FUTURE CHIEFS
Leslie Marks Brown is in her tenth year of leadership in Broward County Public Schools at the Cabinet level serving as Chief Portfolio Services Officer. Chief Brown currently designs and leads district processes- including facilities management, real estate, municipal and community program partnerships, educational program design, school choice, SEAS and innovative programs, Magnet Programs, demographics and enrollment planning student athletics/activities, as well as charter school support services. As the sixth largest school district in the United States serving over 270,000 students, the district is the largest employer in Broward County, Florida.
Chief Brown has increased participation in specialized school options by over 36 percent and redesigned under-performing schools into successful schools of choice by realigning over $10 million into new school programs. While her current role includes operational efficiencies, her previous experiences span from opening a charter school as a principal and serving as the art curriculum specialist to designing district support structures for the state Turnaround Schools System.
Leslie has been recognized by Chiefs for Change as one of eight Future Chiefs by the national network of state and district educational chiefs. As a Florida State University Graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Art Education and Studio Art, as well as two Master’s Degrees in Art Education and Educational Leadership, Leslie is known for her creative thinking and safe, collaborative white board design thinking sessions with actionable outcomes. Always with the “end user” in mind, Leslie assists leaders in discovering how to meet often-competing interests. Chief Brown consistently applies clear strategies that meet school, district, state and federal requirements while simultaneously creating a compelling interest for the end users to successfully ideate, test and implement creative solutions towards meeting the overall school district and community organization’s strategic goals.
Watch Leslie share her personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
Susana Cordova, a member of Chiefs for Change’s second Future Chief cohort, brings almost 30 years of experience in the Denver Public Schools to her position as the district’s superintendent. She brings more than 20 years of experience to DPS, serving as a teacher or school leader at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. She is a lifelong Denver resident who believes in the power of schools to transform the city. She previously served as the Deputy Superintendent of DPS.
Susana is a DPS graduate who began her teaching career as a bilingual teacher at Horace Mann Middle School, teaching English and Spanish in a dual language program. From there, she moved to West High School, where she taught both English and English as a Second Language, and was recruited for the DPS Leadership Academy. She served as assistant principal at Bryant-Webster Elementary for one year before becoming principal of Remington Elementary, a school with a 95% poverty rate.
While at Remington, Susana helped the school develop a comprehensive school-wide Title I plan and led the school to implement a visionary program of integrated literacy instruction. While she was the principal, Remington experienced a gain of over 33 percent over four years on the state reading assessment. In 2002, she was recruited to the district level to broaden her impact.
Susana received her undergraduate degree in English from the University of Denver, a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction/Education Administration from the University of Colorado, and was recently awarded an honorary doctorate in education by the University of Denver. She is the mother of one DPS graduate and one current DPS high school student.
Watch Susana share her personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
Dr. Donald E. Fennoy II, a member of Chiefs for Change’s second Future Chief cohort, is the 26th Superintendent of Schools for the School District of Palm Beach County. The District is the 11th largest in the country with a student enrollment of more than 193,000 students. The annual budget exceeds $2.4 billion and the District is the largest employer in Palm Beach County with over 23,000 employees. Previously, Donald served as the Chief Operating Officer for the District. In this role he significantly improved operational efficiencies across the 9 departments within his division and created organizational structures to successfully execute $1.3 billion in tax referendum projects. Prior to this position, he served as the Senior Area Superintendent of the South Learning Community for the Fulton County School District. Dr. Fennoy was responsible for the leadership and improvement efforts of 28 schools. Under his leadership the South Learning Community schools achieved dramatic academic gains in addition to significantly improving financial and operational efficiencies. Fennoy also served as the Executive Director of the New Leaders for New Schools Maryland Program. In this capacity, he oversaw the day-to-day operations and programming for the Maryland Principal Development Program. Dr. Fennoy also was a High School Principal in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, where his school received the National School Change Award. This honor is presented annually to six schools in the United States that have demonstrated the greatest academic turnaround in a two-year period.
Donald was honored as one of the most notable 125 Alumni of Florida A&M University; during the 125 year anniversary celebration, for his outstanding accomplishments in the field of Public Education. He graduated from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University with a degree in Elementary Education. He went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Administration from the University of Central Florida.
He and his wife Kendra are the proud parents of two beautiful children.
Watch Donald share his personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
David Hardy is the Managing Partner at Ed Elements and the former CEO of the Lorain School District in Ohio.
In his prior position as the Deputy Superintendent of Academics for Saint Louis Public Schools, he was charged with the mission-critical task of setting and meeting academic standards, developing instructional resources and creating best-in-class educational offerings that address the needs of the district’s students. During his tenure, he supported the development of the academic office, district strategic plan, and corresponding academic initiatives. He was the leader of the academic team that has brought Saint Louis Public Schools full accreditation for the first time since 2000.
As a school leader in 2010, 98.5% of Mr. Hardy’s 6th and 7th grade students were proficient in Math and the highest achieving school in District 19 (Brooklyn) in Language Arts.
As a state leader in 2013, he was responsible for initiating the district turnaround of the lowest performing schools in New Jersey by catalyzing the transformation of Camden City Schools into what is now seen as a budding national model for school district turnaround.
As a district leader in 2017, he led the academic turnaround for Saint Louis Public Schools that increased the district’s Annual Performance Report (APR) score from 40.5 points to 104.5 in three years. Through Mr. Hardy’s strong strategic planning, prudent fiscal allocations, and goal alignment, the academic gains by students have reached highs in Saint Louis that have not been seen in almost 20 years.
Most recently, David was selected to the Board of Trustees at Columbia College in Missouri. Additionally, he is an alumni of some of the most forward thinking national educational organizations in the country — including the National Superintendents Academy and the PELP Institute at Harvard University — and was named a Future Chief for Change Fellow in 2017.
David is a graduate of Colgate University, where he was a student-athlete who left his mark in the classroom and court. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. He also holds an MS in Education Administration from St. Thomas University in Miami, FL and an Ed.M in Urban Education Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University, and will receive his Ed.D in Education from Columbia University Teacher’s College in New York later this year. David and his wife, a graduate of Howard University and health care administrator, have one son.
Watch David share his personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
Russell Johnston has served as a Senior Associate Commissioner at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education since August 2014. There, he manages the state’s accountability and assistance system for all public schools and districts to support their work to raise achievement for all students, and oversees the implementation of various initiatives to assess effectiveness, monitor improvement, and identify appropriate interventions.
Johnston, who began his career as a special education teacher and administrator, led the West Springfield Public Schools from 2010 to 2014. In West Springfield, he oversaw an annual operating budget of $39 million for a school district that serves 3,900 students and 700 employees in nine schools. Under Dr. Johnston’s leadership, the West Springfield district’s four-year graduation rate increased from 71.7% to 81.6%, the annual dropout rate declined to 2.1%, and students across grades made performance gains.
In West Springfield, Johnston led work to increase the depth and rigor of the district’s curriculum; to create a collaborative process between school committee members, administrators, and the local teacher’s union to promote student learning and effectively implement the state’s new educator evaluation system; and to reach out to and engage families to address students’ barriers to learning. Johnston also launched a Pathways to Prosperity program at the high school to enhance students’ college and career preparedness. Students enrolled in the program received coursework and training in precision manufacturing – a key local industry – both at the high school and through Springfield Technical Community College.
After graduating from DePaul University, Johnston served in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps as a Language Arts teacher in Phoenix, Arizona, and a special education instructor in Mobile, Alabama. He then was an elementary special education teacher in Newton, Massachusetts, for five years before heading the elementary special education department for the Wellesley Public Schools. In 2004, Johnston earned a Doctorate of Philosophy and Education Leadership from Boston College. That same year, he became administrator of special services for the West Springfield Public Schools, a role he held until becoming superintendent in 2010. Johnston and his family reside in Melrose, Massachusetts.
Watch Russell share his personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
Wanda Legrand is the Chief Student Support Officer for Guilford County Schools. Formerly, she had joined DC Public Schools as the Deputy Chancellor of Social, Emotional, and Academic Development, where she oversaw and built connections for the Office of Teaching and Learning, Office of Family and Public Engagement, Equity Office, Office of Elementary Schools, and Office of Secondary Schools. She previously served as the Deputy Superintendent of Academics at Indianapolis Public Schools. With 27 years of experience as a professional educator, she has worked as a corporate trainer, high school teacher, assistant principal, principal, and regional superintendent. In her current role, Wanda is responsible for implementing aligned instructional programs district-wide as well as implementing new instructional programs and developing processes to change current ones. She continuously evaluates and assesses all district curricular and instructional programs to measure their effectiveness. She also leads IPS staff members in the planning, administration, and evaluation of professional development activities that support teaching and learning. Wanda has a Doctorate of Education and a Master’s in School Administration and Educational Leadership from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from North Carolina A&T State University.
Watch Wanda share her personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
As Deputy Commissioner of Special Populations at the Texas Education Agency, Matt Montaño oversees TEA’s work to strengthen and support Special Education in Texas. This work encompasses programs at all levels of the public education system involving students, parents, teachers, as well as campus-level and district-level administrators.
Montaño was most recently Deputy Secretary, Teaching and Learning, at the New Mexico Public Education Department. He previously served in New Mexico as the state’s Director of Educator Quality, where his responsibilities included overseeing the bureaus of Professional Licensure, Professional Ethics, Professional Development, Indian Education, Bilingual/Multicultural Education, Virtual Schools, Instructional Materials, and Math and Science. Montaño led the development of the NMTEACH Teacher and Principal Effectiveness system, which was recently recognized as one of the few state evaluation systems to assign effectiveness ratings appropriately to teachers in all ranges of performance.
Throughout his career, he has always placed students at the forefront of his leadership. He sees reform of the public education system as the single greatest opportunity to create equitable access for traditionally underserved students. He started as a substitute teacher while an undergraduate student within the Bernalillo School system in Bernalillo, New Mexico. He was a classroom teacher for 11 years, serving as department chair, assessment coordinator, and lead teacher. He was Assistant Principal for three years at Bernalillo Middle School and the Principal at Bernalillo High School for 2 years.
Montaño graduated from the University of New Mexico with a B.A. in History and Religion and received his M.A. in Special Education from the College of Santa Fe, with an emphasis on ED/BD students. He is the proud father of Gabriella, Sophia, Antonio, and Lucia.
Watch Matt share his personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
Trailblazing, purpose-driven, and exceptionally passionate are only a few of the descriptors that are ascribed to Alisha Thomas Cromartie. Successfully blending her expertise in education, the legislature and the nonprofit sector, she stands strong as one of the nation’s most admirable speakers, advocates and transformational leaders in the education arena. Her prodigious ability to inspire, coach and transform seemingly insurmountable adverse situations only adds to her exceptional reputation.
Her success has been lauded through features in Ebony and Marie Claire magazines, as well as the New York Times and CSPAN. Every day, Cromartie looks forward to transforming lives for the better. Her life’s philosophy, which stems from a quote from Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, states, “Every person is born into this world to do something distinctive and unique and if he or she doesn’t do it, it’ll never be done.” This is what drives her work as Executive Director of the Rena Carter Foundation. She states “we are laser focused on disrupting generational poverty in our communities. We believe that if we don’t do it, it will never be done.”
A native of Miami, Florida, Cromartie made Atlanta her home after matriculating Spelman College. Upon completion of her amazing academic excursion there as a Sociology and Drama major, she earned her Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership from Kennesaw State University.
With a heart’s desire to be a voice, transform public education, and to engage real people in the political process, Cromartie made history at age 23 by becoming the first African American elected to the Georgia House of Representatives serving residents of one of state’s largest counties (Cobb). Cromartie was elected to six terms. During her tenure, she served on the Education, Appropriations and Health & Human Services Committees.
In addition to her work in the Georgia legislature, Cromartie also served as Superintendent of Ivy Prep Academies, a network of all-girls public schools of excellence. As a result of her leadership, she designed and spearheaded the turnaround of the network’s operations, academic achievements and financial strength. Specifically, the Kirkwood campus doubled its state performance score from a 43 to an 85, and across the network of schools, the teacher retention rate went from 20% to 80%.
Cromartie is a 2015 graduate of the Broad Superintendents Academy and she holds Superintendents’ certification for K-12 schools. She successfully completed Future Chiefs, a highly selected program for educators who aspire to be superintendents, in 2017. Further, Cromartie is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., a national board member for the Joseph and Evelyn Lowery Institute for Justice and Human Rights, and a national advisory board member for Pathways in Education. The wisdom gained from her vast experiences have been chronicled in her book, No Apologies: Powerful Lessons in Life, Love and Politics.
Watch Alisha share her personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
COHORT 2
Cohort at-a-Glance
- 75% leaders of color
- 100% current or former state and local education leaders
- 100% committed to ensuring all students have a quality education
Future Chiefs Programming
Nominate a Future Chief
Future Chiefs in the News
Read Announcement of Cohort 2
COHORT 2
Cohort at-a-Glance
- 75% leaders of color
- 100% current or former state and local education leaders
- 100% committed to ensuring all students have a quality education
Future Chiefs Programming
Nominate a Future Chief
Future Chiefs in the News
Read Announcement of Cohort 2
Leslie Marks Brown is in her tenth year of leadership in Broward County Public Schools at the Cabinet level serving as Chief Portfolio Services Officer. Chief Brown currently designs and leads district processes- including facilities management, real estate, municipal and community program partnerships, educational program design, school choice, SEAS and innovative programs, Magnet Programs, demographics and enrollment planning student athletics/activities, as well as charter school support services. As the sixth largest school district in the United States serving over 270,000 students, the district is the largest employer in Broward County, Florida.
Chief Brown has increased participation in specialized school options by over 36 percent and redesigned under-performing schools into successful schools of choice by realigning over $10 million into new school programs. While her current role includes operational efficiencies, her previous experiences span from opening a charter school as a principal and serving as the art curriculum specialist to designing district support structures for the state Turnaround Schools System.
Leslie has been recognized by Chiefs for Change as one of eight Future Chiefs by the national network of state and district educational chiefs. As a Florida State University Graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Art Education and Studio Art, as well as two Master’s Degrees in Art Education and Educational Leadership, Leslie is known for her creative thinking and safe, collaborative white board design thinking sessions with actionable outcomes. Always with the “end user” in mind, Leslie assists leaders in discovering how to meet often-competing interests. Chief Brown consistently applies clear strategies that meet school, district, state and federal requirements while simultaneously creating a compelling interest for the end users to successfully ideate, test and implement creative solutions towards meeting the overall school district and community organization’s strategic goals.
Watch Leslie share her personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
Susana Cordova, a member of Chiefs for Change’s second Future Chief cohort, brings almost 30 years of experience in the Denver Public Schools to her position as the district’s superintendent. She brings more than 20 years of experience to DPS, serving as a teacher or school leader at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. She is a lifelong Denver resident who believes in the power of schools to transform the city. She previously served as the Deputy Superintendent of DPS.
Susana is a DPS graduate who began her teaching career as a bilingual teacher at Horace Mann Middle School, teaching English and Spanish in a dual language program. From there, she moved to West High School, where she taught both English and English as a Second Language, and was recruited for the DPS Leadership Academy. She served as assistant principal at Bryant-Webster Elementary for one year before becoming principal of Remington Elementary, a school with a 95% poverty rate.
While at Remington, Susana helped the school develop a comprehensive school-wide Title I plan and led the school to implement a visionary program of integrated literacy instruction. While she was the principal, Remington experienced a gain of over 33 percent over four years on the state reading assessment. In 2002, she was recruited to the district level to broaden her impact.
Susana received her undergraduate degree in English from the University of Denver, a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction/Education Administration from the University of Colorado, and was recently awarded an honorary doctorate in education by the University of Denver. She is the mother of one DPS graduate and one current DPS high school student.
Watch Susana share her personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
Dr. Donald E. Fennoy II, a member of Chiefs for Change’s second Future Chief cohort, is the 26th Superintendent of Schools for the School District of Palm Beach County. The District is the 11th largest in the country with a student enrollment of more than 193,000 students. The annual budget exceeds $2.4 billion and the District is the largest employer in Palm Beach County with over 23,000 employees. Previously, Donald served as the Chief Operating Officer for the District. In this role he significantly improved operational efficiencies across the 9 departments within his division and created organizational structures to successfully execute $1.3 billion in tax referendum projects. Prior to this position, he served as the Senior Area Superintendent of the South Learning Community for the Fulton County School District. Dr. Fennoy was responsible for the leadership and improvement efforts of 28 schools. Under his leadership the South Learning Community schools achieved dramatic academic gains in addition to significantly improving financial and operational efficiencies. Fennoy also served as the Executive Director of the New Leaders for New Schools Maryland Program. In this capacity, he oversaw the day-to-day operations and programming for the Maryland Principal Development Program. Dr. Fennoy also was a High School Principal in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, where his school received the National School Change Award. This honor is presented annually to six schools in the United States that have demonstrated the greatest academic turnaround in a two-year period.
Donald was honored as one of the most notable 125 Alumni of Florida A&M University; during the 125 year anniversary celebration, for his outstanding accomplishments in the field of Public Education. He graduated from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University with a degree in Elementary Education. He went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Administration from the University of Central Florida.
He and his wife Kendra are the proud parents of two beautiful children.
Watch Donald share his personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
David Hardy is the Managing Partner at Ed Elements and the former CEO of the Lorain School District in Ohio.
In his prior position as the Deputy Superintendent of Academics for Saint Louis Public Schools, he was charged with the mission-critical task of setting and meeting academic standards, developing instructional resources and creating best-in-class educational offerings that address the needs of the district’s students. During his tenure, he supported the development of the academic office, district strategic plan, and corresponding academic initiatives. He was the leader of the academic team that has brought Saint Louis Public Schools full accreditation for the first time since 2000.
As a school leader in 2010, 98.5% of Mr. Hardy’s 6th and 7th grade students were proficient in Math and the highest achieving school in District 19 (Brooklyn) in Language Arts.
As a state leader in 2013, he was responsible for initiating the district turnaround of the lowest performing schools in New Jersey by catalyzing the transformation of Camden City Schools into what is now seen as a budding national model for school district turnaround.
As a district leader in 2017, he led the academic turnaround for Saint Louis Public Schools that increased the district’s Annual Performance Report (APR) score from 40.5 points to 104.5 in three years. Through Mr. Hardy’s strong strategic planning, prudent fiscal allocations, and goal alignment, the academic gains by students have reached highs in Saint Louis that have not been seen in almost 20 years.
Most recently, David was selected to the Board of Trustees at Columbia College in Missouri. Additionally, he is an alumni of some of the most forward thinking national educational organizations in the country — including the National Superintendents Academy and the PELP Institute at Harvard University — and was named a Future Chief for Change Fellow in 2017.
David is a graduate of Colgate University, where he was a student-athlete who left his mark in the classroom and court. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. He also holds an MS in Education Administration from St. Thomas University in Miami, FL and an Ed.M in Urban Education Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University, and will receive his Ed.D in Education from Columbia University Teacher’s College in New York later this year. David and his wife, a graduate of Howard University and health care administrator, have one son.
Watch David share his personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
Russell Johnston has served as a Senior Associate Commissioner at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education since August 2014. There, he manages the state’s accountability and assistance system for all public schools and districts to support their work to raise achievement for all students, and oversees the implementation of various initiatives to assess effectiveness, monitor improvement, and identify appropriate interventions.
Johnston, who began his career as a special education teacher and administrator, led the West Springfield Public Schools from 2010 to 2014. In West Springfield, he oversaw an annual operating budget of $39 million for a school district that serves 3,900 students and 700 employees in nine schools. Under Dr. Johnston’s leadership, the West Springfield district’s four-year graduation rate increased from 71.7% to 81.6%, the annual dropout rate declined to 2.1%, and students across grades made performance gains.
In West Springfield, Johnston led work to increase the depth and rigor of the district’s curriculum; to create a collaborative process between school committee members, administrators, and the local teacher’s union to promote student learning and effectively implement the state’s new educator evaluation system; and to reach out to and engage families to address students’ barriers to learning. Johnston also launched a Pathways to Prosperity program at the high school to enhance students’ college and career preparedness. Students enrolled in the program received coursework and training in precision manufacturing – a key local industry – both at the high school and through Springfield Technical Community College.
After graduating from DePaul University, Johnston served in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps as a Language Arts teacher in Phoenix, Arizona, and a special education instructor in Mobile, Alabama. He then was an elementary special education teacher in Newton, Massachusetts, for five years before heading the elementary special education department for the Wellesley Public Schools. In 2004, Johnston earned a Doctorate of Philosophy and Education Leadership from Boston College. That same year, he became administrator of special services for the West Springfield Public Schools, a role he held until becoming superintendent in 2010. Johnston and his family reside in Melrose, Massachusetts.
Watch Russell share his personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
Wanda Legrand is the Chief Student Support Officer for Guilford County Schools. Formerly, she had joined DC Public Schools as the Deputy Chancellor of Social, Emotional, and Academic Development, where she oversaw and built connections for the Office of Teaching and Learning, Office of Family and Public Engagement, Equity Office, Office of Elementary Schools, and Office of Secondary Schools. She previously served as the Deputy Superintendent of Academics at Indianapolis Public Schools. With 27 years of experience as a professional educator, she has worked as a corporate trainer, high school teacher, assistant principal, principal, and regional superintendent. In her current role, Wanda is responsible for implementing aligned instructional programs district-wide as well as implementing new instructional programs and developing processes to change current ones. She continuously evaluates and assesses all district curricular and instructional programs to measure their effectiveness. She also leads IPS staff members in the planning, administration, and evaluation of professional development activities that support teaching and learning. Wanda has a Doctorate of Education and a Master’s in School Administration and Educational Leadership from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from North Carolina A&T State University.
Watch Wanda share her personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
As Deputy Commissioner of Special Populations at the Texas Education Agency, Matt Montaño oversees TEA’s work to strengthen and support Special Education in Texas. This work encompasses programs at all levels of the public education system involving students, parents, teachers, as well as campus-level and district-level administrators.
Montaño was most recently Deputy Secretary, Teaching and Learning, at the New Mexico Public Education Department. He previously served in New Mexico as the state’s Director of Educator Quality, where his responsibilities included overseeing the bureaus of Professional Licensure, Professional Ethics, Professional Development, Indian Education, Bilingual/Multicultural Education, Virtual Schools, Instructional Materials, and Math and Science. Montaño led the development of the NMTEACH Teacher and Principal Effectiveness system, which was recently recognized as one of the few state evaluation systems to assign effectiveness ratings appropriately to teachers in all ranges of performance.
Throughout his career, he has always placed students at the forefront of his leadership. He sees reform of the public education system as the single greatest opportunity to create equitable access for traditionally underserved students. He started as a substitute teacher while an undergraduate student within the Bernalillo School system in Bernalillo, New Mexico. He was a classroom teacher for 11 years, serving as department chair, assessment coordinator, and lead teacher. He was Assistant Principal for three years at Bernalillo Middle School and the Principal at Bernalillo High School for 2 years.
Montaño graduated from the University of New Mexico with a B.A. in History and Religion and received his M.A. in Special Education from the College of Santa Fe, with an emphasis on ED/BD students. He is the proud father of Gabriella, Sophia, Antonio, and Lucia.
Watch Matt share his personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
Trailblazing, purpose-driven, and exceptionally passionate are only a few of the descriptors that are ascribed to Alisha Thomas Cromartie. Successfully blending her expertise in education, the legislature and the nonprofit sector, she stands strong as one of the nation’s most admirable speakers, advocates and transformational leaders in the education arena. Her prodigious ability to inspire, coach and transform seemingly insurmountable adverse situations only adds to her exceptional reputation.
Her success has been lauded through features in Ebony and Marie Claire magazines, as well as the New York Times and CSPAN. Every day, Cromartie looks forward to transforming lives for the better. Her life’s philosophy, which stems from a quote from Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, states, “Every person is born into this world to do something distinctive and unique and if he or she doesn’t do it, it’ll never be done.” This is what drives her work as Executive Director of the Rena Carter Foundation. She states “we are laser focused on disrupting generational poverty in our communities. We believe that if we don’t do it, it will never be done.”
A native of Miami, Florida, Cromartie made Atlanta her home after matriculating Spelman College. Upon completion of her amazing academic excursion there as a Sociology and Drama major, she earned her Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership from Kennesaw State University.
With a heart’s desire to be a voice, transform public education, and to engage real people in the political process, Cromartie made history at age 23 by becoming the first African American elected to the Georgia House of Representatives serving residents of one of state’s largest counties (Cobb). Cromartie was elected to six terms. During her tenure, she served on the Education, Appropriations and Health & Human Services Committees.
In addition to her work in the Georgia legislature, Cromartie also served as Superintendent of Ivy Prep Academies, a network of all-girls public schools of excellence. As a result of her leadership, she designed and spearheaded the turnaround of the network’s operations, academic achievements and financial strength. Specifically, the Kirkwood campus doubled its state performance score from a 43 to an 85, and across the network of schools, the teacher retention rate went from 20% to 80%.
Cromartie is a 2015 graduate of the Broad Superintendents Academy and she holds Superintendents’ certification for K-12 schools. She successfully completed Future Chiefs, a highly selected program for educators who aspire to be superintendents, in 2017. Further, Cromartie is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., a national board member for the Joseph and Evelyn Lowery Institute for Justice and Human Rights, and a national advisory board member for Pathways in Education. The wisdom gained from her vast experiences have been chronicled in her book, No Apologies: Powerful Lessons in Life, Love and Politics.
Watch Alisha share her personal story
Read About our Future Chiefs in the News
