redefinED atlanta, a public education nonprofit that engages communities, advocates for equity, and funds critical work to drive systemic level improvement in K-12 public education for students and families, today announced that its Executive Director Ed Chang, will step down later this year, but will remain in an advisory role through December 2024. Chosen to succeed Chang as the nonprofit’s new executive director in the fall is redefinED atlanta’s current Vice President and Chief of Staff Angira Sceusi.  

redefinED atlanta is the culmination of a series of gatherings in 2015 that included Chang and many of Atlanta’s education champions seeking to promote positive, equitable, and lasting change within Atlanta’s schools and districts. In 2016, redefinED atlanta was created with Chang as founding executive director. Sceusi joined as the second employee not long after its launch. Since then, the organization has grown to 13 staff members and has expanded its focus to include Clayton, Cobb, Fulton and DeKalb counties.

Prior to starting redefinED, Chang was a physical therapist before entering the education profession as a seventh-grade science teacher in 2001. He spent five years teaching at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Southeast Atlanta before founding KIPP STRIVE Academy in 2009. Afterward, Chang continued his service in the education field by coaching and advising on strategies for school leaders and districts nationwide. 

During his time with redefinED atlanta, Chang was honored as a Civic Diversity Champion in Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2021 Diversity Equity & Inclusion Awards and has been recognized as an education leader in the 2022 and 2023 Atlanta Magazine Power 500.

“We are so grateful to Ed for all his contributions over the last eight years and for building the infrastructure to take a long view of what education can look like in our city,” said Ayana Gabriel, redefinED atlanta board chair and vice president of Community Impact with the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. “His leadership and vision have enabled the organization to accomplish so much and prepare for the future.”  

Continued Gabriel, “We are very excited about Angira taking the helm later this year. As a champion for children, she brings a wealth of education and management experience, having previously served as a teacher and district leader. There’s no one better aligned to lead redefinED in its next chapter.” 

Before joining redefinED atlanta, Sceusi served as Director of Finance and Director of Talent Initiatives at YES Prep Public Schools in Houston, a school district representing almost 20,000 students. She also previously worked as a high school math and computer science teacher in the Houston Independent School District, where she earned a United States Congressional Recognition for her work in STEM teaching. 

Sceusi began her career as a financial analyst and spent 10 years in energy finance. She co-led Royal Bank of Canada’s U.S. oil and gas origination business before entering the education profession. Sceusi holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s in information systems management from Carnegie Mellon University. 

She also holds a master’s degree in educational leadership from the Broad Center for the Management of School Systems at Yale University. Sceusi serves on the board of Horizons Atlanta, the board of her local neighborhood association, a member of the Junior League of Atlanta and a graduate of Leadership Buckhead. 

“I am so proud of the progress that has been accomplished and the momentum that has been created since we established redefinED atlanta. It has been a privilege to lead redefinED atlanta these past eight years,” said Chang.  “Angira’s experience in both the education space and the business world – paired with her passion for our community – makes her uniquely positioned to broaden redefinED’s impact in the years ahead. I’m thrilled to see what the future holds.”  

About redefinED atlanta:

Every student in Atlanta needs access to a great K-12 public education. Together with parents, educators, community leaders and philanthropists, redefinED atlanta is transforming metro Atlanta into a place where every student in every community has opportunity, well-being and self-determination. For more information, please visit www.redefinEDatlanta.org.