Rhonda Broussard, Every Student Needs a Sponsor

Rhonda Broussard, Every Student Needs a Sponsor

Rhonda J. Broussard (she/her/elle) is an author, entrepreneur, and futurist. As the Founder & CEO of Beloved Community and Awa by Beloved, PBC, Rhonda works to create sustainable paths to regional racial and economic equity.  Her vision for Beloved Community is informed by her leadership in education and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s goal “to create a beloved community” that would “require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.” Rhonda has been a change-agent in social justice advocacy throughout her career. Previously, she founded a network of language immersion and International Baccalaureate world authorized schools, was a National Board Certified Teacher and taught in public schools in drop-out recovery, college access, working class, immigrant, and affluent school communities. She has served on the board of New Orleans African American Museum, EdNavigator, Missouri’s Charter Public School Association, PROMO - Missouri's Statewide LGBTQ Advocacy Organization, Agile Learning Center of New Orleans, and Washington University in St. Louis  YMCA-YWCA. Rhonda is steadfast in her commitment to community engagement and leadership. Rhonda has been recognized as a Chevalier of the Ordre des Palmes académiques by the French Ministry of Culture, is a Highland Leader, a Tulane Mellon Fellow for Community Engaged Research, a Pahara-Aspen Fellow and an Eisenhower Fellow. She currently serves as a Director of Diverse Charter Schools Coalition and Generation Hope. Rhonda has earned a Bachelor of Arts in French and Secondary Education from Washington University in St. Louis, a Masters of Arts in French Studies from The Institute of French Studies at New York University, and has studied in Cameroon, Martinique, Finland, New Zealand and metropolitan France. Rhonda is the author of One Good Question: How Countries Prepare Youth to Lead. You can find Rhonda, her wife Kim, and her bilingual family living in Bulbancha also known as New Orleans, Louisiana where she studies, performs, and teaches dances from the African diaspora.

Jarrod Bolte, Teachers as Innovators

Jarrod founded Improving Education out of a desire to improve educational systems and create a new approach to educational reform that empowers teachers, schools, and communities to make change. He has extensive experience as a teacher and leader in Baltimore City Public Schools, and has served on multiple state and national commissions focused on a variety of educational initiatives. Jarrod has spent years studying and refining practices of Improvement Science in education and is at the forefront nationally in using this methodology to improve student outcomes and educational systems.

Lara Evangelista and Chandler Miranda, School as Sanctuary

Evangelista is the Executive Director of Internationals Network, a national nonprofit that partners with public school systems and community-based organizations to design and sustain innovative, multilingual learning environments for recently arrived immigrant and refugee students. The child of immigrants and a first-generation college student, Lara brings both personal and professional commitment to this work. With over 25 years of experience in New York City public schools as both an educator and as a parent, she has led transformative efforts to improve outcomes for newcomer students as a teacher, founding school team member, and administrator. She served as principal of The Flushing International High School and later as Deputy Superintendent for the Consortium, Internationals, and NYC Outward Bound Schools (CIOB) District. Lara holds degrees in languages and education from Georgetown University, New School University, Hunter College, and Teachers College, Columbia University, where she is currently a doctoral candidate in the Urban Educational Leadership program. Chandler Patton Miranda is Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Molloy University and an educational anthropologist whose research examines the schooling experiences of recently arrived immigrant youth in the United States. Her work focuses on how educators navigate exclusionary policy and political contexts to create inclusive, empowering learning environments. She is the author of Sanctuary School: Innovating to Empower Immigrant Youth (Harvard Education Press, 2025), which identifies key mindset shifts for transforming schools into spaces of belonging and renewal. Chandler is a former high school science teacher.

Dr. Kristina Kyles-Smith, Getting Into Good Trouble

Kristina Kyles Smith is a dynamic leader in education, dedicated to transforming schools and empowering communities. As CEO of Lillie May Carroll Jackson Charter School, Kristina has spearheaded innovations in school equity, leadership, curriculum design, and project-based learning. She holds an Ed.D. and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Public Policy, bringing practical and scholarly expertise to her work. Kristina has held key roles, including Assistant State Superintendent and Regional Director for a national professional development company. She has published articles on school transformation and equity. She is a recognized speaker, educator, and advocate for educational justice.

Mica Fidler, Learning as Wilderness Expedition

Mica Fidler is an evangelist of progressive education because she experienced the power of curious, joyful, authentic learning as a student, teacher, and instructional leader. After studying literary translation at Brown University, she began her career with a Fulbright grant in South Africa. Since then, she spent a decade teaching and coaching in expeditionary learning schools, striving to bring the principles of outdoor learning into public school classrooms in New York City and Baltimore.  Mica now serves as the Director of Partnerships and Volunteer Recruitment at Thread, a community impact organization that leverages the power of relationships to support Baltimore City students through graduation and beyond. Mica serves on the board at the Park School of Baltimore. She is a 3rd generation Baltimorean and an avid hiker, polyglot, and parent to 2 toddlers.