Voices for Excellence

Lj Henderson is the owner and founder of the Little STEM Academy. She is an education professional with over 25 years of experience in the ESL, early childhood education and speech therapy. She is an advocate for STEM education and the great benefits it has in forming the future leaders of the world through critical thinking, innovation and problem-solving. Lj is a firm believer that it is importa...

Terrence Davis is the Superintendent of Banning Unified School District. Terrence defines the core of his work as creating exceptional educational opportunities for students to be successful in the global workforce as well as cultivating an environment to support administrators, teachers, and support staff. He is known as a leader who strives to build relationships through the lens of equity and c...

Venola Mason is the CEO and Founder of AchieveIt Educational Services and is an Associate Partner and Author at International Center for Leadership in Education. In her role as an ICLE associate partner, Venola works with education leaders across the country supporting them with making transformational change in their school districts by developing and implementing policies and practices that incr...

Nicholas Cassius Clay is the founder of Being One World LLC, a mindfulness company Nicholas started in October 2020 so that he could offer mindfulness teaching and coaching to those looking for a holistic path to clarity, inner peace, and increased business performance, among many other benefits. The mission of Being One World is to empower and support people to be their most powerful expression o...

Dr. Kristy Somerville-Midgette is the Division Superintendent for Brunswick County Public Schools. In her tenure as Division Superintendent, she has increased student engagement across the curriculum, provided access and opportunities for all and built capacity for long-term sustainability and success.

Dr. Anthony Lewis began his career as a Special Education Teacher in Montgomery, Alabama. After which, he was appointed to Assistant Principal then became an awarding winning Principal of E. D. Nixon Elementary School. While at E. D. Nixon, the school became a two-time Alabama Torchbearer School during the 2007-2008 school year - one of only nine in the state and again during the 2010- 2011 school...

Launching her career as a substitute teacher in New York City’s Department of Education, Dr. Chase has 30 years of experience as an educator. Dr. Chase is widely known as a fierce advocate for all children. She believes every child deserves a world class education and their social/emotional needs addressed, regardless of his or her family’s economic tier, zip code, ethnicity or immigration status.

Dr. Pedro A. Noguera is the Distinguished Professor of Education at the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies and Faculty Director for the Center for the Transformation of Schools at UCLA. He is a sociologist whose scholarship and research focuses on the ways in which schools are influenced by social and economic conditions as well as by demographic trends in local, regional and glo...

Frank Polen is beginning his ninth year as the Assistant Superintendent, Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Adult Education Director at Buckeye Career Center in New Philadelphia, Ohio. Mr. Polen is committed to schools, community development, and leadership initiatives. He has helped students of all ages Discover Their Passion and Prepare for Their Future through career and technical educatio...

Dr. Sabba Quidwai gives you the skills and strategies to build your human advantage and be irreplaceable in a world with AI. For the past decade she's been doing this with schools and businesses using a method called design thinking. By marrying design thinking with futures thinking, she helps organizations create a culture of innovation that's not only responsive but also preparatory. While we ca...

David is the Chief Executive Officer of the Urban Assembly. He started with the UA in 2014 as the Director of Social-Emotional Learning, where he created the Resilient Scholars Program (RSP), a unique approach to integrating SEL into curriculum and classroom practices across the UA network. As the Senior Director of Strategy, David led the expansion of the organization into a model provider of sch...

Dr. Donna Vallese's entire career has been dedicated to improving outcomes for students by supporting educators in implementing game-changing and innovative practices. I have had the opportunity to work at all levels of education (state, university, district, school, and classroom) and those settings have been in urban, charter, sub-urban, and rural schools.

In honor of one year of Voices For Excellence, we are rejoined by our first guests, Dr. Alex Marrero and Zandra Jo Galvan. What steps have been made, not made, or achieved in the past year with regards to education? Listen in and find out!

Anthony Kim began his career in education by helping higher education institutions with technology projects and data. He is the Founder and CLO of Education Elements. He believes that learning environments and school designs need to be open and flexible so that teachers, the true designers of learning, can successfully create the best possible learning conditions for students.

Jessica is an accomplished public education and civic sector trailblazer with nearly two decades of diversified experience with a commitment to leadership and service, where she has led public education initiatives with the California Department of Education. As a leader in Education, Jessica understands the importance of access and has an unwavering commitment to social justice.

Marlon Styles is a recognized inspirational speaker and educational leader. He testified before the United States Congress in 2020 to advocate for access and opportunity for all students. Styles’ mission is to inspire educators to see themselves as empowered Unifiers capable of creating the types of learning experiences today’s modern learners need to thrive.

Ms. Lynette White’s career in education spans 14 years and 3 school districts. She was recently appointed as the District & Community Relations Coordinator for Banning USD. Ms. White is an Edu-influencer who has presented statewide on the importance of telling your story and maximizing your efforts on social media to brand yourself as leader and brand your organization as well as the importanc...

Dr. Darryl J. Henson, a native of Houston, currently serves as the Superintendent of Schools for the Marlin Independent School District. Dr. Henson has been regarded for his passion and vibrant personality as he has built lasting relationships with students and communities across Texas. Dr. Henson firmly believes that culture, curriculum, and community are the pillars of establishing and maintaini...

Dr. Robert R. Zywicki is a seasoned executive with a successful track record of pedagogical ROI, shrewd fiscal stewardship, and transformational change management. Dr. Zywicki is the Senior Director of Strategic Community Partnerships for Renaissance Learning, an industry leading global EdTech firm that ensures the acceleration of ALL students via multi-tiered systems of support.

Dr. Shawna Dinkins is the Deputy Superintendent of Educational Services in the Lynwood Unified School District. Beyond her experiences, Dr. Dinkins has dedicated her professional career to serving students and families and advocating on their behalf.

Dr. Shaun Nelms is the Vice President for Community Partnerships at the University of Rochester. One of his notable achievements was creating and implementing a school transformation model for the lowest-performing school in the lowest-performing district in New York State.

Dr. Renae Bryant's philosophy of education is it must be student centered. Student needs are the essential priority. Education must provide a secure, supportive, and safe environment for children to learn.

Michael Lubelfeld Ed. D. is the Superintendent of schools in the North Shore School District 112 in Highland Park, IL. Lubelfeld has presented on leadership topics around the state, nation, and world, and he is active in leadership development with state and national associations. He has led aspiring superintendent workshops in Illinois and across the nation.

Rosalba Rodriguez has been in education for 20 years. She started as an instructional assistant at the district she is currently a principal at. Rosalba started her career in administration as an assistant principal in 2019 months before the pandemic begin. She promoted to principal in 2021. She has been at her school site now two years.

Dr. Karla Phillips-Krivickas is the founder of Inclusive Strategies and one of the nation’s foremost thought leaders on education policy and reform. With over twenty years of experience in state and federal policy, she advises state and federal leaders on sound policy and best practices to advance academic achievement for all students.