Voices for Excellence

Dr. Maria Armstrong is the Executive Director for the national Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents [ALAS] in Washington, DC. Maria’s primary focus on the role of Latino social networks, leadership, educational policy, and knowledge mobilization and the relationship between those elements and the educational attainment of historically marginalized students.

Tom Vander Ark is an advocate for innovations in learning. As CEO of Getting Smart, he advises schools, districts, networks, foundations and learning organizations on the path forward.

Luvelle Brown is an experienced educator who has held positions as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, school CIO, and Superintendent of Schools. Currently, Dr. Brown is serving as the Superintendent of the Ithaca City School District (ICSD) in Ithaca, New York. During his tenure in Ithaca, the Ithaca City School District has experienced unprecedented levels of success.

Dr. Christina M. Kishimoto is the founder of Voice4Equity LLC and a Clinical Professor at the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. A native of the South Bronx in New York City, she is a bold advocate for social justice and a national leader on education policy and equity matters.

Dr. Joe Sanfelippo is the Superintendent of the Fall Creek School District in Fall Creek, WI. The Fall Creek School District was named an Innovative District in 2016 and 2017 by the International Center for Leadership in Education.

As a first generation college student herself, Dr. Roxane Fuentes has worked to close the achievement gap by nurturing strong parent and community engagement, providing innovative learning experiences for students, all while promoting a culture of equity, collaboration, and support throughout her career.

Dr. Baron Davis is currently the Senior Advisor for Digital Promise. As the former superintendent of Richland School District Two in Columbia, SC, where he served as the first Black superintendent in the district’s 90-plus-years history, Dr. Davis is a trailblazer for public education with over two decades of experience.

Dr. Rosa Isiah has served students in her community for 29 years. Currently, she serves as Director of Elementary Education, Equity, and Access in NLMUSD. Dr. Isiah is passionate about equity and social justice, multilingual Ed, leadership, and closing opportunity gaps for historically underserved students.

Thomas serves as the Director of Innovation for Future Ready SchoolsⓇ, a Project of All4Ed, located in Washington, D.C. He works alongside the US Congress, the US Senate, the White House, the US Department of Education and state departments of education, corporations, and school districts throughout the country to implement student-centered, personalized learning while helping to lead Future Ready Schools and Digital Learning Day.

Dr. Adam Clark joined the Mt. Diablo Unified School District in Concord, California as Superintendent in July 2020. He believes that educational systems need to address the gifts and talents of all student groups regardless of backgrounds or personal resources.

Erin Jones is an Independent Education and Systems Consultant Public Speaker Mrs. Jones has been involved in and around schools for the past 26 years. She has taught in a variety of environments, from predominantly Black to predominantly White to some of the most diverse communities in the nation.

Dr. Tyrone Howard is currently a Professor of Education in the School of Education at UCLA. In addition to this, he is the Pritzker Family Endowed Chair in Education to Strengthen Children & Families, the Director, UCLA Black Male Institute, the Director, UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools, a published author, and much more.

Dr. Melvin J. Brown was announced as the next superintendent of Montgomery Public Schools by a unanimous vote of the Montgomery County Board of Education (MCBOE) on April 8, 2022. He previously served as the Superintendent and Chief Executive Officer of the Reynoldsburg City Schools District in Ohio.

Dr. Dawn DuBose currently serves as the Chief of Schools for Stafford Municipal School District and as an Adjunct Professor. Most recently she served as the Leadership Development Officer in Houston ISD, as well as, a Smithsonian Science Education/Shell Oil Summit Mentor. Dawn served in Houston ISD for 22 years.

Dr. Tanisha M. Ranger is a clinical psychologist practicing in the Las Vegas Valley area. She is owner of Insight to Action LLC, a full-service psychology practice in the Las Vegas Valley area. She provides psychotherapy, clinical supervision, coaching, consultation, speaking, and training services. Dr. Ranger is well-known for her open, honest, no-nonsense approach to, well, life!

Curtis Valentine is Co-Director of the Progressive Policy Institute's Reinventing America's Schools Project. Curtis comes to this position with over 15 years experience in local, state, federal, and international education policy. Curtis currently serves as Adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland, College Park and as At-Large member of the Prince George’s County (MD) Board of Education, America’s 20th largest school district. Curtis is founder of Real Men Teach, a national campaign to recruit and retain male educators of color through the reimagining and reinvestment in the profession.

Dr. Jeff Dillon serves as the Superintendent for the Wilder School District in Wilder Idaho. In 2013, Dr. Dillon initiated a technology plan, in partnership with the school board, to re-engineer teaching and learning in the high poverty, rural school district. The transformation began with a successful partnership with the Apple ConnectED team and has propelled the school district into a nationally recognized as an innovative student-centered learning environment where student voice and choice is valued and the right of each student is to have a personalized learning plan that drives their competency-based learning pathway.

Mrs. Trejo has been a leader in public education for 25 years, serving as a Teacher, Learning Team Facilitator, Assistant Principal, Principal, and Program Planner. She currently serves as the Senior Director of ESOL for Polk County Public Schools.

Dr. Susan Enfield is currently the Superintendent for the Washoe County School District in Reno, Nevada. She came to WCSD from Highline Public Schools in Burien, WA where she served as Superintendent for ten years. During that time the district developed its Highline Promise to know every student by name, strength and need so they graduate prepared for the future they choose.

Dr. Horton is a Disruptive leader with an unwavering belief in the potential for success for all children. He is eager to support communities to help identify leaders and educators with the desire and passion for making a difference in today’s society. He is a leader who creates a sense of urgency to create dramatic, systemic and rapid change.

This podcast episode features one of the most dynamic education transformers, Dr. Barbara Mullen. As a reformer at heart, her work is outlined by results with exponential high-level results in a rapid timeframe. Dr. Mullen currently works for the Department of Education for Rhode Island, where her turnaround results have been phenomenal. But more importantly, she understands equity and justice.

Equity, Achievement, and Health: Strategies, Lessons Learned, and Tactics Discovered in the DC-Stage of Education. In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, we discuss the inequities in healthy schools in education. Thus, creating the Voices for Excellence and Equity in Health Initiative -- more superintendents must know about the parallelization with Academic and Indoor Air Quality indexes. Join Dr. Gustavo Balderas, Beverly Hope, and me in discussing this amazing initiative!

Please welcome Richard Carranza as my second guest on Voices for Excellence. It was easy in my case to identify this individual when we talk about revolutionizing education, specifically around what that looks like for tips and strategies as you move your leadership into this very novel stage of the AC stage of education, so it is absolutely my honor to bring Mr. Richard Carranza.

Please welcome Zandra Jo Galvan and Dr. Alex Marrero as my first guests on Voices for Excellence.