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Officers and Staff

Officers

Kent McGuire_img

Kent McGuire

Kent McGuire_img Kent McGuire, President, is responsible for SEF’s mission to advance equity and excellence in education in the American South especially for African Americans. Prior to joining SEF, Dr. McGuire served as the Dean of the College of Education at Temple University and was a tenured professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, also at Temple. Before that he served in the Clinton Administration as Assistant Secretary of the US Department of Education. His prior non-profit work included being the Education Program Officer for the Philadelphia-based Pew Charitable Trusts and serving as Education Program Director for the Eli Lilly Endowment.

He has written and coauthored various policy reports, book chapters and papers in professional journals. He currently serves on many boards including: Moorestown Public School, Institute for Education Leadership, The New Teacher Project, Board of Managers of Girard College, Wachovia Regional Foundation and The Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation. He received his PhD in public administration from the University of Colorado at Boulder, his MA in education administration and policy from Columbia University Teacher’s College, and his BA in economics from the University of Michigan.
Kent McGuire

Kent McGuire

Kent McGuire_img Kent McGuire, President, is responsible for SEF’s mission to advance equity and excellence in education in the American South especially for African Americans. Prior to joining SEF, Dr. McGuire served as the Dean of the College of Education at Temple University and was a tenured professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, also at Temple. Before that he served in the Clinton Administration as Assistant Secretary of the US Department of Education. His prior non-profit work included being the Education Program Officer for the Philadelphia-based Pew Charitable Trusts and serving as Education Program Director for the Eli Lilly Endowment.

He has written and coauthored various policy reports, book chapters and papers in professional journals. He currently serves on many boards including: Moorestown Public School, Institute for Education Leadership, The New Teacher Project, Board of Managers of Girard College, Wachovia Regional Foundation and The Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation. He received his PhD in public administration from the University of Colorado at Boulder, his MA in education administration and policy from Columbia University Teacher’s College, and his BA in economics from the University of Michigan.
, President / Chief Executive Officer
(404) 991-6767
Message from the President

Message from the President

Kent McGuire_img 

Welcome to the Southern Education Foundation’s New Website

I arrived at SEF in November 2011 and am absolutely thrilled to be here.  This Foundation has a cherished history and record of accomplishment that belies its size and resources.   I am committed to advancing this record in ways that generate positive education outcomes for children, adolescents and young adults, especially the least advantaged among them.  This has been and remains SEF’s core mission.  

The stakes are high for all of us.  Our democracy, the economy and indeed the vitality of our communities are all hinged to doing a much better job developing and educating young people in this country. Academic outcomes, college going and completion rates, employment levels and levels of civic engagement are all unacceptably low for young people under 25 years of age.  For specific subgroups:   African Americans, Hispanics and Latin Americans, Native Americans in particular, these metrics are disturbingly low. The good news is that the nation is now appropriately focused on improving school performance, raising high school graduation rates and increasing postsecondary degree completion.  

SEF is meeting these challenges by launching new initiatives to refine and strengthen how we work on these issues.  For instance, in the context of our continuing focus on accreditation and institutional effectiveness, we are paying specific attention to increasing student learning outcomes at Minority Serving Institutions.  This same emphasis on improving learning outcomes for vulnerable children and underachieving students will permeate our work on education policy Pre-K through High School.   Our leadership development work, which places diverse cohorts of college and graduate students in internships focused on education policy and social justice is one of the ways we tie all of our work together.  Increasing the scale and scope of our leadership work is a priority for the Foundation.  

While advancing an agenda of national significance, SEF will continue to place emphasis on the Southern United States, broadly conceived.  Nowhere in the United States are the cultural and demographic shifts more rapid and pronounced than in this part of the country.   Meeting the educational challenges associated with these shifts will be critical to our country’s future because we are past the days when we can grow the economy with low taxes and cheap labor. Employment and income will continue to move off shore if we fail to prepare our citizens for the knowledge-intensive jobs of the 21st century.  Nor will we thrive as a society if our citizens are disengaged politically and if we cannot leverage the rapid flow of information toward understanding and tackling the social and technical challenges of our times (the environment, public health and safety, energy-independence, to name just a few).  

We are especially excited to be launching this new website.  We intend to use this site as an engine for engaging our partners and meeting our programmatic goals.  Please visit this website often to learn what SEF is doing.  We welcome any feedback you might have on how we can improve it.  

Dr. Kent McGuire, president
Southern Education Foundation


Steve Suitts_img

Steve Suitts

Steve Suitts_img Steve Suitts, Vice President, works with the SEF President to supervise the organization’s programs and operations and to carry out project activities and fundraising. Suitts is author of more than 125 books, articles, and monographs, including several SEF publications. For nearly 18 years, he served as executive director of the Atlanta-based Southern Regional Council and for the last 16 years has also been an adjunct lecturer at the Institute of Liberal Arts of Emory University.
Steve Suitts

Steve Suitts

Steve Suitts_img Steve Suitts, Vice President, works with the SEF President to supervise the organization’s programs and operations and to carry out project activities and fundraising. Suitts is author of more than 125 books, articles, and monographs, including several SEF publications. For nearly 18 years, he served as executive director of the Atlanta-based Southern Regional Council and for the last 16 years has also been an adjunct lecturer at the Institute of Liberal Arts of Emory University.
, Vice President
(404) 991-6769


Troy Johnson_img

Troy Johnson

Troy Johnson_img Troy Johnson is the Chief Financial Officer for the Southern Education Foundation. He is a thirteen year veteran of the nonprofit industry. He has worked for a wide array of non-profit organizations including the Madison Area YMCA of Madison, New Jersey, the YWCA of Greater Atlanta, Aid Atlanta, and the Metro Atlanta YMCA. He received his undergraduate degree from Hampton University and his master’s degree from Mercer University. Troy currently serves on the Board of the East Lake YMCA in Atlanta, GA.
Troy Johnson

Troy Johnson

Troy Johnson_img Troy Johnson is the Chief Financial Officer for the Southern Education Foundation. He is a thirteen year veteran of the nonprofit industry. He has worked for a wide array of non-profit organizations including the Madison Area YMCA of Madison, New Jersey, the YWCA of Greater Atlanta, Aid Atlanta, and the Metro Atlanta YMCA. He received his undergraduate degree from Hampton University and his master’s degree from Mercer University. Troy currently serves on the Board of the East Lake YMCA in Atlanta, GA.
, CFO, COO
(404) 991-6772


Staff

Deborah Barrett_img

Deborah Barrett

Deborah Barrett_img Deborah serves as Senior Executive Assistant to the President to the President of the Southern Education Foundation and liaison to the Board of Trustees. Previous responsibilities at SEF included assisting the Director of the Comparative Human Relations Initiative with research and international forums on race relations in Brazil, South Africa and the U.S., overseeing the Sub-Saharan African Student Scholarship Fund which provided education scholarships to African students, and the Philanthropy and the Black Church project which promoted education initiatives in historically Black churches.

Prior to joining SEF, Deborah worked in the Office of the Chancellor of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and the Office of the President of the Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership.

Deborah received a B.S. in Organizational Leadership from Mercer University, as well as a degree in Practical Ministries from Tomlinson University. She is also an ordained minister and founder of Level Ground a youth mentoring program for middle and high school girls.
Deborah Barrett

Deborah Barrett

Deborah Barrett_img Deborah serves as Senior Executive Assistant to the President to the President of the Southern Education Foundation and liaison to the Board of Trustees. Previous responsibilities at SEF included assisting the Director of the Comparative Human Relations Initiative with research and international forums on race relations in Brazil, South Africa and the U.S., overseeing the Sub-Saharan African Student Scholarship Fund which provided education scholarships to African students, and the Philanthropy and the Black Church project which promoted education initiatives in historically Black churches.

Prior to joining SEF, Deborah worked in the Office of the Chancellor of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and the Office of the President of the Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership.

Deborah received a B.S. in Organizational Leadership from Mercer University, as well as a degree in Practical Ministries from Tomlinson University. She is also an ordained minister and founder of Level Ground a youth mentoring program for middle and high school girls.
, Senior Executive Assistant to the President
(404) 991-6761


Katherine Dunn_img

Katherine Dunn

Katherine Dunn_img Katherine joined SEF in 2009 and completed a two-year fellowship in 2011. She is a graduate of Elon University and of the University of North Carolina School of Law, where she focused on education law and policy. While at Elon, she interned for the NC Center for Public Policy Research and worked for a project promoting healthy lifestyles for Latinos in Alamance County (Salud Latina, Salud de Alamance). At UNC, she served as an articles editor for the North Carolina Journal of International Law and Commercial Regulation, an extern for North Carolina Court of Appeals Judge Barbara Jackson, and spent a summer in Costa Rica for a Human Rights Law in the Americas program.
Katherine Dunn

Katherine Dunn

Katherine Dunn_img Katherine joined SEF in 2009 and completed a two-year fellowship in 2011. She is a graduate of Elon University and of the University of North Carolina School of Law, where she focused on education law and policy. While at Elon, she interned for the NC Center for Public Policy Research and worked for a project promoting healthy lifestyles for Latinos in Alamance County (Salud Latina, Salud de Alamance). At UNC, she served as an articles editor for the North Carolina Journal of International Law and Commercial Regulation, an extern for North Carolina Court of Appeals Judge Barbara Jackson, and spent a summer in Costa Rica for a Human Rights Law in the Americas program.
, Program Officer
(404) 991-6764


Vanessa Elkan_img

Vanessa Elkan

Vanessa Elkan_img Vanessa Elkan joined SEF in 2008 as the organization’s first two-year Program and Research Fellow. Today as an Assistant Program Officer, she is responsible for managing SELI and assisting with Pre-K-12 policy analyses and research. During her tenure at SEF, she has contributed to an array of research publications analyzing early childhood education availability and finance, ARRA’s impact on education finance in K-12 schools of the South, and how the South is now home to a New Diverse Majority of low income and minority students. In 2009, she authored “Growing Our Own: Education Leadership Development for a New Era”, a report celebrating the five year anniversary of SELI. Prior to joining SEF, she worked with the Georgia Afterschool Investment Council organizing community forums around the state of Georgia to discuss out of school learning policy and best-practices. She has also worked on policy research and programming with the Oregon Center for Public Policy, the National Center for Community and Justice, and the Study Abroad Program of the University of Oregon. Ms. Elkan graduated Phi Beta Kappa and with distinction from the University of Oregon’s Robert D. Clark Honors College in 2006, where she studied Sociology and History.
Vanessa Elkan

Vanessa Elkan

Vanessa Elkan_img Vanessa Elkan joined SEF in 2008 as the organization’s first two-year Program and Research Fellow. Today as an Assistant Program Officer, she is responsible for managing SELI and assisting with Pre-K-12 policy analyses and research. During her tenure at SEF, she has contributed to an array of research publications analyzing early childhood education availability and finance, ARRA’s impact on education finance in K-12 schools of the South, and how the South is now home to a New Diverse Majority of low income and minority students. In 2009, she authored “Growing Our Own: Education Leadership Development for a New Era”, a report celebrating the five year anniversary of SELI. Prior to joining SEF, she worked with the Georgia Afterschool Investment Council organizing community forums around the state of Georgia to discuss out of school learning policy and best-practices. She has also worked on policy research and programming with the Oregon Center for Public Policy, the National Center for Community and Justice, and the Study Abroad Program of the University of Oregon. Ms. Elkan graduated Phi Beta Kappa and with distinction from the University of Oregon’s Robert D. Clark Honors College in 2006, where she studied Sociology and History.
, Program Officer
(404) 991-6762


Chandra Halstead_img

Chandra Halstead

Chandra Halstead_img Chandra Halstead is an Accounting Assistant for the Southern Education Foundation. Prior to joining S.E.F., Ms. Halstead was the Overseas Grants Assistant for the Ford Foundation’s Office of Management Services, providing administrative, logistical and consultant support for overseas offices located in Hanoi, Johannesburg, & New Delhi. During Ms. Halstead’s 17 year tenure with the Ford Foundation, she held several positions including Secretary for the Grants Administration and Operations Department and Administrative Assistant for the Office of Management Services. Ms. Halstead received an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science from the New York City Technical College in 1991.
Chandra Halstead

Chandra Halstead

Chandra Halstead_img Chandra Halstead is an Accounting Assistant for the Southern Education Foundation. Prior to joining S.E.F., Ms. Halstead was the Overseas Grants Assistant for the Ford Foundation’s Office of Management Services, providing administrative, logistical and consultant support for overseas offices located in Hanoi, Johannesburg, & New Delhi. During Ms. Halstead’s 17 year tenure with the Ford Foundation, she held several positions including Secretary for the Grants Administration and Operations Department and Administrative Assistant for the Office of Management Services. Ms. Halstead received an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science from the New York City Technical College in 1991.
, Office Manager
(404) 991-6760


James T. Minor_img

James T. Minor

James T. Minor_img James T. Minor, Director of Higher Education Programs, leads SEF’s research and programmatic efforts to enhance the capacity of higher education institutions including minority-serving institutions. Before coming to SEF, Dr. Minor was associate professor of higher education policy at Michigan State University. He has published numerous articles and has become a recognized scholar on issues related to minority-serving institutions and on issues of access to higher education. He received his PhD in Educational Policy Analysis and Leadership from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, his MA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and his BA in sociology from Jackson State University.
James T. Minor

James T. Minor

James T. Minor_img James T. Minor, Director of Higher Education Programs, leads SEF’s research and programmatic efforts to enhance the capacity of higher education institutions including minority-serving institutions. Before coming to SEF, Dr. Minor was associate professor of higher education policy at Michigan State University. He has published numerous articles and has become a recognized scholar on issues related to minority-serving institutions and on issues of access to higher education. He received his PhD in Educational Policy Analysis and Leadership from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, his MA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and his BA in sociology from Jackson State University.
, Program Director
(404) 991-6763


Nasheed Sabree_img

Nasheed Sabree

Nasheed Sabree_img Nasheed Sabree joined SEF in 2011. Prior to joining SEF, Nasheed worked with a number of organizations including the YMCA of Metro Atlanta, NYLF (National Youth Leadership Forum), and the DeKalb County Government. He received his BA in Sociology from Georgia State University.
Nasheed Sabree

Nasheed Sabree

Nasheed Sabree_img Nasheed Sabree joined SEF in 2011. Prior to joining SEF, Nasheed worked with a number of organizations including the YMCA of Metro Atlanta, NYLF (National Youth Leadership Forum), and the DeKalb County Government. He received his BA in Sociology from Georgia State University.
, Program Assistant, Web Master
(404) 991-6773





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