Patrick Miller
Former superintendent, Greene County Schools
2019 A. Craig Phillips Superintendent of the Year
*Kayla Romero Morais
Chief Growth Officer, Our Turn
Cyndi Soter O'Neil
Director of Strategic Philanthropy, IMC/ChildTrust Foundation; Co-chair, Invest Early NC; Former high school teacher, CMS
Erica Beshears Perel
Director, Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media
UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media
Dr. Monique Perry-Graves
Executive Director, Teach for America: North Carolina
Dr. Mark Poarch
President of Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute
*Mebane Rash – CEO, President, and Editor-in-Chief
John L.S. Simpkins
President and CEO, MDC
David Stegall
Chief of Staff for Blue Ridge Community College
Maureen Stover
High school science teacher at the North Carolina Virtual Public School
2020 Burroughs Wellcome Fund NC Teacher of the Year
Elaine Townsend Utin
Executive Director & Co-Founder, LatinxEd
Yona Wade
Secretary of Education and Recreation for the Eastern Band of Cherokee
*Chris William
Executive Producer and Moderator, Carolina Business Review
Managing Director in Wells Fargo Advisors Private Client Group