8 Greenway Plaza
Suite 900
Houston, TX 77046
Cary Wright is the CEO of Good Reason Houston, a nonprofit dedicated to improving public education in Houston through collaboration with families, educators, policymakers, and philanthropists.
Prior to becoming CEO in 2023, Cary served as the Chief External Affairs Officer for Good Reason Houston. He spent nearly a decade with Teach For America, culminating in his role as Executive Director of the Dallas-Fort Worth region. Cary’s experience in public education, fundraising, public affairs, and nonprofit leadership spans over 15 years, including notable positions such as Press Secretary for the U.S. House of Representatives and an elementary school teacher in rural Mississippi.
Beyond his professional commitments, Cary actively contributes to the Houston community as a board member of Houstonians for Great Public Schools and as a member of the Greater Houston Partnership’s UpSkill Executive Committee. Cary is also a member of the Davidson College Alumni Association Board of Directors.
A native of Amarillo, Texas, Cary is the proud graduate of Texas public schools and received his bachelor’s degree from Davidson College where he studied English and Art History. Outside of his professional life, he enjoys traveling, exploring Houston’s culinary scene, and staying active. Cary resides in the Houston Heights with his boyfriend Nick and their beloved dogs, Memphis and Finn.
As Chief Operating Officer, Ashley leads Good Reason Houston’s efforts to understand and assess the current state of Houston’s public education systems and illuminate opportunities to celebrate successes and drive improvements. She supports our District Partnerships, Insights, and Research and Data teams to build awareness across the city, while advising districts on how we can collectively improve school quality through research-based best practices and stakeholder input.
In her previous role at Good Reason Houston, Ashley served as Chief of Staff, managing the people, human resources, finance, and operations functions. Before joining Good Reason Houston, Ashley was the Director of Consulting and Management Services at Silicon Valley Community Foundation. There, she led a team responsible for all non-traditional lines of business. Ashley also served as a founding team member of New Schools for Baton Rouge, a nonprofit working to improve educational outcomes; co-founder of a workforce development program that teaches basic computer coding skills to youth; and a founding teacher and grade level leader at the highest performing elementary school in post-Katrina New Orleans through Teach For America.
Ashley holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University.
As Chief Financial Officer, Faria works to ensure the long-term success and sustainability of Good Reason Houston through the effective allocation of its resources. She manages the organization’s financial and administrative functions, oversees the design and implementation of policies and practices that ensure the team is set up to deliver against its goals, and leads the organization’s investments process and other significant initiatives that impact the broad organization. Prior to this role, she served as the Head of Advancement at Good Reason Houston, leading a fundraising team and working closely with funders to secure and maximize private investments towards the organization’s vision, mission, and goals.
Previously, Faria led institutional giving at Teach For America Dallas-Fort Worth, where she partnered closely with corporate, foundation and government funders investing in the organization’s work towards educational equity in North Texas. Prior to that, Faria spent years working in management consulting and began her career focused on corporate philanthropy at the Citi Foundation in New York City.
Faria holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Human Rights from Barnard College, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Rice University. As a native Houstonian, Faria is proud to be working with an organization committed to dramatically increasing equitable access to high quality education for students in her hometown.
As Chief Policy Officer, Veronica leads Good Reason Houston’s public policy and advocacy efforts, which includes advocating for local and state policies that will improve outcomes for Houston’s students.
Veronica brings over 15 years of experience in education policy and advocacy. Most recently, she led a consulting firm that provided government relations, strategic advice and counsel, and legislative research and analysis to nonprofit, business, and philanthropic entities.
Veronica began her career as a school social worker before receiving her Juris Doctor from Chicago-Kent College of Law. She has a Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work from Texas State University. As a Klein ISD graduate, she is excited to be part of an organization dedicated to increasing the number of children succeeding in high-quality public schools.
Courtney Isaak Pichon manages Good Reason Houston’s district partnerships. She serves as the chief officer on strategic planning to increase the number of students in high-quality, best-fit schools. In this capacity, Courtney supports the design and implementation of dozens of school and district improvement interventions across the region.
Courtney earned a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Southern Methodist University and is passionate about supporting districts to select and implement high-quality curriculum. Through this work, she has helped ensure that over 250,000 Houston students are accessing rigorous curriculum every day.
After graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Public Service, Courtney moved to Texas to begin her career in education as a secondary math teacher with Teach For America. She worked for Teach For America for six years, coaching and designing training for over 800 beginning teachers. Courtney and her husband enjoy biking around Houston— especially to their neighborhood bakery for best-in-the-city croissants and pastries.
Kaneisha Lloyd is a philanthropy professional with over a decade of experience in donor management, strategic communications, and fundraising. She has secured pledges and donations for capital campaigns and directly influenced development teams in raising millions of dollars. As a graduate of The University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Public Relations, Kaneisha takes pride in the storytelling and branding of mission-driven organizations to build meaningful relationships for constructive community impact.
Stefanie Cruz joined Good Reason Houston in 2019 and has been working in public education space for over a decade. She began her tenure on the Strategy & Transformation team, leading external investments, and strategic initiatives before transitioning to manage Advancement. Now, she leads Houston Loves Teachers, a campaign dedicated to elevating and supporting educators across the city.
Stefanie’s career in education started as an elementary school teacher in Houston. Prior to Good Reason Houston, she worked at YES Prep Public Schools district office as Manager of People Operations and Strategy, thinking about employee experiences and the district’s strategic plans. She also served as Manager of School & Community Partnerships at Families Empowered, helping families navigate school choice and supporting new school launches.
A native Houstonian, Stefanie holds a B.A. in Anthropology & International Relations from Colby College and an MBA from Rice University’s Jones School of Business. She is passionate about ensuring every child has access to a quality education and the opportunity to thrive.
As Manager of Advancement, Molly supports Good Reason Houston’s fundraising program with a focus on institutional giving. She helps identify, cultivate, and communicate with local, state, and national corporations and foundations that partner with Good Reason Houston to increase the demand for and supply of great public schools in Houston. Molly will collaborate with her colleagues in Advancement and other team members at Good Reason Houston to raise $45 million toward high-quality seats for Houston students during our Phase II campaign.
Before joining the team at Good Reason Houston, Molly worked in client-facing and administrative roles at homeless services nonprofits, SEARCH Homeless Services and Family Eldercare, for five years. She also has experience in memory care, adult day care, and youth development nonprofit environments.
Molly is fortunate to have a Bachelor of Psychology and Religious Studies degree from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a proud third-generation Houstonian and grateful for the opportunity to grow her career at Good Reason Houston.
As the Associate of Events and Annual Giving, Alycia supports Good Reason Houston’s individual giving program by fostering donor stewardship through event coordination and strategic campaign planning. By working with the Advancement team, Alycia is committed to helping Good Reason Houston acquire funding needed to succeed in its mission of improving the quality of education throughout Houston.
Before joining the Good Reason Houston team, Alycia began her career in development at Incarnate Word Academy, an all-girls college preparatory school in Houston, as a Database Coordinator, where she helped manage the school’s development and communications, resulting in continued year-over-year growth.
Alycia is a proud native Houstonian and graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communications, with a minor in Training and Development. As a mother of three, she is passionate about the quality of education that is accessible to children everywhere and strives to make the world a better place for future generations.
As Managing Director of Insights, Meron is committed to learning from and supporting Houston schools, school systems, and communities to reimagine what high quality education must look like in a rapidly evolving world. In this role, Meron offers insightful recommendations and commentary on the state of education, informed by stakeholders and the local, national, and international education landscape, all aimed at pushing public discourse and scaling high quality interventions and education models.
Meron brings over 15 years of experience in schools and districts. She has been honored to be allowed to serve students, teachers, and families in her roles as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, manager of principals, and consultant. In her most recent roles, she managed, coached, and developed campus leaders in public schools across the state and internationally. Meron is a Houston native who truly believes in harnessing the power of community to lead change.
Meron holds a Bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University, her MBA from Rice University, and is currently completing her doctoral dissertation focused on reimaging school environments.
She is a mother, daughter, sister, friend, wife, and community member. Her main hobbies are laughing loudly and traveling. She considers herself a curator of joy who just wants people to find spaces where they feel they belong.
As the Managing Director of District Partnerships, Michelle works with district leadership to provide implementation, technical assistance, and advisory support to increase the number of high quality schools serving students across Houston. Specifically, Michelle specializes in collaborating with system and school leaders to plan and implement turnaround and improvement efforts in areas such as leadership, instruction, culture, and family and community engagement. Michelle’s unique areas of expertise include strategic planning, progress monitoring, data analysis, and capacity building.
Michelle started her career in consulting where she worked with clients on talent, performance, and compensation strategies. Following her passion for education, Michelle decided to join Teach For America as a corps member and taught kindergarten and first grade in Spring Branch ISD for 5 years. As a teacher, Michelle supported her campus’ redesign, served on the District and Campus Improvement Teams, launched student data tracking, and interned at KIPP in Houston as part of the Policy and Advocacy Summer Fellowship with Leadership in Educational Equity (LEE).
Michelle earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Rice University and M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction / Personalized and Blended Learning at Texas Tech University. Michelle is dedicated to making high quality schools the expectation in Houston and ensuring educational opportunity and access for every child.
As Director of District Partnerships, Jaime works with district leadership to provide implementation, technical assistance, and advisory support to increase the number of high quality schools serving students across Houston. In his previous role at Good Reason Houston, Jaime managed a portfolio of emerging schools, namely charters, that were launching or expanding in the region. Jaime’s unique areas of expertise include data analysis, teacher professional development, coaching, and curriculum.
Prior to joining Good Reason Houston, Jaime worked at BakerRipley Community Schools and Teach For America. In his roles, he designed professional development, created curriculum materials, and coached teachers. He started his career in education as a bilingual teacher at Gallegos Elementary in HISD.
A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Jaime studied Political Science and U.S. Latino Studies.
As Director of District Partnerships, Meredith-Leigh works with district leadership to provide implementation, technical assistance, and advisory support to increase the number of high quality schools serving students across Houston. Prior to this role, Meredith-Leigh served as Good Reason Houston’s head of talent pipelines where she advised districts and led regional efforts to increase the number of diverse, skillful teachers and leaders in Houston. Meredith-Leigh’s unique areas of expertise include talent management, convening and facilitation, implementing high-quality instructional materials at scale, coaching, change management, and early childhood instruction. Meredith-Leigh also serves as a member of the Texas Education Agency’s Educator Preparation Stakeholder Group.
Meredith-Leigh began her career in education as a Teach For America corps member in New Orleans, Louisiana. After teaching kindergarten and first grade in turnaround schools, Meredith-Leigh served as an instructional coach and as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Early Childhood Programs for a New Orleans charter network. Under Meredith-Leigh’s leadership, the network’s early childhood programs earned statewide honors for outstanding gains. In addition to working in schools, Meredith-Leigh has extensive experience coaching and developing new teachers as a facilitator and instructor for TNTP, Inc. and the Louisiana Resource Center for Educators. Through this work, Meredith-Leigh has coached, trained, and helped certify over 250 new teachers.
As the Manager of District Partnerships, Kellie works with district leadership to provide implementation, technical assistance, and advisory support to increase the number of high quality schools serving students across Houston. In her previous role at Good Reason Houston, Kellie managed a portfolio of emerging schools, namely charters, that were launching or expanding in the region, in addition to the Good Reasons to Lead Fellowship. Kellie’s unique areas of expertise include curriculum development and implementation, coaching, professional development, and secondary education.
Kellie began her career in education as a middle school English and Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) teacher in Alief ISD. Her passion for teaching English led her to engage in an array of experiences such as writing curriculum, facilitating at several national conferences, being a board member of West Houston Council of Teachers of English (WHACTE) and Texas State Liaison for Conference on English Leadership (CEL). She has over a decade of experience working in underserved, underestimated communities infusing social justice and culturally responsive practices into her work with students and faculty alike. Prior to joining Good Reason Houston, Kellie was an Instructional Leader and Administrator for YES Prep Public Schools.
Kellie earned a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from Texas State University and her M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction specializing in Literacy Studies from the University of Houston – Victoria. She grounds her relentlessness to the pursuit of equity in education to Frederick Douglass’ philosophy that “education is emancipation.”
As Manager of District Partnerships, Thomas collaborates with district leadership to develop and support the creation, expansion and strengthening of high-quality schools in the Houston region. Thomas’ areas of expertise include curriculum implementation, professional learning design, data analysis, and school improvement strategizing.
Before joining Good Reason Houston, Thomas served as an instructional leader and assistant principal in Houston ISD. While in this role, Thomas transformed instruction on his campus by leading the implementation of high-quality instructional materials. Thomas also served on the district design committee for the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA), and partnered with the New Teacher Center to pilot innovative instructional coaching and support on his campus. Thomas began his career in education as a Teach For America corps member, and is a proud recipient of the Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award.
Thomas holds his B.S. in Business Communications from the State University of New York at Farmingdale. He later earned his M.S. Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from Johns Hopkins University and a M. Ed. in Educational Leadership from Lamar University. Thomas is eager to contribute to an organization committed to improving equity and student outcomes across Houston.
As the Managing Director of Communications, Jessica is committed to developing and managing an integrated communications strategy to broaden Good Reason Houston’s impact. In this role, she leads content creation and distribution to ensure audiences are educated, engaged, and empowered.
Before joining Good Reason Houston, Jessica held roles as Director of Communications for the Office of Harris County Commissioner Precinct 4 and Assistant Director of Communications and Community Engagement with the City of Sugar Land. Jessica also brings 15 years of media experience to Good Reason Houston with roles in newsrooms across Texas such as the Houston Chronicle, Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Texas Monthly, Huntsville Item, and Brazosport Facts. Since transitioning from media, Jessica has helped lead teams to earn state, national and global awards for digital and strategic communications.
Jessica earned degrees from the University of Texas in Austin and Harvard University.
When not working to improve public education for every student in Houston, Jessica can be found building pillow forts with her daughter, Harper Lee, and husband, Matt; visiting museums and bookstores; or writing books.
As the Communications Manager of Brand and Content, Jahnara is committed to shaping the narrative of public education at Good Reason Houston. She crafts compelling stories, influences messaging, and utilizes various platforms to drive action toward equitable outcomes in Houston’s public education landscape. From traditional media pitches to digital campaigns, Jahnara collaboratively works to align content plans with the organization’s vision and mission for key public education outcomes. Jahnara actively explores innovative distribution channels, builds media relationships, and refines Good Reason Houston’s brand identity to ensure a clear and consistent voice across all communication channels.
Before joining the Good Reason Houston team, Jahnara worked with nonprofit organizations and diverse companies in finance, real estate, and technology sectors. In these roles, she spearheaded initiatives aimed at enhancing their brand visibility through comprehensive strategies spanning content, digital, and social media realms.
Jahnara earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Prairie View A&M University and a Master of Business Administration, with a concentration in Marketing, from Texas Woman’s University.
Adrian Perez is the Communications Manager at Good Reason Houston, championing external communications strategies, tools, and resources to enhance the educator experience throughout the Greater Houston area. Including managing region-wide campaigns, cultivating relationships with partners, and seeking new collaborations that align with Good Reason Houston’s mission & values.
Prior to Good Reason Houston, Adrian spent more than 10 years as the executive producer of Cox Media Group’s most successful morning radio shows, leading content development and outreach strategy from concept ideation to delivery on-air.
Adrian received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications – Media Production from the University of Houston, Go Coogs! As a native Houstonian, Adrian spends much of his free time volunteering in the city that raised him as part of key non-profit organizations such as the Alzheimer’s Association and the Houston Food Bank.
As Director of Government Relations, Trista keeps a pulse on policy discourse that impacts education at the state and local levels to help inform Good Reason Houston’s advocacy work.
Trista began her career at Harris County Public Health, where she focused on social impact research and public relations. Prior to joining the Good Reason team, she worked with Houstonians for Great Public Schools, dedicating her time to making school board education policy accessible and laser focused on supporting students.
Trista received her bachelor’s in Mass Communications from Texas State University before earning her Juris Doctor from W&L Law.
As Director of Civic Leadership Engagement, Jasmine partners with diverse stakeholders to build greater awareness of the public education landscape in Houston. She cultivates citywide ownership of improving school quality by mobilizing advocacy efforts in alignment with Good Reason Houston’s vision for great public schools . Jasmine began her career in education as a middle school math teacher. She spent four years working in Title I schools in Spring and Klein ISD. During her time in the classroom, she noticed how certain students were impacted by systemically discriminatory discipline policies and instructional practices on campus. In response, Jasmine became a founding member of her campus’ equity coalition, designed to target, and address the racial and socio-economic barriers to a high-quality education.
Jasmine is a native Houstonian and a graduate of Texas public schools. She attended Baylor University, where she was an International Studies major with a minor in Business Administration, and she received her Masters in Public Administration from the University of Houston.
In this role, he works to amplify the voices and experiences of stakeholders and community members through base-building, community engagement, and grassroots mobilizing.
Previously he supported advocacy efforts in local government, and led teams of organizers across three regions in the South, leading the development and implementation of strategic initiatives that advanced the rights and opportunities of young adults in health care, higher education, and economic justice.
Greg holds a Bachelor of Arts n Political Science from the University of Houston, and an AA in Government from Houston Community College. Greg’s life’s work center around disrupting and denouncing white supremacy culture by centering equity, inclusivity, and belonging, and creating positive social change.
As Managing Director of Research and Data Strategy, Luna leads the planning, execution, and presentation of Good Reason Houston’s original research and data analytics efforts. Luna aims to offer clear, meaningful, and timely perspective on the state of schools in an effort to shape Good Reason Houston’s strategic priorities and inform a range of audiences on bright spots and areas for improvement across Houston’s public education systems.
Prior to joining Good Reason Houston, Luna was a member of the school redesign team at Spring Branch ISD where she supported 25 campuses to use design thinking principles to reimagine school and personalize learning for every child.
Luna started her education career as a Teach For America corps member in Houston. She has worked as a teacher at KIPP and Uplift Education and as a Program Manager for EMERGE, a college access organization. She also worked for the Laura and John Arnold Foundation to develop new areas of investment.
Luna earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s of public affairs from Princeton University’s School for Public and International Affairs. As a first-generation college graduate, she is deeply committed to ensuring every child has equitable opportunities to attain a world-class education.
As the Director of Research and Data, Patrick supports Good Reason Houston’s internal teams and external stakeholders through research, data analysis, and data storytelling. He manages our dynamic research and data team, aiming to solidify Good Reason Houston’s position as the region’s go-to resource for timely and actionable education data insights. He also leads the organization’s dynamic original research agenda oriented around a deeper understanding of where our system currently stands and where it can go.
Prior to joining Good Reason Houston, Patrick partnered with Houston-area school districts as a researcher with the Kinder Institute for Urban Research’s Houston Education Research Consortium, examining topics such as student mobility and career and technical education. He began his career in education as a City Year corps member in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood before working for several years at Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory School of Houston.
Patrick received his Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from the University of Notre Dame, and his Master of Public Policy from the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs, where he specialized in education policy.
As the Manager of Research and Data, Mingyu spearheads the organization’s data-driven approach, ensuring impactful insights inform organization initiatives. Collaborating with internal teams and external partners, Mingyu helps drive the organization-wide research agenda, conducting qualitative and quantitative analyses to maximize organization impact. Through compelling data storytelling, Mingyu communicates key insights to diverse stakeholders, fostering understanding and action.
Prior to joining Good Reason Houston, Mingyu served as a Sr. Program Analyst at United Way of Greater Houston. In that role, Mingyu was an integral member of the Mission & Strategy Team, responsible for collecting, analyzing, and communicating data to demonstrate impact. By leveraging data-driven insights, she helped shape effective strategies and programs that aligned with United Way’s goals. She was also an advocate for ALICE (asset limited, income constrained, employed) and played a pivotal role in enlightening the public about the people experiencing ALICE through collaborative partner gatherings and informative workshops.
Mingyu received her B.A. in Applied Psychology from Weifang Medical University, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Quantitative Methods from SUNY University at Buffalo.
As an Education Pioneers Fellow, Courtney Durbin supports Good Reason Houston’s Research and Data team in expanding the team’s capacity for original research, data visualization, and refining and articulating Good Reason Houston’s data strategy. Courtney brings a variety of K-12 and higher education experience to the table, most recently, as a Program Manager with EMERGE HISD, a college access organization.
Prior to EMERGE, Courtney worked for several years supporting residential students at the University of South Florida, developing student support strategies and interventions, which ultimately guided her data and assessment work for Residential Education during the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Courtney holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies with a specialization in Organizational Leadership and Communication from Rollins College, along with a Master of Science in Higher Education from Florida State University.
As Manager of Finance, Cristina supports all Good Reason Houston operations including finance and office management.
She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston where she studied nonprofit management. She developed a deeper understanding and passion for nonprofits through her previous work at the United Way of Greater Houston and Ronald McDonald House Houston.
As an HISD graduate and Houston native, Cristina is thrilled to work with the Good Reason Houston team in pursuit of our mission to increase the number of children exceeding in high-quality learning environments.
As the Director of Finance and Operation Strategy, Brooke leads the finance, accounting, and strategic resource management functions at Good Reason Houston.
Brooke started her career in operations at ExxonMobil, where she supported end to end distribution and supply planning at the world’s largest lubricant blending plant in Beaumont, TX. Drawn to social impact work, Brooke left the oil and gas industry to work in non-profit, where she’s since thrived in doing work that builds organizational sustainability and impact.
Brooke received her BBA from the University of Oklahoma and is currently working on her MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
As the Manager of People Operations, Sydney supports Good Reason Houston’s general operations, hiring and onboarding functions, and internal team culture and development. Before joining the Good Reason Houston team, Sydney served as the Director of Operations with Teach for America Houston’s Network Learning and Innovation Hub, where she supported regional programming events, internal operations, and communications. She began her career in the classroom as a Teach for America Corps Member, where she taught 5th grade English Language Arts, sat on the Teacher Leadership Board, and was awarded the Outstanding Teaching Award by Humanities Texas. Sydney received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from North Carolina State University and her Master of Science in Education from Johns Hopkins University.
As Operations Associate, Amy supports Good Reason Houston’s office operations, internal organizational culture, and executes administrative functions for cross-functional team members.
Prior to joining the Good Reason Houston team, Amy worked in e-commerce within the sustainable startup sphere where she supported visual direction, site operations, and the strategic implementation of internal systems and processes.
Amy received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design from Texas Tech University. Updated
As the Education Pioneer Impact Fellow, Walter will support Good Reason Houston’s work with district and school improvement strategy amongst other responsibilities.
Before joining Good Reason Houston, Walter was a Teach for America Corp member in Boston. During his time with Teach for America, he was a Math Teacher, Athletic Director, and Math Department Chair at Phoenix Charter Academy Chelsea. Walter concurrently earned his Master’s of Education and Curriculum from Boston University during his Teach for America service.
As an Education Pioneers Impact Fellow, Ashli supports Good Reason Houston’s Learning & Evaluation team by analyzing data, reporting insights, and evaluating and transforming processes. She is passionate about bringing context, equity, and humanity to the forefront of data conversations and excited by building team capacity through the use of data automation and visualization tools. Since October 2022, she has helped enable internal decision-making by analyzing and reporting on STAAR achievement trends over time and helping Good Reason Houston spatially visualize both their reach and the overall quality of schools across Houston.
Before becoming a Fellow, Ashli worked as a Purpose & Inclusion Manager at PwC and was focused on project management and data reporting for programs supporting more equitable outcomes for people of color both inside and outside of the firm. Prior to that, she supported the firm’s skills-based volunteering activities through reporting, communications, and purpose activation.
Ashli is a Georgia native who earned her bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University where she majored in Human and Organizational Development and minored in African American and Diaspora Studies. She also earned a Master of Accountancy from Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management and is a Certified Public Accountant.
As an Education Pioneer Impact Fellow, Janiel will be supporting the Talent Pipelines project to retain excellent educators in the greater Houston area.
Janiel has enjoyed several years of studying and researching education topics specifically, the equitable and culturally sensitive representation of racialized identities in education among Black students and teachers as well the influence of foreign capital flows on Black tertiary education. She is committed to communicating the power of storytelling and civic agency through curriculum and effective teacher training. They actively celebrate the inherent political nature of public education.
Before Good Reason Houston, they spent over 5 years working in domestic and international education nonprofits. Most recently, she worked with the National Association of State Boards of Education researching state policies regarding the U.S. Early Childhood Education workforce. She currently holds an M.Ed. in International Education from The George Washington University.
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