Angira Sceusi is the Executive Director at redefinED atlanta. Previously, she 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. She also served as Director of Finance and Director of Talent Initiatives at YES Prep Public Schools in Houston. Sceusi began her career as a financial analyst and spent 10 years working 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 degree 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.
Executive Director
Tyler Burrell is the Director of Operations at redefinED atlanta. As Director of Operations, she will integrate and strengthen org-wide work streams, while maintaining the organization's core values. By getting this right, redefinED atlanta will be able to consistently maximize resources that support the critical work of educational equity and community advocacy.
Tyler began her career in the nonprofit sector as an event coordinator for Powered by Professionals, specializing in helping nonprofit organizations raise awareness about their cause through fundraising and events.
Six years ago, Tyler began her journey in education as the principal’s assistant for Achievement First East Brooklyn High School. In this role, she discovered her passion for school-based operations and leadership, then quickly started her journey as Director of School Operations. With a proven track record of driving individual and organizational growth, Tyler has continued to ground her work in the experience and voice of students, staff, and families.
Tyler is a Brooklyn native and graduated from CUNY Brooklyn College with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing.
Vice President of Operations & People
Emily Castillo León was the Founder and Head of School of Ethos Classical. As the Founder and Head of School, she led Ethos from concept inception to execution, with Ethos now serving over 450 scholars in southwest Atlanta. She has a proven track record of transformative academic outcomes for scholars in district and charter schools. As the founding assistant principal of KIPP Nashville Collegiate High School, she led the humanities team to the highest scores in KIPP network history on the NWEA MAP Reading Assessment and scholars demonstrating growth in the 99th percentile on the Tennessee English I End of Course Exam.
Emily began her career in education as a high school English teacher in Charlotte, North Carolina. As Lead English II Teacher, she led her scholars, and her team to a 92% overall pass rate on the state writing assessment, positioning her school as the third-highest achieving of 21 high schools in the district.
Emily has also served as Manager and then Director of Teacher Leadership Development with Teach For America where she modeled best practices with managers and teachers and led a cohort of first-year English teachers to “significantly exceed growth” on Common Core-aligned state assessments. Before founding Ethos, she was a fellow with the highly selective Building Excellent Schools Fellowship. Emily received a bachelor’s degree in English and communications from Wake Forest University.
In her new role, Emily will support the execution of redefinED atlanta’s school growth strategy. This position will play a vital role in the start-up of new schools, and school expansion and provide resources and guidance to school and district leaders and governance entities.
As the senior director of schools, she will foster collaboration and accountability and stand with the community to hold the bar for quality and excellence.
Vice President of Schools & Talent
Dennis has nearly a decade’s worth of experience in marketing and public relations. He’s developed marketing and communications strategies for household names such as Disney; L’Oreal; Warner Bros. Pictures; RA Sushi; Points of Light and BMW. Dennis began cutting his teeth in marketing working at the mid-sized multicultural agency, Matlock ADPR in Atlanta, Ga.
Under the guidance of senior leadership, he began developing and executing media relations, public relations and social media strategies for clients that included 100 Black Men of America, Inc.; Youth Entrepreneurs Georgia; Macy’s; Koch Industries; Publix and Georgia-Pacific.
From there he transitioned into the world of tech as an account executive where he managed the day-to-day PR activities at a boutique marketing agency working with startups and fintech companies headquartered in Atlanta’s Transaction Alley.
All of his previous experiences have led him to a fulfilling career in nonprofit. Dennis currently serves as the communications director for redefinED atlanta. in Atlanta, Ga. In his current post, he oversees all internal and external communications, brand communications, social media execution, content creation as well as PR and media relations for the organization.
Dennis is a member of the Public Relations Society of America, Georgia Chapter and the Black Public Relations Society of Atlanta (BPRS).
A graduate of East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., he holds a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in broadcast journalism. In his spare time, Dennis enjoys volunteering in his community and advocates for social and racial equality.
Director of Communications
Executive Assistant
Aaché HarrisonAache Harrison is a champion for equity, especially in the area of education. Throughout her career, she has consistently demonstrated a passion for social impact to benefit marginalized communities and an ability to manage complex projects with precision and creativity.
As the Associate Director of Advancement at redefinED atlanta, Aache leads the development and execution of a pipeline of dedicated donors and advocates that build a broad base of power to enable and support the changes we hope to see in our public education sector.
In her free time, Aache is a collector of hobbies. She is both a cat and a plant mom. She loves to travel and experience different cultures. And she enjoys reading a good book.
Aaché holds a Bachelor of Social Work degree (with a minor in Spanish) from Clark Atlanta University and a Master of Social Work degree from Georgia State University.
Associate Director of Advancement
Meiling JabbaarMeiling Jabbaar is a champion for education equity and social justice. Her experience growing up in Harlem, New York City fostered her passion for serving Black and Brown communities through advancing quality education opportunities that enable students to reach their full potential.
She started her career working at a New York City based nonprofit as a program coordinator for summer academic programs and then advanced to the role of recruitment manager for the organization’s summer teaching fellows. Thereafter, Meiling’s love for working with students led her to pursue teaching where she served as an English language teacher in Spain and then a special education teacher in Boston.
As she transitioned from classroom teaching, Meiling’s drive for creating systemic change in education grounded in community empowerment leading her to the engagement manager role at redefinED atlanta.
Meiling earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Policy from Brown University and a Master of Education from Boston University. In her spare time, Meiling loves to dance, spend time with her loved ones and travel.
Manager, Engagement
Dariun MaxwellDariun Maxwell is the Program and Operations Associate at redefinED atlanta. Previously, he worked as an estimator for DH Pace Company.
He began his career as a middle school special education teacher in Williamson County Schools (Tennessee). Maxwell also worked as a special education teacher in Marietta City Schools.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in special education from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education.
Manager, Programs & Operations
Tiffany ScottTiffany Scott is the Associate Vice President of Development with over a decade of experience dedicated to creating lasting impact in the Metro Atlanta community through philanthropy and fund development. Previously, as the founding Senior Director of Development at OneGoal-Metro Atlanta, Tiffany played an integral role in synthesizing, developing, and implementing strategies to realize revenue growth in a new market.
Tiffany is passionate about elevating community causes and developing relationships that present opportunities to maximize collective impact. Her extensive experience includes working as a planning analyst with ANN Taylor INC and Ross Stores before transitioning into the nonprofit sector as a Manager of Donor Cultivation at City of Refuge.
Tiffany holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a minor in Business Management and Organization from Spelman College. She is a 2019 Association of Fundraising Professionals Diversity Fellow and the 2019-20 Fund Development Chair for Urban League of Greater Atlanta Young Professionals. Tiffany is a former junior board member with Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta and is part of the 2024 Leadership Buckhead class. She remains actively involved in the local community, consistently working towards creating positive change and opportunities for all.
Associate Vice President of Development
Aarti Sharma comes to redefinED after serving as the Vice President of New School Development at the Georgia Charter School Association, where she applied her knowledge of policy and state law to lead the state’s only charter school incubator program. Prior to that, she served as Director of the District Flexibility and Charter Schools Division at the Georgia Department of Education. In her role with the department, Sharma worked with more than 100 charter schools throughout Georgia. In 2016, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers selected Sharma for its NACSA Leaders Program.
Aarti began her career in the education field as a teacher with Teach for America in Miami. Following her experience in the classroom, she attended law school at Emory University where she graduated with honors. After graduating from Emory, she received an Equal Justice Works Fellowship, which allowed her to represent court-involved youth in education proceedings. Her experience also includes serving as policy director for the 2022 Stacey Abrams campaign.
Aarti holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Georgia and a Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law.
Vice President of Policy & Strategy
Mary-Kate Starkel is the Vice President - Chief of Staff at redefinED atlanta. A seasoned nonprofit professional, Starkel has spent 15 years working on behalf of educational and youth serving organizations in program management and resource development roles, including positions that required the management of federal, state, and local contracts. Her most recent previous position was Associate Director with Horizons Atlanta, a six-week summer learning program serving over 1000 Atlanta area students. Starkel is an Atlanta native and graduated from Georgia State University with both her Bachelors of Social Work and Masters of Public Administration in Nonprofit Management.
Vice President – Chief of Staff
Denesha Thompson PresseyDenesha Thompson is the Director of Public Engagement and Advocacy at redefined atlanta. She has spent her career in education as an advocate and social justice champion.
Denesha has an uncompromising view that all students can learn and succeed, given a positive learning atmosphere that welcomes curiosity, encourages
innovative thinking, enhances student confidence through the cultivation and affirmation
of culture and inclusion.
Previously, she served as a classroom teacher, teacher leader and family engagement
liaison with KIPP Metro Atlanta Schools. She has introduced and implemented social emotional learning curriculum to support teachers in creating differentiated behavior
plans based upon behavior trends. She also has established and coached teachers on
restorative justice daily routines which aided in the increase of mediation and conflict
resolution over out of school suspension.
Denesha has received recognition for her work in education and social justice. She was admitted into the Philadelphia Chapter of New Leaders Council and the KIPP Philadelphia Schools Emerging Leaders Program. She is also the Co-Founder of Speak
Up Lace Em up, a community policing initiative.
Denesha is a native of Atlanta, GA and a proud product of Atlanta Public Schools. She
is also a graduate of Howard University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in
Political Science. She holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from Relay Graduate School
of Education. She also holds a Master of Arts in Education Policy and Leadership from
American University. While at American University, Denesha had the opportunity to
develop a foundational set of tools to support educational leaders within the Rhode
Island Department of Education to make better budget and resources allocation
decisions.
Director of Public Engagement & Advocacy
Ayana L. Gabriel has more than ten years of experience in planning and executing complex projects across varied cross-functional teams. She has a passion for improving opportunities through education and civic leadership. As a program officer for the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, she manages more than $1.5 million in education grant funding. She worked as a chemical engineer before becoming a teacher in Atlanta Public Schools and then working at Teach for America, where she consulted on diversity and equity. She has served as president of the Westview Community Organization, and she is community representative for the Atlanta Beltline, Inc. Gabriel holds a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Georgia Tech.
Vice President, Community Impact
Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
Perri strives to create communities of respect in schools and neighborhoods through educational workshops with students, teachers/staff, parents/caregivers, and community members.
The goal of the work is to create inclusive, diverse, and brave environments by naming our intersecting identities, exploring and taking ownership of our explicit and implicit biases, dismantling positive and negative stereotypes, and acknowledging all levels of power and privilege.
She is an Atlanta Public Schools graduate, a graduate of American University, an anti-bias facilitator with the Anti-Defamation League, an ACTivator with ACT Consulting group, a member of VOX Teen Communications’ board of directors, and a pop-culture enthusiast.
Community Volunteer & Facilitator,
Anti-Defamation League
Patrick is a native Louisianian and lifelong educator whose career began in the classroom. Prior to joining as a partner at City Fund, he served as CEO of New Schools for New Orleans (NSNO), a nonprofit organization that champions, develops, and funds programs that values educational equity and a quality education for all children. From 2012 to 2017, Patrick served as the former Superintendent of the Louisiana Recovery School District (RSD) where he oversaw the school district’s conversion to the nation’s first all-charter school district.
Partner,
City Fund
Curley M. Dossman, Jr. is president of the Georgia-Pacific Foundation and vice president of community affairs at Georgia-Pacific. He oversees the company’s community-based programs nationwide and the foundation’s philanthropic giving. Prior to joining Georgia-Pacific in 1994, he was state vice president, government affairs for AT&T. He is active in many organizations including past board chair of the Association of Corporate Contributions Professionals, board member of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and member of the Community and Government Affairs Advisory Council for Atlanta Committee for Progress. Dossman holds a law degree from Washington University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College.
President,
Georgia-Pacific Foundation
Chip Gross is a managing director of Work & Co. Chip has extensive experience in leading the development of innovation initiatives along with helping leading companies unearth and maximize their corporate purpose and strategic “why.” He has worked in the field of innovation since the early days of digital and has a deep knowledge base developed through both agency and corporate leadership roles. He has worked in the automotive and transportation, media and publishing, retail, ecommerce, advertising, and telecommunications industries; and worked with industry leaders on corporate purpose, digital strategy, customer experience, and new product design.
His past experience also includes establishing and leading the Atlanta design studio for global agency AKQA, Client Partner at Razorfish, and innovation roles at UPS and IBM.
Managing Director, Work & Co
CEO & Founding MOM,
Inspired MOM
Lita Ugarte Pardi is the Vice President, Community at the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, where she leads the Foundation’s efforts to strengthen the region’s nonprofits. In this position, she oversees the Foundation’s discretionary grantmaking efforts and college scholarship program. In her time at the Foundation, Lita has focused on education and youth development grantmaking and led various partnerships to support metro Atlanta’s residents. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2003, Lita worked at The Impact! Group, a housing agency in Gwinnett County, and at the Latin American Association, a social services nonprofit serving Atlanta’s Latino community. Lita is an alumna of the Council on Foundation’s Career Pathways Class of 2013 and Leadership Atlanta’s LEAD Atlanta Class of 2007. Lita was also a 2004 Southeastern Council of Foundations Hull Fellow. Originally from Peru, Lita moved to the U.S. to complete high school and received her undergraduate degree from Berry College.
Senior Knowledge and Learning Director,
PEAK Grantmaking
Adria N. Welcher, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology and the Director of General Education at Morehouse College. She is very passionate about social justice issues and understanding inequalities. Her primary research interests are race and class inequities in educational outcomes and residential choices. Her public scholarship has been an active part of her dossier, regularly participating in podcasts, telecasts, and community panels.
Adria Welcher earned her doctorate in Sociology from Emory University. She also holds a BA in Theatre with a minor in Mathematics from Spelman College an MA in Higher Education from the University of Michigan, and an MA in Sociology from Stanford University.
Dr. Welcher is very active in her community. She serves on the PTA and Principal’s Advisory Councils at her children’s schools. She serves as the Chair of the Georgia State Charter School Foundation Board and as the Board Program Chair of Leadership Dekalb. She is an active member of Jack and Jill of America, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the Magnolia (GA) Chapter of The Links, Inc., the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College Atlanta Chapter and First Baptist Church East Point.
Adria was raised in Augusta, GA. She is the proud wife of the Rev. Kamau Welcher, pastor of First Baptist Church East Point, and the mother of four wonderful children: Howard University and University of Georgia graduate, a senior at Spelman College, a sophomore at Morehouse College and a 7th grader.
Director of General Education, Department Chair and Assoc. Prof. of Sociology,
Morehouse College
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