#EP2016

Nicole Young serves as Executive Director, Bard Early College of New Orleans. Read more about Nicole and her work. 1 | Where did you grow up and what was it like? I grew up in Virginia Beach, VA, which is essentially Suburbia, USA. It was a fun place to be a child and teenager, even if it was a little slow at times. Growing up there made me a beach girl to my core; I love the ocean. 2 | What do you like most about where you live now? I live in New Orleans and one of my favorite things about this city is the access to interesting and innovative art. Of course, music always comes to mind when...

Robert Sepeda serves as Communications Manager, Data and Outreach for Families Empowered. Read more about Robert and his work. 1 | Where did you grow up and what was it like? I grew up in a rural farming town in California’s San Joaquin Valley. You can drive from one end to the other in 10 minutes or less! I spent much of my childhood on my grandfather’s dairy farm and adolescence as a paperboy and outlet mall employee. 2 | What do you like most about where you live now? I love the professional and financial growth opportunities that Houston has provided thanks to its tight-knit education...

Education Pioneers’ National Conference Speaker Q&A with Hassan Hassan, Director of Investments, 4.0 Schools Hassan Hassan believes that luck has played a huge role in his success as a college graduate, private-sector engineer, and now director of investments for 4.0 Schools, a nonprofit incubator for education entrepreneurs. He also believes he can help make success for all students less about luck and more about design. To help early stage entrepreneurs who have ideas on how to improve schools, Hassan will run two interactive workshops at the #EP2016 National Conference titled “What Is...

Q&A with Leniece F. Brissett, Founder and CEO, Compass Talent Group As Founder and CEO for Compass Talent Group, EP Alumna Leniece F. Brissett seeks the best leaders for schools, districts, and education nonprofits. In her work, she focuses particularly on recruiting and placing leaders of color, and helps her clients build more inclusive hiring practices. As Leniece points out, diversity isn’t a “nice-to-have”—it’s an essential asset for high-performing organizations. Recently, Leniece published an article online, “ The Subconscious Advantage of Whiteness in Hiring ,” which quickly...

Q&A with Kriste Dragon As a person of mixed racial and ethnic background who grew up in a deeply segregated South, Kriste Dragon wanted to create a better, more integrated tomorrow. As the co-founder and CEO of Citizens of the World Charter Schools, an organization with intentionally racially and socioeconomically diverse public schools in Los Angeles, New York, and Kansas City, Kriste challenges students to realize their full potential and thrive in a diverse society. Kriste believes that we need to broaden our definition of educational excellence to include cultivating dispositions that...

Michelle Molitor notes that as a nation, we are more segregated than ever. As a result, she’s become a lifelong advocate for opening up spaces for honest dialogue on race and equity, with a goal to create “community with a capital C,” as she describes it. In her work as Founder and CEO of Fellowship for Race & Equity in Education (FREE), an organization with a mission to create equitable educational spaces for all students through honest and open dialogue across difference and collective anti-racist action, Michelle has partnered with and led work alongside several national, regional and...

Decades-long work to transform U.S. public education has had its share of failures, stumbles, and pivots. It has also had many successes. Education Pioneers Alum Jason Weeby, Senior Fellow at Bellwether Education Partners, reflects on some of those wins and losses. He also talks with EP about why having the courage to innovate, face necessary failures on the road to success, and persevere in work to disrupt the status quo will ultimately transform education for the better—especially if we remain reflective and always maintain a large helping of empathy. 1. You’re speaking on a panel at the #...

Derwin Sisnett asks big questions: How can we create a whole community of excellence? And how do you anchor communities with high-performing schools? In his work as Founder and Managing Partner of Maslow Development Inc. and Co-Founder and Senior Advisor of Gestalt Community Schools, Derwin seeks to answer those questions by harnessing the power of “wraparound” services—as well as wraparound infrastructure. To share the ideas from his work in Memphis around the country and help others do this kind of work, Derwin will be a panelist at the #EP2016 National Conference , where he’ll talk about “...

What a great day. Today, Education Pioneers announced 27 remarkable Education Pioneers Alumni who are being considered for EPic Alumni and the Scott Morgan Award recognition -- including $15,000 in awards to advance their leadership or their organization. Like so many of the 3,000+ Pioneers in our network, these leaders work every day to change outcomes and opportunities for underserved students, and to bring equity to public education. We’re thrilled to introduce them to you and to showcase their work. And today, we opened public review of and voting for our 27 EPic candidates ! Between now...

If you are thinking about attending the #EP2016 Conference, it’s a great time to move that interest into action. We weren’t joking when we said this event was about picking your own adventure—both professionally and personally. Register now to secure one of our remaining early bird discounts - more than half are already sold out! In case you needed more reasons to take action. We will give you ten! Bragging rights matter - you could hit every activity on our list! #EP2016 Top Ten San Francisco Bucket-list Ride on a cable car (preferably with one arm outstretched, while singing loudly). The...