The key objectives for the 2024 Color of Education Summit include:
Letha Muhammad is the Executive Director of Education Justice Alliance (EJA), based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Letha is working to advance the organizations mission to dismantle the School to Prison and School to Deportation Pipeline in her local school district, Wake County Public Schools and to advance equity in public education across the North Carolina. She believes that working with parents, students and families that are directly impacted by these issues is one of the most effective ways for her to contribute. As such, her work includes engagement and leadership training with parents, students, and community members to ensure they know their rights and how to advocate for themselves and students. Working with other community stakeholders and organizations to bring awareness to the issue of school pushout and the criminalization of Black and Brown students is another one of her key roles as executive director. She serves as co-chair on the coordinating committee for Every Child NC, a statewide coalition working to ensure equitable funding for North Carolina public schools. Letha is a member of Muslim’s for Social Justice (MSJ) and on the steering committee for the Movement to End Racism and Islamophobia (MERI). She is a wife and the mother of one school age child and two young adults.
Dr. Mark Maxwell taught Social Studies at the high school and middle school levels. He served Forsyth County as Chairperson of the Historic Resources Commission. He has appeared as a guest speaker at Winston-Salem State University, UNC-Chapel Hill, Wake Forest University, North Carolina A&T, Salem College, and Forsyth Technical Community College. Mark is an accomplished facilitator/speaker nationally and regionally. Prior to becoming an educator, Dr. Maxwell worked in multiple television markets as a weather anchor/reporter, including WXII and WFMY. Dr. Maxwell earned degrees in Social Sciences, Strategic Leadership and he has a PhD in Public Policy and Law from Walden University. His research was published in the Journal of Health and Human Services. Maxwell’s manta is: “Equity is not what you do, equity is who you are when it comes to meeting the individual needs of learners.”
Maxwell is a native of Wilmington, N.C. He is enthusiastic about traveling the world and he is an artist. Mark is married and has five sons adopted from North Carolina’s foster care system. His family shares their Forsyth County home with their Labrador mix, Otis and their Terrier mix, Ralph.
Josh Parker is a Senior Consultant on the Engaged Students Team with Education First. He works with various clients in the P20 schools and in the nonprofit sectors in the areas of coherent assessment systems, instructional quality and grantmaking strategy.
As an African-American male graduate of the K12 public school system and former educator within, Josh has seen and experienced first hand the importance of an integrated and effective assessment and instructional system on the outcomes of historically resilient students. Coherence matters. Quality consultation also matters, which is in line with his life motto: “Help people and solve problems.” He is grateful to have the opportunity to work at Education First so that he can continue to live out a life that is informed and supported by his life’s focus.
Joshua earned a Bachelor’s of Science Degree from Towson University and a Master of Arts in Teaching and Leadership from Notre Dame of Maryland University. He enjoys watching his favorite team—the Buffalo Bills—and spending time with his wife of over a decade, Tiffany and their two children—Joshua and Laila.
Rashidah Lopez Morgan is a Partner at Education First. She works with K12 education leaders to create and implement organizational strategies and talent management solutions that meet the needs of all students, and particularly for BIPOC students. She has worked with many state and local education agencies, including the KIPP Foundation, Chicago Public Schools and the New York Department of Education, and she also has worked with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Joyce Foundation and the Walton Foundation.
Rashidah credits a quality education with positively impacting the trajectory of her life and she holds this hope for every child in America. She focused her career on improving the conditions of K12 education because she was appalled by the inequities that Black and Brown children experience as they seek a high-quality education. Prior to Education First, Rashidah worked for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools where she led talent management and principal pipeline initiatives. She also worked at Wells Fargo, Microsoft, American Express and Accenture.
Rashidah obtained her BA in Psychology at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, her MBA in Marketing/Strategy at University of Michigan Ross School of Business in Ann Arbor, Michigan and her M. Ed. from The Broad Center for the Management of School Systems in Los Angeles, California. She resides in Charlotte, North Carolina. She enjoys salsa dancing, karaoke and great stories.