Profile in Leadership

Jade Valdez is a recent graduate of East High School and was a 2021 recipient of the Hispanic Development Fund Scholarship and is attending Avila University in the Fall. Born in California into a close-knit immigrant family, Jade is the oldest of four children and is a first-generation college student.

Following her graduation from Hampton University, Tara joined the New Teacher Project (TNTP) and taught middle school English and Language Arts in Shreveport, Louisiana. It was here that she developed a middle school all-girls mentoring program that focused on mindfulness, college preparation, and community service.

Jennifer Collier has served as an educator in Kansas City Public Schools for 21 years.  She has served in the capacity of Teacher, Assistant Principal, Principal, Director of Human Resources, and most recently, Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief of Staff. 

I am a native Chicagoan that grew up as the oldest grandchild in my family.  I come from a long line of educators that have given collectively over 200 years to children in urban areas all around the country.  To say education is in my DNA might be very accurate. 

Sherman Whites, Jr., is a director in Education for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, where he is responsible for managing philanthropic investments related to K-12 education, including emerging portfolios related to innovation and community ownership. Prior to joining the Kauffman Foundation, Whites was a program officer for the K-12 Education and Special Interest teams at the Walton Family Foundation.

Throughout his more than 20-year career devoted to serving youth, Dr. Dred Scott has served as Educator, Principal and Executive Director of Support Services. Prior to his current role as President of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City, Dr. Scott served as Deputy Superintendent for the Independence (MO) School District (ISD).

Kirsten Brown-Persley is committed to equipping students with the educational tools necessary for them to pursue any path they desire. Ms. Brown-Persley graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Institute for Urban Education (IUE). Since graduating from the IUE, Ms. Brown has led professional development sessions for educators across the country for UMKC, Teach for America, Kansas City Teacher Residency Program, and the Kauffman Teacher-Leader Fellowship.

I am a son of an educator who instilled in me that the value of an education is too significant to measure and cannot be taken away from you. I am a Texas native with almost 20 years of public-school experience in an urban setting, as my father did for almost four decades.