NSBA Advocacy & Equity Institute 2027

Ronda Chapman is the Equity Director at The Trust for Public Land, where she works to bring parks and nature to the places, people, and communities that can most benefit as a matter of health, equity, and justice. She has spent two decades leading efforts on climate resilience, water infrastructure and equity, renewable energy, and waste management.

Danielle Denk is the Schoolyards Initiative director at The Trust for Public Land, where she works across the organization to enable the local, state, and federal systems for equitable community schoolyards nationwide. She has over 25 years experience in public space design and development.

Sherell A. McArthur, Ph.D., or Dr. Mac, is a 16-year educator and a six-year teacher educator as a professor of Education at the University of Georgia. She also is a Wellness & Life Coach. Her scholarship centers Black girls, identity construction, and critical media literacy.

Diana Baker Freeman is a governance specialist with a master's degree in Education Leadership and is a certified Master Trustee through Leadership TASB. At Diligent, Diana leverages her experience as a former educator, a current board member, and a board development consultant.

Ronald Grant is the director of student programming for Oklahoma City Public Schools. He holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of Oklahoma and is currently pursuing a doctorate in educational administration and curriculum supervision. Grant oversees several areas, including homeless and foster care services, attendance advocacy and bullying prevention, after-school programming, and charter and enterprise school administration.

Shana Perry is the executive director of equity, innovation, and achievement for Oklahoma City Public Schools. She received her doctorate in educational administration from Oklahoma State University. Her 25 years of experience as an educator include teaching at the elementary and secondary level in urban low socioeconomic status schools, suburban middle-class schools, and in Germany for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Catherine Carbone Rogers, APR, is the chief communications officer at Highline Public Schools, where she oversees strategic communications working with a team of five. She started in the Highline communications office in 2001 and has led the department since 2005. She is an active member of the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) and past president of the Washington School Public Relations Association (WSPRA.) She is a frequent presenter at WSPRA and NSPRA conferences and has provided communications training for new superintendents through AASA.

Angelica Alvarez is president of Highline Public School Board. She was the first and only member of her family to graduate from high school and graduate from college. She holds a bachelor's degree in education and is finalizing her master’s degree in educational leadership from Eastern Washington University. She currently works for Puget Sound Educational Service District as the student, family, and community engagement manager.

Channel Powe has been a champion for communities, public schools, families, and children for over a decade. She stands in the gap of racial inequities by using her expertise and influence to create equitable policies to improve the quality of life for all. Ms. Powe’s work as an equity activist began as a child advocate in Detroit, Michigan, which led to board and commission appointments by the City of Phoenix and Maricopa County in Arizona. In her role as Balsz ESD Board President, Ms. Powe led the Board in a national search for a new superintendent during a global pandemic and America's racial reckoning. Currently, Ms. Powe is an education, political, and equity and inclusion consultant. She's a Progressive Governance Academy Lead Trainer and Desert Botanical Garden Monarch Council member.

John Cordier is the CEO and Co-Founder of Epistemix Inc. As an entrepreneur and educator, he focuses on creating solutions to improve the conditions for people to increase health and well-being. His focus on social determinants of health and innovation has led to the formation of multiple companies and non-profits with shared goals to improve health outcomes and well-being. His team at Epistemix has worked with the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other federal and state agencies. Their data is being used by businesses, school districts, the events industry, and health systems to manage the current pandemic. Prior to going into public health, John taught high school chemistry, robotics, and sociology in Texas. He also has been an adjunct professor at the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh.

At-large member, Council for Urban Boards of Education (CUBE) Steering committee.

Chair, National Black Council of School Board Members (NBC); Advocacy and Strategic Initiatives Consultant for the Arizona School Boards Association.

Northeast Region Director, National Hispanic Council of School Board Members (NHC); Vice Chair, Massachusetts Association of School Committees.

Southern Region Director, National Council of American Indian Alaska Native School Board Members (AIAN); Immediate Past President, National Hispanic Council of School Board Members (NHC).