Meet Class 5

Amy Thompson currently serves as the President & CEO of Cincinnati Youth Collaborative. She is a Mom of a High-School student (Kaylee) and a passion-driven leader inspired to make a difference in our community. Amy has been bringing people together since she was 12 years old when she started a camp in her backyard. Having spent 20 years in leadership roles at Camp Joy and the last 6 years at the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, Amy has a unique combination of youth development work, adult leadership education and facilitation, and business connections. Amy serves on the YMCA Board and Valley View Foundation Board. Amy’s motto is work hard, play hard and love even harder! She can be found spending time with family and friends, out in nature, playing games, making crafts, traveling and enjoying life.

To learn more about how she will work towards building a more equitable school system, watch her Impact Presentation here.

Andrea is a lifelong Cincinnati resident, currently living in Anderson Township. Her professional career has been in the non-profit sector, first in social services organizations, and now in education. All of her various professional roles have shared one common thread: building relationships.

Today she serves as the Community Resource Director at Cincinnati College Preparatory Academy, working to impact student success. She has done this by building the school’s volunteer program; developing strategic community partnerships; and connecting students with opportunities, such as summer camp scholarships and free field trips. Andrea also plays a role in school communications.

In 2019, as Andrea enrolled her oldest child in Kindergarten, Andrea felt called to become involved politically in her own school district. She began as a volunteer for a school board candidate’s campaign, and then, in 2021, ran for board herself. Although the outcome of the election did not put her in a school board chair, she remains fiercely dedicated to work towards a district that empowers every child to reach their full potential.

Andrea and her husband, Andrew, enjoy time with their daughter and son, visiting parks, playing games, swimming, watching movies, and trying to teach their four cats to use talk buttons.

To learn more about how she will work towards building a more equitable school system, watch her Impact Presentation here.

Originally a native of Southern Indiana, Kentucky is now home for Ashley. Ashley moved to Northern Kentucky after graduating from the University of Kentucky in 2014 (Go Cats!) . She taught high school English for six years before pursuing a Masters degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Cincinnati. In 2020, Ashley became an assistant principal at Holmes High School in Covington (Go Bulldogs!) She is the proud mommy of Cash and Mia. In her free time, Ashley enjoys traveling with friends and family, reading, and hanging out with her kids.

Brice is a social justice educator, storyteller, and consultant, born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. He went from Cheviot Elementary, to Walnut Hills High School, to the University of Cincinnati where he found his calling for DEI work participating in, and later running, UC's nationally recognized Racial Awareness Program (RAPP) - the oldest intergroup dialogue program in higher-ed.

After winning some major awards and leaving UC, he went on to advocate for trans youth at Living With Change and underrepresented emerging leaders with Public Allies. Now he spends his time consulting with Cohear and Avant Consulting Group where he helps institutions realize their potential.

He feels most at home when in front of a group of people leading a workshop/focus group and prides himself on connecting with all kinds of people and making them feel included regardless of identity.

To learn more about how he will work towards building a more equitable school system, watch his Impact Presentation here.

Bryan Cannon was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, and graduated with a Bachelor's degree from University of Rhode Island. He completed his M.Ed. from Towson University and completed doctoral studies at Clark Atlanta University. His three-decade career in education began in Baltimore MD, where he taught for 10 years, and then in Atlanta, GA, for his first Assistant Principal position. From there, he has continued in school leadership, transforming schools in East St. Louis, St. Louis, and Cincinnati. Bryan has been the Principal at Cincinnati College Preparatory Academy and is now a teacher in the Mt Healthy School District. Bryan loves roller coasters, motorcycles, and pit bulls. His goal is for his students to always treat one another with respect and achieve their best.

To learn more about how he will work towards building a more equitable school system, watch his Impact Presentation here.

Cindy Jones is the Director of the Marian Spencer Scholars Program at the University of Cincinnati. She holds a B.A. in Sociology (Auburn University in Montgomery), a master’s in Business Administration (UC) and is a current doctoral student in the Urban Education Leadership Program (UC). A native of Montgomery, Alabama, Cindy has spent nearly 13 years working in higher education in various capacities of student engagement, financial aid, student retention, and academic advising. As Marian Spencer Scholars Director, she leads the six-million-dollar scholarship initiative, reserved explicitly for CPS students in the top 10% of their senior class. The scholarship includes full cost of attendance, tuition, books, room, and board, a study abroad service trip to Tanzania, and all experiential learning and co-op opportunities. The first cohort of Spencer scholars will begin classes at UC fall semester of 2022. Cindy has a passion for student success. She was awarded the Distinguished Staff Student Centered Award at the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash campus. Cindy hopes to bring a unique approach to college readiness, retention, and graduation of students from urban high schools. In addition, Cindy has extensive experience in dual credit and College Credit Plus, strategic programmatic planning, facilitation, and community engagement.

When Cindy is not working, she enjoys yoga, traveling, and spending precious family time with her husband, two daughters, and rambunctious dog, Eden.

To learn more about how she will work towards building a more equitable school system, watch her Impact Presentation here.

Deon Mack is a lifelong resident of Cincinnati and attended CPS schools. He is a graduate of Withrow High School. He attended college at the University of Cincinnati and received his Bachelor of Science degrees in Criminal Justice and Psychology. Deon is the proud parent of a rising 6th grader who attends CPS schools.

Deon began his career in law enforcement at the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office as a Victims Advocate. Later, he joined the Cincinnati Police Department as a member of the 93rd Recruit class in 2001. Deon has 20 years of service with the Cincinnati Police Department, and 24 years overall.

Deon has devoted his life to ensuring our communities are safe. Deon embodies leadership, integrity, honesty and commitment - all of which he believes are values that are important to being a good citizen. Always leading by example, he was awarded the Exemplary Conduct Award by the Cincinnati Police Department.

Deon aims to support organizations that take a hands-on approach to developing not just the community, but the people in them. He uses authenticity to mentor and inspire young men as a Board Member of Big Brothers Big Sisters Cincinnati and as a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., assisting with Alpha Esquires youth programs.

As a community leader, Deon also serves as a member of the USA Regional Chamber Leadership Cincinnati Class 45, USA Regional Chamber Leadership Action Class 4 Alumni, Leadership Council for Nonprofits BOLD Class 4 Alumni, The Urban League's Leadership Class 24 Alumni, Board Member of Rosemary’s Babies, Board Member of UMADAOP of Cincinnati, Board Member of Last Mile Food Rescue, and Founding Board Member of IDEA Schools Cincinnati.

To learn more about how he will work towards building a more equitable school system, watch his Impact Presentation here.

Dionne was born and raised in Cincinnati and is a proud graduate of Walnut Hills High School. Dionne received her Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Michigan, and a Master's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Cincinnati. Dionne has been working as a school based speech language pathologist for the past 15 years, and is beginning her 13th year with the Princeton City School District. Currently, Dionne is enrolled in a doctoral program at the University of Cincinnati in Educational Studies, with a research interest in family and community engagement in urban school districts. Dionne is passionate about building relationships with students and families and collaborating with stakeholders in order to create positive educational outcomes for students.

To learn more about how she will work towards building a more equitable school system, watch her Impact Presentation here.

Raised in Avondale, Elyse attended Losantiville Elementary School and Walnut Hills High School in CPS. A proud graduate of the HBCU North Carolina A&T, Elyse’s strengths in engineering and technology contributed to her corporate experience before transitioning into an entrepreneur while helping others learn. She has served as the Midwest Regional Alumni Director of North Carolina A&T and continues to create a pipeline for aspiring students from the area matriculating into the university, creating continuous opportunities for success for youth during college education and career placement. Elyse has worked with CPS in various capacities from subbing to teaching to most recently working as the Strategic Director of Marketing and Communications, bringing about the first ever successful and safe engaging Block Party events during COVID. Elyse serves in the Academic Ministry at New Prospect and continues to serve students of all backgrounds in various ways, including in her service with the NAACP. Elyse is the founder of SELEBRIAN Strategic Technical Marketing and Consulting ensuring businesses meet goals. As a mother to a Walnut Hills graduate, Elyse is well informed about both urban and suburban education needs. With over 25 years of experience, Elyse provides a broad knowledge of ways to market to families in education and continues to inspire others with positivity.

To learn more about how she will work towards building a more equitable school system, watch her Impact Presentation here.

Erynn is a hair stylist and enjoys coaching Color Guard. She has worked as a coach in this capacity with the marching bands of Walnut Hills & Reading High Schools.

To learn more about how she will work towards building a more equitable school system, watch her Impact Presentation here.

Estee Harris is an Early Childhood paraprofessional in the Cincinnati Public School District, teaching and supporting families at the Spanish language Academy of Multilingual Immersion Studies (AMIS) for over 17 years. She is a Cincinnati native, with a Bachelors of Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati-DAAP. A proud product of Cincinnati Public Schools (Walnut Hills High School class of 1995), and mother of two CPS graduates (Clark Montessori classes of 2015 and 2016), she prides herself on being an advocate for strong and lasting relationships and connections with CPS families and students, and working together to support their path to success.

Her dedication to high quality education grew from her inner-city childhood, a diverse education, community activist and volunteer experiences and being the mother of two ""different-abilitied"" and neurodivergent children. She believes students deserve inclusive environments and equitable high quality education and resources in every classroom, including early childhood and self-contained classrooms. She is devoted to reaching these goals within her classroom, her district and within her community.

To learn more about how she will work towards building a more equitable school system, watch her Impact Presentation here.

Jess Link is an Associate to Innovations and Community Partnerships at the University of Cincinnati in the College of Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services, and IT. When they aren't coordinating connections between community members, resources, and programs, they enjoy developing skills in a little bit of everything: Jess is a Certified Laughter Yoga Instructor, exercise and movement enthusiast, and dramaturge.

To learn more about how they will work towards building a more equitable school system, watch their Impact Presentation here.

John Espy has been involved in education for over 15 years. He began his journey as teacher in two Greater Cincinnati school districts. John is currently the Treasurer/CFO for Miamisburg City Schools in the Dayton, OH area. He is also a parent of a Loveland second grader and member of the Elementary PTA. John earned his BA in Education at Marshall University, an MBA from Xavier University, a Master's of Science in Accounting from Indiana Wesleyan, and is currently completing his Doctoral degree at Miami University.

To learn more about how he will work towards building a more equitable school system, watch his Impact Presentation here.

Junius Smith is a Colerain Senior High graduate and the father of a CPS student. He works for SeniorStar-Kenwood ( Senior living) and coaches youth soccer. Junius is passionate about increasing male parental involvement in education, and community building and mentoring for all Cincinnati public schools. Junius (Juju) has been involved with programs such as Junior Achievement, Black Achievers, and advocating for Remote learning.

To learn more about how he will work towards building a more equitable school system, watch his Impact Presentation here.

Kate is a proud University of Cincinnati graduate with a degree in Secondary Education of Integrated Science. She is originally from Louisville but now considers herself a Cincinnatian. She is currently working in the Princeton School District and has her sights set on working through education and community involvement to make public schools in Cincinnati a more equitable environment- from the heart of the city as well as the schools that fall just outside of CPS. Her passion lies in her desire to see change in the public education system, having gone to public school herself in Kentucky, and to bring awareness to the inequalities for English language learners in public schools. She currently lives in College Hill with her husband where she enjoys cooking, reading, and watching competition based TV shows.

To learn more about how she will work towards building a more equitable school system, watch her Impact Presentation here.

Larry Hodge is the co-Founder and CEO of Hodge-EDU, a learning and tutoring organization. He is the parent of two students: one second grader Larry C. Hodge, and one Kindergartner Hannah A.S. Hodge. They both attend Bethany School. He works with school districts within the inner-city to assist students with their educational goals such as standardized testing, math, and reading fundamentals. He and his wife are staunch education advocates.

To learn more about how he will work towards building a more equitable school system, watch his Impact Presentation here.

A strategic leader and passionate student advocate, Dr. Lori Wright has made student success a top priority during the span of her decades long career in higher education, serving the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Region. As the inaugural Director for CPS Strong at the University of Cincinnati, Dr. Wright is charged with leading the University of Cincinnati’s strategic plan aimed at leveraging the institution’s assets in support of increasing the enrollment, persistence, retention, and graduation of Cincinnati Public School graduate’s attending the University of Cincinnati. In this role, she is also responsible for engaging campus and external partners in support of this transformative work centered around readiness, access, and success for students in our region.

Dr. Wright is a lifelong resident of Cincinnati, Ohio. She attended Cincinnati Public Schools kindergarten through senior year and is a proud graduate of Walnut Hills High School. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Cincinnati, a Master of Education from Xavier University, and a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Leadership from Northern Kentucky University. Dr. Wright is an accomplished higher education professional who is committed to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a trained facilitator and DEI leader, Dr. Wright provides leadership to school districts, K-12 schools, higher education institutions and organizations, to assist in developing culturally responsive policies, programs, and services, designed to eliminate structural and institutional barriers.

To learn more about how she will work towards building a more equitable school system, watch her Impact Presentation here.

Dr. Mariette Wade,hc., is the CEO of Mariette Lynn Wade Consulting, a certified transformational mindset coach, a licensed minister, and the Director of Development and Community Relations at Abilities First Foundation. A native of Kentucky, Mariette relocated to Cincinnati in 2007 and is a member of several local organizations, such as the Girl Scouts of Southwest Ohio, Rotary Club 17 and Impact 100 and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Christian Counseling from North Central Theological Seminary.

To learn more about how she will work towards building a more equitable school system, watch her Impact Presentation here.

Margie Bazin is originally from Connecticut, and lived in Orlando, Florida, before moving to Cincinnati in 2010. She most recently calls Avondale home. She is the mother of 6 children: an 11 month old, 4 CPS students in the 3rd, 4th, 6th & 11th grade, and one recent Winton Woods Football Champ graduate. She recently worked as a substitute teacher for Hamilton County, loved it, and will continue to work as a substitute teacher when needed. She then went back to the case management field which she has been doing for over 10 years. Her goal is eventually to obtain her Masters degree and become a high school guidance counselor. She is intensely passionate about assuring all kids get the fundamental aspects of school and the education they deserve. She is super excited to join School Board School in hopes of making a change in our schools and community.

To learn more about how she will work towards building a more equitable school system, watch her Impact Presentation here.

Rashanna was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. She graduated from Finneytown High School and received her degree in Biology and certification in 7-12 life science education from Mount Saint Joseph University. She is currently a Princeton High School teacher and has worked in Reading, Cincinnati, and North College Hill School districts as well. Rashanna is deeply passionate about equitable education and increasing the representation of marginalized people of color in STEM. In total, she has been a lifelong learner and an educator for 19 years. Rashanna is also a wife and the mother of two extremely active children who attend Wyoming City Schools. She is currently working on her doctoral degree in Educational Leadership at Miami University.

To learn more about how she will work towards building a more equitable school system, watch her Impact Presentation here.

Thembi Carr has been in the field of education for 20 years. Her passion to assist students to obtain their education has led her to touch the lives of many different students; from pre-school students, students obtaining their GED to traditional undergraduates and graduate students. In 2008, Thembi received her doctorate from the University of Cincinnati in Educational Studies, focusing on multicultural education. Thembi has most recently shifted her educational focus to sex and sexual acceptance. Using short stories, she provides a space for people to safely explore their sexual identity, mentally, emotionally, and physically without harm or judgement. Currently, she works as an independent research consultant for a research network that examines reproductive health access and issues. Despite all of her accomplishments, the greatest thing she has ever done is give life to her 9 year old son.

Tommie Lewis is a native of Cincinnati and the President and CEO of Make It Plain Consulting, a business management firm specializing in HR consulting, workforce training, diversity management and performance coaching. For the past 30 years, Tommie has committed his life's work and education to guiding school districts, companies, and communities along their journeys to equitable, diverse and inclusive cultures. As the co-host of “Diversity Conversations”, the national podcast show dedicated to all things DEI, Tommie provides practical, research-based and outcome-driven solutions to complex individual, institutional and social issues.

Tommie graduated from Mt. Healthy City Schools, Tennessee State University, the University of Chicago, the University of Houston, the UCLA Emotional Intelligence and Diversity Institute, and the Advanced International Executive Coaching Seminar in Rome, Italy.

Tommie offers past and present board experience with 4C for Children, Camp Joy, Best Point (formerly The Children's Home), Chatfield College, Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges, and Peaslee Neighborhood Center.