CityTutor DC Advisory Group

× As the Executive Director of Reading Partners DC, Shukurat Adamoh-Faniyan is responsible for the operations, fundraising, and community engagement of the organization. Born and raised in DC, Shukurat has dedicated her life to working in high-poverty and under-resourced communities in the fields of education, policy, community organizing, public engagement, training, and program development. Shukurat is a passionate and motivated leader with extensive experience and is committed to ensuring that every child in DC has the opportunity to realize their full potential. Before joining Reading Partners, Shukurat served as the Senior Director of Partnership and Infrastructure for Leadership for Educational Equity.  She has also served as an Executive Director of a PreK-8th grade charter school serving over 700 scholars in Southeast DC. Shukurat began her career as a 5th-grade math and science teacher and Teach For America corps member.

× In his role, Darius Baxter recruits and maintains relationships with hundreds of community-focused partners, stakeholders, and leaders to deliver the highest level of support to youth and team members. After his father was gunned down, Darius committed his life to rid his community of the constant threats of violence and provide opportunities to young people. Darius believes that if provided the right guidance, every person in underserved communities has the potential to be something special. Before joining GOODProjects, Darius worked closely with the office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton to introduce important gun control legislation. Following his time on the Hill, he was elected as a Delegate to the DNC after serving as a strategist for a leading presidential candidate. Before politics, he was a community organizer dating back to his college days when he mentored youth offenders and built out a reading program for elementary school students living in housing projects near the Georgetown University campus. It was there that he received his B.A. in Women’s and Gender Studies with a concentration in Globalization and Poverty. Darius has been featured on 60 Minutes, Fox News, CBS, and NBC as a leader amongst his generation. 

× Josh Boots is a recognized leader in DC assessment and data analytics. He serves on multiple school accountability system task forces, leads the EdFuel Data Professional Learning Community, and is appointed to the DC State Board of Education ESSA Taskforce. He consults for multiple charter LEAs on their integrated data systems, strategic data-driven plans, and coaches school and data leaders. Josh has also consulted with MySchoolDC, the District’s common lottery system, during its first implementation year, running and auditing the lottery matching algorithm. Prior to starting EmpowerK12, Josh served in a variety of education roles in DC over the last 15+ years, including teaching 7th grade math at DC Public Schools, leading the KIPP DC data team as their first Data Director, and contributing as a member of OSSE’s Assessment and Accountability team. In his free time, Josh nerds out over astrophysics, attends games at Nationals Park and Audi Field, and plans his trip into low-Earth orbit.

× Maya Martin Cadogan, Founder and Executive Director of PAVE, is a proud Washingtonian who is passionate about equity and social justice. PAVE is dedicated to creating an environment where the vision for education in DC is created with children and families, not for them. Prior to founding PAVE in April 2016 with an all-parent board of directors, Maya was an Entrepreneur in Residence with New Schools Venture Fund from November 2015 to April 2016. Previously, Maya served as the Chief of Staff at Achievement Prep, a public charter school network located in Ward 8, where she focused on developing and leading the organizational infrastructure as the network grew, as the Director of Policy and Special Programs for Center City PCS, another DC charter network with six campuses throughout DC, as a Senior Program Manager for Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO), and as an Assistant Director of Admissions for her alma mater, Dartmouth College, where she focused on growing the number of racially underrepresented students at the college. Maya received her B.A. in Sociology and History from Dartmouth College and an M.A. in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

× In 2017, Rictor Craig became the Founding Director of Instruction/Co-founder at Statesmen College Preparatory Academy for Boys in Washington, DC. Rictor began his educational career in 2003 teaching 11th and 12th grade English in the Baltimore City Public School System. In 2005, Rictor joined the Friendship Public Charter School system, where he taught 10th grade English, AP literature, AP language, and a dual enrollment literature course. In 2012, Rictor led Friendship Woodridge International School to receive its Tier 1 status (high-performing charter school) and led the school to receive its International Baccalaureate status in 2015. Rictor is a Cohort 11 New Leader Alumni and a RELAY GSE Principals Cohort 1 Alumni. He serves on several boards including The Envest Foundation and EmPower online magazine, and is the Chairman and Founder of the National Association of Black Male Educators, an organization with a mission to increase the number of males of color in education. Rictor is a best -elling co-author of the HBCU Experience Anthology: The North Carolina A&T State University Edition.  Rictor holds a B.A. in Professional English from North Carolina A&T State University, a M.A.T. from Morgan State University, an M.S. in Administration from Trinity Washington University, and is currently pursuing his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from The University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Rictor attributes his love of learning to his parents, who didn’t have the same opportunities as he did when it came to education.

× Charlene began her career as an educator as a MATCH tutor with MATCH Education- a charter network located in her hometown of Boston. There, she tutored six middle school students in math and English during school hours. Alongside her Corps work, she participated in the MATCH Teaching Residency which prepared her for her first year of teaching. Following her Corps year, Charlene moved to Brooklyn and became the founding history teacher at Achievement First Brownsville Middle School. She additionally attended the Relay Graduate School of Education where she acquired further skills to enhance her teaching. During her time at Achievement First, Charlene was also a curriculum fellow and coordinated the after-school program for her school site. In 2015, Charlene relocated to Haiti and taught second grade. While working abroad, she gained a greater perspective on how to support fellow educators and work with students. In 2017, Charlene returned to Boston and joined the Instructional team at City Year Boston as an Instructional Coach. When Charlene moved to Washington DC, she continued to work alongside and coach teachers as an Academic Dean at Achievement Prep and as a Department Chair at DC Prep. Charlene has recently begun working towards her Doctorate in Education at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education. She has also transitioned into the role of Director of Academic Strategy with E.L. Haynes and looks forward to making an impact in this role. Charlene is excited about learning from and contributing to City Tutor DC’s advisory group.

× Dr. Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy believes in the revolutionary power of school counseling. An American Counseling Association (ACA) Fellow with 30 years of experience as a former kindergarten teacher, elementary school counselor, family therapist, and most recently university professor and administrator, she has a wealth of knowledge, expertise, and wisdom. Dr. Holcomb-McCoy is currently the Dean of the School of Education and a professor at American University (AU). She is also the author of the best-selling book, School Counseling to Close the Achievement Gap: A Social Justice Framework for Success, and an upcoming book, Antiracist Counseling in Schools and Communities.  In her five years as Dean, Dr. Holcomb-McCoy founded AU’s Summer Institute on Education, Equity and Justice, and the AU Teacher Pipeline Project, a partnership with the DC Public Schools and Friendship Charter Schools. She is also actively working to develop an antiracist curriculum for teachers-in-training. Prior to leading the School of Education at AU, she served as Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs campus-wide and Vice Dean of Academic Affairs in the School of Education at Johns Hopkins University, where she launched the Johns Hopkins School Counseling Fellows Program and The Faculty Diversity Initiative. Dr. Holcomb-McCoy has also been an associate professor in the Department of Counseling and Personnel Services at the University of Maryland, College Park and Director of the School Counseling Program at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York.  Dr. Holcomb-McCoy’s passion for school counseling, mental health, and wellness starts at home. As a proud mother of two, she knows firsthand the importance of systemic change to help students reach their full potential. A proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Dr. Holcomb-McCoy holds her B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Virginia. She earned a doctorate in Counseling and Counselor Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

× Katrina Owens is the Executive Director at DC SCORES. She is a Teach for America alumna and former DC SCORES coach for Fletcher-Johnson Educational Center, where she taught for four years. A Berlin, Ohio, native, Katrina is a graduate of Eastern Mennonite University and received her Master’s degree from the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University. Katrina joined DC SCORES in 2006 to develop and implement the middle school program and has held many different roles within the organization.

× A former teacher turned lobbyist, Kimberly Perry has spent her career dedicated to building powerful organizations to amplify citizen's voices. Her work has driven critical policy change to improve the lives of nearly 30 million children and families across the globe. As DC Action's executive director, she has set a vision to achieve race equity in child policy and is ramping up the organization's resources, human capital, and networks to break down structural barriers that stand in the way of all kids reaching their full potential. Kimberly brings more than 20 years of experience as an advocate for children and families and has a proven record of success in nonprofit management, policy advocacy, and civic engagement. She is most well known as Founding Director of DC Hunger Solutions, Vice President of the Clinton Foundation’s Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Executive Director of DC Vote, as well as other advisory roles in political campaigns, public policy advocacy, and philanthropy. Kimberly serves on the Board of Directors of the Congressional Hunger Center, the DC Community Housing Trust, and is Chair of Highest Ground. When she’s not working you can find her at home perfecting recipes, watching and producing documentaries, salsa dancing, or hiking on a trail.

× Michael Stevens has been with City Year more than 12 years, having served in several roles at Headquarters and locations across the network. His career in national service began with by serving in the founding corps for City Year Louisiana, followed by a second year of AmeriCorps service with Habitat for Humanity in Jacksonville, FL. Following his service years, he joined the staff of City Year Washington, D.C. where he served in several positions during his seven-year tenure. Michael later joined the City Year Jacksonville team as the managing director of impact where he managed the full operation of a department that included 120 AmeriCorps members and 17 staff members. After his time in Jacksonville, Michael served as the national student engagement services director with City Year’s National Program Design Team, leading the vision, strategy and pilot opportunities for Student Engagement services supporting 300+ schools across the network. He returned to the field to serve as startup director for City Year Buffalo and is now the executive director of City Year Washington, D.C.

× Dr. Beshon Trusty is the Executive Director of DC Metro with Higher Achievement, where she leads an amazing team to support the development and implementation of resources, services, supports, and partnerships that allow Higher Achievement to effectively serve scholars in the DC Metro area. Beshon has spent the past 26 years of her professional career using the transformative power of education to change the lived experiences and access to opportunities for students, families, and communities. Her early exposure into the realities of cultural capital and educational inequities ignited her passion to become a youth advocate and an educator. Beshon has partnered with school districts across the country to provide leadership and guidance on comprehensive and strategic initiatives that improve student attendance, strengthen academic achievement, and cultivate school climates that are conducive to positive engagement, lifelong learning, and safety for everyone. Dr. Trusty holds a Ph.D. in Language, Literacy and Culture from the University of Maryland- Baltimore County and a MPA with a concentration in non-profit management from the City University of New York-Baruch College.

× Niya White accepted the task and honor of being the principal of the Congress Heights Campus of Center City Schools, where she transformed her school from a low performing to one of the city's highest performing schools. Since her tenure, Niya has brought to the Ward 8 school a National Blue Ribbon Award, consecutive awards from EmpowerK12 for being a BOLD Improvement and BOLD Performing School, Five Star and Tier 1 stature, maintaining an over 80% retention rate of families and staff, winning the Fight For Children grant to provide all students with one to one technology, and a Safe Passage Program that serves as the model for all D.C. schools for getting students home safely. Most of all, Niya with the support of her staff, created a school culture where the students value knowing who they are, how intelligent they are, and that through their character, excellence, and service, they will have options of their high schools, colleges, and careers, instead of ever having to settle. Niya enjoys watching her students learn how to break "the cycle" that many are born into everyday, just as she had to do at their age.

× Michelle Yan is the Chief of Staff at the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education, where she works to advance the Mayor’s vision for educational and workforce excellence in the District of Columbia. Michelle started her career as a middle school math teacher in St. Louis through Teach For America before joining Bain & Company, where she executed growth strategy/implementation and organizational improvement projects for private sector and non-profit clients. Michelle also served as the Director of Data & Strategy at My School DC, the common lottery and application system for public schools in the District. She was also an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in Ward 2 from 2020 to 2022.