Adell Cothorne has been an educator for over 20 years—she has served as an administrator, assistant principal, principal, and in teaching positions at the preschool, elementary, and middle school levels. As an administrator, Cothorne worked with diverse student populations in urban and suburban school districts. She previously served as an education consultant for the Strategic Education Research Partnership Institute. Her position allowed her to work daily with stakeholders in urban schools. She is currently a clinical instructor and professional development school coordinator with Loyola University of Maryland.

Cothorne held administrative positions for the District of Columbia Public School System, Montgomery County Public Schools, and Baltimore County Public Schools. She has taught grades one through six, written a national kindergarten math curriculum, and created and presented local and national professional development sessions. Notably, she delivered the keynote address for the 2017 Maryland Professional Development School Network Conference.

Cothorne holds a Master of Science in school administration and supervision from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Science in elementary education from Morgan State University. She is currently completing work on her doctoral thesis in teacher leadership from Walden University, which will examine how race influences teaching and learning.

Barry L. Davis is the Head of School at St. Anne's Episcopal School in Middletown, Delaware.  With 38 years of experience as an educator, Mr. Davis has helped young people to reach their potential as an administrator, teacher, and coach at schools including Brooklyn Friends School (New York), Flint Hill School (Virginia), the Metropolitan Learning Center, Inter-District Magnet School for Global and International Studies and Technology (Connecticut), Worcester Academy (Massachusetts), Eastern Connecticut State University, St. Lawrence University (New York), and University of Dallas (Texas).  Mr. Davis earned his B.S. in Physical Education at St. Lawrence University. Two years later he earned an M.Ed. in Educational Counseling and Human Development. These degrees were followed by a second M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and School Administration and Supervision from Central Connecticut State University.

Shanelle Henry Always concerned with questions of race, gender, and the intersectionality of identity and oppression, Shanelle Henry has spent much of the last twenty years working on issues of diversity, inclusion, and social justice, both in formal and informal educational environments.  Currently, Shanelle is the Director of Equity and Inclusion at Greens Farms Academy,  a Pre-K through grade 12 independent school located in Westport, Connecticut. In addition, Shanelle serves as the Co-Chair of the Commission on Diversity for the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) and is also an active member of  TEAM Westport, the official diversity committee of the Town of Westport. Shanelle summarizes her approach to life, work, and passion for diversity and community by quoting Maya Angelou: “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”  An alumna of Smith College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst Social Justice  Education (SJE) graduate program, Shanelle is uniquely poised to engage difficult dialogues surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion in our society today.

Keith Hinderlie, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist and educator with over 20 years of experience working with adults, youth and families in a variety of settings. His professional background includes a unique combination of knowledge about psychology, personal development, education, leadership, and cultural diversity.

Dr. Hinderlie has presented workshops across the country on diversity, inclusion, multicultural competence, and the social/emotional experiences of children. He has extensive experience working with African American and Multiracial youth.

Dr. Hinderlie served as Director of Programs for the SEED Foundation and helped develop a public boarding school model that is at the core of SEED Schools of Maryland, Miami and Washington, DC.

Most recently, Dr. Hinderlie was the inaugural Director of Equity and Inclusion at Choate Rosemary Hall. In this role, Dr. Hinderlie implemented a best practice program model that has established Choate as a leader in inclusive programming.

Ramón Javier, Director of Diversity and Community at Trinity School in New York City.  Born and raised in the Washington Heights section of New York City, Ramón is a life-long New Yorker, proud of his Afro-Latino roots.  A member of Prep for Prep’s contingent XI, Ramón graduated from The Hackley School, Williams College and received his MA. & Ed. M. in Psychological Counseling from Teachers College, Columbia University.

After college, Ramón worked in law and advertising, but his passion for helping kids led him to education. He worked for Prep for Prep, The TEAK Fellowship, and KIPP NYC in a variety of roles.

Damian Kavanaugh is the Executive Director of MISBO. Prior to accepting this position, Damian spent seven years as a Vice President with SAIS where he oversaw the accreditation and membership programs of the association. Damian has presented and facilitated over 250 workshops to every level of independent school leadership in addition to universities and independent school associations. He has served schools of every size, boarding and day schools, faith-based and secular, innovative and traditional. He has conducted research and published and presented at numerous state, regional, national, and international independent school conferences on a wide variety of topics related to independent school organizational effectiveness and sustainability.

Prior to joining SAIS, Damian spent fifteen years as a teacher, coach, and administrator at The Westminster Schools of Atlanta GA, a nationally recognized school with deep roots in the independent school community, and the birthplace of MISBO. From there, he served as Head of School of Cambridge Academy in Greenwood, SC.

A near native of Charlottesville, VA, and a graduate of Saint Anne’s‐Belfield School, Damian earned both his BA and MA in Latin literature from the University of Georgia, a Specialist degree in Education (Educational Leadership for Learning) from Kennesaw State University, and the Certified Association Executive designation from the American Society of Association Executives. Damian is active in lacrosse and has been recognized as a coach of the year, an official of the year, and has been inducted into the Georgia Lacrosse Foundation Hall of Fame.

Mrs. Doreen Kelly leads the leadership team of Ravenscroft and has been Head of School since July 2003. She joined the Ravenscroft faculty in July 1999 as the director of the Lower School. Mrs. Kelly is a Board Certified (BCC) Executive Leadership Coach. Mrs. Kelly graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor's degree in English and a Master's degree in Education. She also studied for two years at Villanova University. She was also a Division I volleyball player. Prior to joining Ravenscroft, she served as Upper School Director of Studies, Head of Middle School, English teacher and volleyball coach over a 10-year career at Trinity-Pawling School, an all-boys boarding/day school in Pawling, New York. Prior to her responsibilities at Trinity-Pawling School, she taught English as a Second Language for two years at D'Education Populaire, France.

Mrs. Kelly and her husband, Chris, have three children, all Ravenscroft alumni, as well as a special family member Aru Kok, from Sudan, who attended Ravenscroft for a year. Their daughter, Erin '15, works for a global IT firm in Raleigh. Their son Sean '11 works in independent school education and is married to Melis Tanik Kelly '10 and they have two children. Ryan '09, a professional basketball player, and his wife Lindsay Cowher Kelly '09 live around the world and sometimes Raleigh with their three children. Aru lives in Australia where he has just completed his Master's Degree. Doreen and Chris Kelly reside on campus with their grand-dog Dug.

 Janaka Bowman Lewis, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of English and Director of the Center for the Study of the New South at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is the author of Freedom Narratives of African American Women (McFarland 2017), three children's books (Brown All Over, Bold Nia Marie Passes the Test, and co-author of Dr. King is Tired, Too!!), and has written widely on Black womanhood, girlhood and material culture.

Lauren Lewis is a middle school humanities teacher at Capitol Hill Day School in Washington, DC. Since she began working in independent schools 11 years ago, she has served as Humanities Department Chair, led and co-facilitated committees and professional learning groups, and taught students in grades 5-12. For the National Association of Independent Schools, she co-authored a piece on intentional, trauma-informed approaches to addressing race in the classroom. She earned her Ed.M. From Harvard University Graduate School of Education, where she focused on instructional leadership.

Dr. Pascal Losambe earned his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Purdue University with a focus on cultural competence.  He has a B.S. in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Middlebury College (VT) and a M.S. in Biology from Boston College where he received the Donald J. White award for teaching excellence, a distinguished honor given annually to graduate instructors. He serves on regional diversity boards, has led strategic vision initiatives for various institutions and has conducted multiple workshops on cultural competence at national and international conferences. Dr. Losambe’s achievements include the Mosaic Award in 2018, and being invited onto the Purdue University Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Advisory Board and the Independent School Association of the Central States Equity and Justice Committee Board.

Jessy Molina is a nationally recognized trainer and facilitator on issues of diversity, equity, and social justice. Most recently, Jessy Molina served as the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Social Justice at Friends School of Baltimore. She has supported people to connect with one another and make social change through her work with the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in San Francisco, the John Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities at Stanford, Quality Education as a Constitutional Right, and Welcoming America. Prior to working at Friends, Jessy served as the Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Garrison Forest School.

An experienced facilitator, Jessy has trained thousands of people at nonprofits, companies, law firms, schools, colleges and universities, and other institutions to recognize and dismantle bias, develop the language and courage to discuss race, create equitable policies and practices, explore the intersections of race, gender, class, sexuality, gender identity, religion, culture and more, and begin building a more just world. Jessy has also developed a model of facilitated dialogue that builds understanding and connection between people and communities who are divided by tension, conflict, and misunderstanding. She has facilitated meaningful dialogue in communities across the country on race and racism, immigration, the criminal justice system, public and private education, policing, ethics and values, and more. Jessy also trains others to facilitate courageous conversations and equity seminars in their communities and serves as a mentor for trainers and facilitators in the Baltimore/Washington D.C region. Jessy graduated from Harvard College and Yale Law School and lives in Baltimore with her husband, Michael, and two children.

Susan Perry is a proven, experienced interdependent, and relational educational leader who thrives in the nexus of campus life having served in executive and leadership roles at independent schools (Governor’s Academy, Phillips Academy, Asheville School, Ravenscroft School) and in higher education (Duke University, Smith College). Susan has been nominated and served on two NAIS Committees charged with examining best practices and providing recommendations to ensure the safety, health, and well-being of students, including being appointed to the NAIS/TABS Independent School Task Force on Educator Sexual Abuse Prevention and Response. Susan has also completed extensive training in leadership development and team facilitation with the Center for Creative Leadership (www.ccl.org) and utilized this interdependent leadership approach while serving as Assistant Head of School for Student Life at Ravenscroft School in Raleigh, NC.

In 2014, Susan appeared as an expert panelist on PBS/UNC-TV’s Focus On: Educating Black Boys, which explored issues around education, opportunity, race, identity, and parenting in the 21st Century. Additionally, Susan has completed the Racial Equity Institute Groundwater and Phase 1 training and The Principals’ Center (TPC) at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education (HGSE) program in Race, Equity, Leadership in Schools. Her clinical training has included two separate in residence internships at Duke University and has completed Advanced Clinical Certification in The Relational Model Levels I & II at the Jean Baker Miller Training Institute, part of the Stone Center, Wellesley Center for Women (WCW) at Wellesley College, Susan is a published author and holds an earned doctorate in educational administration. She has served as consultant/advisor/educator to Boards of Trustees, executive leaders, faculty, families, students and has traveled extensively as a conference speaker and trainer nationwide. Presently, she serves as the inaugural Assistant Head of School for Student Life at Westover School in Middlebury, Connecticut.

Ayesha Swinton cannot seem to squelch her passion for learning. She earned a BA in Romance Languages at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, she earned both her Master’s Degree in Education with a concentration in Spanish Teacher Leadership and her Doctorate in Educational Studies with a focus on Teacher Education.

She has been teaching for 17 years and is currently the Director of Diversity and Belonging, an Upper School Spanish teacher, and the founder of the student group Student Diversity Leadership Council (SDLC) at Greensboro Day School. Ayesha also has a passion for language learning, cultural engagement, and diversity and a fondness for teaching with digital technology. In her career, she has organized various cultural events at both the school and district levels. She also loves to travel and has led both domestic and international student trips. Underneath all of the different hats she wears as an educator, she feels blessed to be able to continuously learn about the infinite perspectives and experiences of others. She loves to sing with the choir at her church and she lives in McLeansville with her supportive spouse and two wonderful children. When she wants to let her brain rest, she reads cheesy romance novels, watches cartoons, and dances like everyone is watching.

Dr. Liza Talusan has been invited to more than 275 organizations across the country to deliver keynote addresses and facilitate dialogue groups, training workshops, to develop strategic planning, support change management, and empower faculty and staff. Certified as a Professional Coach by the Institute for Professional Education in Coaching (iPEC), Liza helps individuals achieve their goals by centering values, strengths, and vision.
Talusan earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Child Development from Connecticut College; Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration from New York University; Ph.D. in Higher Education from University of Massachusetts Boston; Certificate in Human Resources, Stonehill College; and PCC Coaching Credentials.

Liza's cumulative research interests include the experiences of underrepresented populations; Asian American and Pacific Islander students; socialization to graduate programs; navigating academic parenthood; interracial relationships; recognizing and reducing unconscious bias; and the impact of federal financial aid policies. In addition to her work at the national level with corporations, non-profit organizations, and schools, Liza serves as a faculty member in the Department of Educational Leadership at the University of Massachusetts Boston where she teaches both Masters and Doctoral students.

Evangeline Weiss, a social change initiator with a twinkle in her eye, has over 20 years of community building and organizational development experience. Approaching her clients as partners, she facilitates leadership development programs to encourage and sustain leaders on a path towards greater wholeness, intentionality, and purpose. Evangeline works with a wide range of clients to integrate racial and gender understanding and justice into their missions and programs. Her clients include corporations, nonprofit organizations, and independent schools.

After earning a Masters’ degree in educational policy studies, Evangeline spent the first 10 years of her career managing volunteers and staff in healthcare service organizations. After moving to North Carolina in 2002, she has worked in the LGBTQ movement to bring more understanding of the need to center racial justice. Currently, she facilitates transformational change for organizations and individuals through her consulting practice, Beyond Conflict. Evangeline is a poet, wife + mother, artist, and justice worker. She is extremely grateful to call Greensboro, North Carolina home.

Dr. Brynn Welch teaches Philosophy at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Raised in northeast Tennessee, she earned her BA from Davidson College and her MA and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is interested in social/political philosophy and applied ethics, specifically questions about whether and to what extent broad social justice considerations constrain what individuals may do for and within their families. Her work has been published in Social Theory and Practice, The Journal of Political Philosophy, Economics and Philosophy, and Journal of Medical Ethics. She lives in Birmingham, Alabama with her husband and their two daughters.

Scholar. Athlete. Son. Father. “Brooklynite.” These are just a few words to describe Antonio C. Williams. Dedicated to students and independent school education, Antonio has become a known leader within the independent school community.  Born in Brooklyn, New York, Antonio actually lived in Panamá City, Panamá for the first seven years of his life and returned every summer until he was twelve. Family is of utmost importance to Antonio, and the years he lived in Panamá were instrumental to developing his sense of identity and culture. Antonio proudly refers to himself as an “Afro-Latino with West Indian roots.”

Antonio began his career in education after a stint in corporate America. He has taught mathematics in both public and private schools. Antonio currently holds the position of Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at The William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In his career, Antonio has also served as a Mathematics Department Chair (for 14 years) and as an Upper School class dean (for 4 years). As the department chair for mathematics, Antonio developed and implemented math programs and curricula in lower, middle, and upper schools. He also assisted in the creation of a new evaluation process for teachers and led several departments through self-evaluation procedures for re-accreditation.

An intrinsic leader, Antonio is a founding faculty member of the Interschool Leadership Institute for Educators of Color (ILI), and has led many workshops on diversity and leadership at the NAIS Annual Conference and People of Color Conferences (PoCC). He was also a member of the 2011 NAIS People of Color Conference Planning Committee in Philadelphia. Some of his major leadership achievements include the creation a conference that teaches math faculty how to integrate technology into their classroom use; formation of an innovative new policy to help schools improve their recruitment of faculty of color; and seminars for students and faculty on microaggressions and the history of the 'N-word.' Most recently, Antonio has created a Bias Response Protocol and is currently developing a DEI evaluation process for faculty, staff, and administration.

For the last eight years, Antonio served as an executive board member for the Multi Cultural Resource Center (MCRC), an organization comprised of Philadelphia-area independent schools founded to serve, support and empower faculty, staff and students through diversity programming, training and resources. A hallmark of his career and involvement on the MCRC board, Antonio helped establish a workshop centering on issues of social justice, inclusion, and diversity for teachers new to independent schools within the Philadelphia area. He is also a board member of the Nelson Foundation serving as the Treasurer.

Antonio is a member of the 2016-17 cohort for the National Association of Independent Schools’ Fellowship for Aspiring School Heads. He has also completed several other leadership programs such as the NAIS Summer Leadership Institute and the Independent School Institute at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Antonio is the proud father of Leila (his greatest accomplishment), a dedicated student of martial arts, and an active member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated.

Portia Marie York, PhD: With 14 years of tenure at a private K-12 independent school in Charlotte, Portia enjoys driving diverse enrollment and development as the Director of Advancement at The John Crosland School, continually pushing for a culture of DEI and belonging. Additionally, she enjoys teaching undergraduate students as a Professor of Fibers at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. This allows her to center her studies on incorporating fiber arts, especially in S.T.E.A.M. Portia holds a doctoral degree in Curriculum and Instruction: Urban Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Master of Management, with a business concentration from Cambridge College; and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Clark University. Her specialization in fibers entails a Master of Advanced Crochet Stitches and Techniques certification from The Crochet Guild of America. Her research interests include addressing issues of equity and achievement with K-12 Black students, particularly around S.T.E.A.M education and fiber arts.

Published Work:
A chapter in: The Divide Within: Intersections of Realities, Facts, Theories, and Practices, Information Age Publishing, 2019
Review of Talking Black and White: An Intercultural Exploration of Twenty-first Century Racism, Prejudice, and Perception – Urban Education, 2019
A chapter in: Conquering Academia: Experience of Diverse Female PhD Students, Information Age Publishing, 2019