Leadership Journeys

Education is the civil rights movement of our time. Positive education always causes elevation (PEACE). Those two mottos guide every professional decision I make. From working with children in Brownsville Brooklyn, Flushing Queens, and the Mississippi Delta to building Thompson Education Consulting (TEC), an education consulting company with clients across the country, those thoughts live within my being and drive my actions. I created the “I am a Black Woman, Yes I Matter” community event series while producing the play, Sistas on Fire in New York City as a way to bring excerpts of the play...

In this Pioneer Profile with 2014 EP Alum Dr. Vanessa Monterosa , she talks about her pioneering work in digital citizenship, the leaders that inspire her, and what's she still learning to do. What were you doing before EP? Before EP, I was a Ph.D. student working as a Research Associate at the USC Rossier School of Education where I was doing research on social media and college access/success. What led you to EP & why did you pursue the opportunity? I originally was accepted as an EP Fellow in 2011 as I was graduating from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. I had been offered an...

EP is on a mission to mobilize and catalyze our national network of now more than 4,500 Alumni. With more than 70% of them continuing to work in education following their EP Fellowship and 30% holding senior roles at their organizations, they are a serious segment of the talented and influential professionals working to transform the education system for kids, schools, and communities. We’re energized by the potential for how much we can accomplish together — but none of it will happen without the support of the people who know us best: our Pioneers for life. I’m thrilled and honored to be...

This post originally appeared on Medium on May 7 . The little ones crawled over me with eyes innocently wide, unable to hold back their gasps. “Not Norman!” they echoed. Not Norman! I looked up from the pages of the children’s book in my hand, stepping out of body for a moment to appreciate the absurd love of the situation. 15 toddlers were baring their souls in the way only small children can. They held back nothing in their love for me, a stranger in their classroom, as they tugged on my beard and strained to get a better look at the pictures on the page. I looked to the Head Start teachers...

At Education Pioneers we invest in leaders because they embody our organization’s founding belief that talented leaders and managers can scale successful solutions for the education sector to impact millions of children nationwide. For Women’s History Month, we celebrate EP Alumni who are trailblazers in education – with a focus on Alumni who are entrepreneurs and/or pioneers. These are only a few of the inspirational women who have been a part of our program. Check out more of our EP Alums on our Meet Our Pioneers page. Brenda Darden Wilkerson (2015) CEO and President, AnitaB.org From...

Bakari Ukuu moved to Kansas City as a Teach For America corps member in 2012. He is originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma (and is very excited to hear EP is expanding there in 2018 ), but found his place in Kansas City and decided to put down roots. While an instructional coach, Ukuu joined Education Pioneers and worked in the Kansas City Public Schools in the Curriculum, Instruction and Professional Development department where he helped embed social justice standards and develop culturally-responsive curriculum, while also delivering districtwide professional development. We talked to Bakari, now...

Stephen Fedore was a 2012 EP Fellow and now, he’s the Chief Analytics Officer at Tulsa Public Schools —an on-the-rise district serving approximately 42,000 students in 86 schools with roughly 7,000 employees. EP is expanding to Tulsa in 2018 where EP Alums Martin Green, Director of Academic Services and Impact (2014 Fellow); Quentin Liggins, Director of Talent Initiatives (2016 Fellow); and Stephen are already working at Tulsa Public Schools. Stephen was born in Oklahoma, but grew up in California. He never thought he would return to Oklahoma to make a life and career in Tulsa, but he’s...

This past summer I was an Education Pioneers Summer Fellow. What does that mean? To me, it means I gained incredible insight and experience collaborating with and learning from a diverse and courageous group of people who are ready to positively impact the field of education. I was drawn to Education Pioneers as an organization that recruits graduate students (like me) and professionals who seek to work in educational leadership positions outside of the classroom, so students and teachers succeed in the classroom. This is made possible through their deep relationships with partner...

In the EP Blog post “ Four Places to Support Equity and Boost Your Career Like Nowhere Else ,” we discussed the importance of the network’s “accelerator cities” — some of our smaller locations that are high priority because they have a particularly high demand for talented leaders, as well as offer unique opportunities to impact education and advance careers rapidly. New Orleans is on that list, along with Memphis, Kansas City, and Tulsa. 2014 EP Fellow Meladee Evans began her career in education during her placement at Algiers Charter School Association in New Orleans. Although she was a...

Pride Month is a big deal at Education Pioneers (check out our special flag logo!). This month, our staff has gathered multiple times virtually and in person to talk about our experiences within and as aspiring allies of the LBGTQ community. Our LGBTQ staff affinity group also worked with the EP Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory to unveil an EP LGBTQ Employee Resource Guide. Some members of our staff gathered to watch “Paris is Burning” and “Pride.” We even discussed how the newest season of “Master of None” connects the traditional Thanksgiving episode with a conversation about the...