My Background

I grew up in Gary, Indiana, a predominantly African American city on the southeastern edge of the Chicago metroplex. I am a first generation American, daughter of Nigerian expatriates. I was bussed to public schools across town that housed the city’s only academically gifted and talented magnet program from 2nd to 12th grade. My experience as a Nigerian-American living in one neighborhood and going to school with children from across the city made me aware of significant differences within the Black experience and the significance of our shared experiences. Even amongst all of us students who looked similar on the outside, there were a range of cultures represented and very different educational experiences. By my senior year, my accumulated learning experiences made me quite different from peers on the track team, in the science club, debate team, and dance squad, when in fact much of the differences were due to me having access to ongoing quality learning opportunities, when this was not the case for many of my peers.

I witnessed the differential effect of sustained quality learning opportunities on outcomes when volunteering in DC public elementary schools as an undergraduate and later as a high school teacher in Brooklyn and a math specialist at a Harlem charter school. The presence and quality of learning opportunities matter! Advocating for equitable access to quality learning opportunities that are not based on merit or socioeconomic status has been a hallmark of my professional career as a first-year teacher mentor, pre-service teacher instructor, math education postdoctoral fellow, and education-related program evaluator in the Dallas metroplex. As Director of Operations at reDesign, I develop systems for organization and project management that support human development and team optimization that moves our shared vision of equitable learner-centered communities forward. In addition, I consult on projects where my knowledge of curriculum, instruction, and learning are valuable. I also serve on the national Board of Directors for High Tech High Heels as the Chair of the Education Committee.