Author Archives: Woody

Two Earn Doctorates from Harvard

Now you can call them Doctor.

Two Alma Exley Scholars have received Doctor of Educational Leadership degrees from Harvard University. They are Dr. Vernon-James Riley, whom we honored in 2008, and Dr. Justis Lopez, honored in 2015. 

Dr. Lopez, left, and Dr. Riley

Educational Entrepreneurs

While at Harvard, Dr. Riley established an educational consulting enterprise, VJR Consulting Firm, which supports school districts with leadership coaching, professional development, and strategic planning services. Already, Dr. Riley and his team have trained more than 10,000 educators in cities across the country. Read more.

Dr. Lopez is re-invigorating the organization he established as an undergraduate, Just Experience, in the educational social entrepreneurship sector. As founder of this enterprise, he has created curriculum for classes, facilitated workshops, hosted hundreds of events, and has performed as a DJ for clients’ significant life events. He is also creating other educational initiatives “that are rooted in healing, justice, joy, and liberation.” Read more.

From Harlem to Harvard

Dr. Riley grew up in Harlem, New York City, and earned a bachelor’s degree from Yale. He went on to earn master’s degrees from Michigan State University and Teachers College at Columbia University.

Early in his career, he was founding dean of students at Summit Academy in Brooklyn, N.Y., and founding director of operations at Amani Public Charter School in Mount Vernon, N.Y. Subsequently, he served as principal at North Star Academy Charter School in Newark, New Jersey, and vice provost of National School Leader Programs at the Relay Graduate School of Education in Washington, D.C.

Vernon-James Riley presenting his capstone defense at Harvard.

A Son of Manchester

Dr. Lopez hails from Manchester, Connecticut. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree in educational entrepreneurship from the University of Pennsylvania.

He began his career teaching social studies at Manchester High School. He also taught social studies at a public high school in the Bronx, N.Y. Then he served as alumni affairs coordinator at the Council for Opportunity in Education, Washington, D.C.

Future secretary of education? Justis Lopez tries out the chair of U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona when visiting his office in Washington. 

-0-

Launching a New Organization of Latino Leaders

         Two Alma Exley Scholars played prominent roles in the inaugural conference of the New England chapter of the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) in Springfield, Mass.

Dr. Miguel Cardona and Dr. Violet Jiménez Sims

         The keynote speaker, former U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Ed.D., whom we honored in 1998, reminded his audience “just how urgently our leadership is needed in this historical moment.” He urged Latino administrators to lead with purpose. He emphasized that everyone in a school district—from the superintendent to paraeducators—should share common values and work toward common goals.

         Violet Jiménez Sims, Ed.D. (2008), managing director of academic programming and legislative affairs for the Connecticut Teacher Residency Program (TRP), conducted a workshop on the topic “Quieting the Noise: Courageous Leadership and Advocacy for Diverse and Multilingual Learners.”

         Under her leadership, TRP is building a more diverse educator workforce by enabling university graduates to obtain their state teacher certification. Some 90 percent of the future teachers in the program are people of color.

         The Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents is dedicated to providing leadership development for school and district leaders who serve Latino youth and other historically marginalized students.

Dr. Sims explains data on English-language learners

Space to Reflect and Recommit

         Said Dr. Sims, “Huge congratulations to NE ALAS for launching their chapter and creating space for us to reflect and recommit. In times like these, we need spaces that feed our souls and reinforce the principle of lifting as we climb.

         “Let’s remember: Our collective power grows when we move with abundance, not scarcity. When we resist the temptation to gatekeep or use the proverbial ‘master’s tools’ to recreate the very systems we aim to dismantle. Representation matters, but impact matters more. And we make the greatest impact when we lead with inclusion, generosity, and purpose.”

         Congratulations to Dr. Cardona and Dr. Sims for helping to launch this new organization of Latino educational leaders by sharing the experience and expertise they have gained in their remarkable careers.

CREC Recognizes Sacha Kelly as a ‘Hidden Gem’

Sacha Kelly has combined her career as a mathematics teacher and her avocation as an artist to have an impact on countless young lives.

We honored her with a scholarship and welcomed her into our scholarship family in 2009, and recently she received another well-deserved recognition.

The Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) named her a “Hidden Gem” for all she has done for her students at the Academy of Science and Innovation in New Britain, where she is a mathematics teacher.

Mrs. Kelly was born in Trinidad, came to the U.S. as a child with her family and settled in New York City, where she graduated from the prestigious Stuyvesant High School.

She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Trinity College and the University of Saint Joseph, respectively, and has continued to learn and grow as she has built her career.

She won a Joule Fellowship at UConn, in which she did cutting-edge research intended to enrich her teaching. Along the way, she obtained administrator certification at Central Connecticut State University.

Sacha Kelly in the laboratory at UConn.

Positive Impact on Youths

In a video interview with Yanique Grant-Buchanan of CREC, who presented the Hidden Gem award, Mrs. Kelly said she was proud of having a role in improving the lives of her students, many of whom remain in touch with her after graduation.

“That’s what brings me joy,” she said, “to know that I have had an impact on so many youths over the years.”

Social Justice and Math

Mrs. Kelly emphasizes incorporating concepts of social justice into her teaching of mathematics. She is the author of a “Mural Mathematics” chapter in a book titled Connecting Mathematics and Social Justice: A Guide for Educators. The book was written by the Mathematics Teachers Circle for Social Justice, in which she was a member of the inaugural 2021 Summer Stars cohort of mathematics teachers.

“The chapter is intended to help other teachers to see how they can incorporate social justice into the math curriculum,” she said. “Whether they are teaching algebra or geometry, the curriculum can reflect the lives of their students more effectively if they take the time to make math more multicultural and diverse. It will have a lasting impact on their students if math is being taught in a way that’s more meaningful.

“Teachers should be reaching students where they are,” she said, “so they will see themselves in math. I hope (the book) will improve the teaching of math throughout the state.”

Sharing Her Love of Art

She has also found ways to share her love of art with students at her school. Three times during the year, she and her students create murals at school in celebration of Black History, Hispanic Heritage, and Caribbean Heritage.

“These are major productions put on with the involvement of students and other teachers,” she said.

Beyond teaching math, Mrs. Kelly coaches the school’s cheerleading team.

Bloomfield street mural

Art Projects in the Community

She also has led community collaborations in creating Black Lives Matter murals on Trinity Street at Bushnell Park in Hartford and on a street near Town Hall in Bloomfield. She engaged students in creating “Say Their Names” street murals at schools in Bloomfield and an “End Racism Now” mural in Windsor.

“These murals were community collaborations representing diverse perspectives,” she said.

Sacha Kelly, right, with Suzette DeBeatham-Brown, former

mayor of Bloomfield at street mural near Bloomfield Town Hall.

Sacha Kelly with Black Lives Matter street mural.

Shout Out to Alma Exley Scholars

Mrs. Kelly gave a shout out in the interview to her CREC colleagues who also have been honored by the Alma Exley Scholarship Program. They are Desi Nesmith, assistant executive director, and Dr. Violet Jiménez Sims, who manages CREC’s Teacher Residency Program.

“The network of Alma Exley Scholars has grown into an impressive cohort of educators whom I draw inspiration from,” she said. “The network even includes Dr. Miguel Cardona (former U.S. secretary of education). I’m so happy to be a part of this group of educators.”

Mrs. Kelly concluded the interview with a paraphrase of a quotation from author Maya Angelou: “Your students may not remember every specific thing you taught them, but they will remember how you made them feel.” And she added, “I will continue to work in the CREC community to make sure our students feel as wonderful and beautiful and capable as they really are.”

-0-