Board of Directors

Carlos Moreno

CHAIR

Carlos Moreno is a Native New Yorker who grew up in the Bronx and came to Rhode Island to attend Johnson & Wales University, where he studied marketing and business administration. After graduating from college, and several years of working in the corporate and non-profit sectors, Carlos decided to bring his passion for helping youth to the forefront and entered the classroom as an educator. Carlos joined The Met School in 2002. In 2006, after successfully graduating his cohort of students and receiving his Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership, Moreno was promoted to principal of The Met – Unity school. In 2008, his leadership as an administrator led The Met to promote Carlos to the newly created position of Director of Principal Support & Development. In that role, Carlos coached, supported and evaluated the leaders of The Met schools in Rhode Island. In 2009, Carlos decided to move closer to his family and his hometown when he accepted a position with Big Picture Learning as the Director of School Reform & Innovation – New Jersey. Carlos now directs and connects the multiple school-based national initiatives for Big Picture Learning as the National Director of School Network Support & Innovation.

Byron D’Andra Orey

BOARD MEMBER

Dr. Byron D’Andra Orey is a professor of political science at Jackson State University and the current president of the Southern Political Science Association. With over two decades of experience in academia, Dr. Orey has held faculty positions at the University of Mississippi and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln before joining Jackson State in 2008, where he also served as department chair. His academic journey includes a B.S. in Business Administration from Mississippi Valley State University, an M.P.A. from the University of Mississippi, an M.A. in Political Science from SUNY Stony Brook, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of New Orleans.

Dr. Orey’s research delves into the intersections of race, politics, and social justice, with a particular focus on Black trauma, implicit bias, voting rights, and systemic racism. He has secured over $2 million in research funding and has been invited to speak at institutions such as Oxford, Yale, and Princeton. As the director of the Jackson Political Science Research Laboratory, he has mentored numerous students of color, many of whom have pursued doctoral studies at prestigious universities. His scholarly work has been featured in journals like American Politics Research, Social Science Quarterly, and the Journal of Black Studies, and he has co-authored the updated edition of Mississippi, Conflict and Change.

Charmaine Mercer

BOARD MEMBER

Charmaine Mercer, Ph.D., serves as the Chief of Equity and Culture at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, where she leads the foundation’s racial equity grantmaking portfolio and champions internal diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. In this role, she steers the foundation’s ambitious 10-year, $150 million racial justice initiative, working to ensure that equity is not only a principle but a practice embedded across the foundation’s programs and partnerships. With a career spanning philanthropy, education policy, and research, Dr. Mercer is widely recognized for her strategic leadership, policy expertise, and deep commitment to social justice.

In addition to her work at Hewlett, Dr. Mercer is the co-founder of The Wit and Wisdom Collaborative, a consulting venture dedicated to empowering nonprofit leaders—especially leaders of color—with the tools, coaching, and community needed to lead with authenticity, care, and boldness. Her career reflects a powerful blend of intellectual rigor and heart-centered leadership, grounded in the belief that transformative change happens when those closest to the challenges are centered as architects of the solutions.

Eric James

BOARD MEMBER

Eric James serves as the Chief Finance and Administrative Officer at the NEA Foundation, where he oversees the organization’s financial strategy, operations, human resources, and technology infrastructure. With a steady hand and sharp eye for detail, Eric ensures that the Foundation’s essential systems—figuratively and literally—remain powered to support its mission. His leadership helps provide the strong operational backbone needed for the Foundation to advance equity and excellence in public education.

Eric brings more than fifteen years of nonprofit financial leadership and holds a CPA license, but his passion for education runs even deeper. The son of a lifelong educator—his mother taught elementary and middle school in Maryland for over four decades and remains a proud lifetime NEA member—Eric’s commitment to public education is personal. He firmly believes there is no greater calling than working on behalf of the nation’s students and the educators who serve them every day.

Frank Gettridge

BOARD MEMBER

Frank L. Gettridge, Ed.D., is the President and CEO of the Philanthropic Collaborative for Education, where he leads efforts to unify philanthropic networks in advancing equitable and just education policies and practices. With over 30 years of experience in education—as a teacher, principal, and administrator—Dr. Gettridge has dedicated his career to improving the lives of vulnerable children and families. Prior to his current role, he served as a program officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, focusing on initiatives such as strengthening the teacher-of-color pipeline and transformative family engagement.

A native of New Orleans, Dr. Gettridge holds a doctorate in global education from the University of Southern California, a master’s degree in child development from the Erikson Institute, and a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Morris Brown College. He has been recognized as a National Head Start Fellow, an Association of Black Foundation Executives Fellow, and a Children’s Defense Fund Fellow. Additionally, he serves on the board of directors for Parents as Teachers, contributing his expertise to support early childhood education initiatives.

Nsombi Lambright Haynes

BOARD MEMBER

Nsombi Lambright-Haynes is the Executive Director of One Voice, a Mississippi-based organization advocating for historically silenced communities in areas like education, voting, and criminal justice. Formerly the ACLU of Mississippi’s Executive Director, she has led efforts to challenge systemic injustices, including prison reform and voting rights.

Nsombi serves on Jackson’s Civil Service Commission, Public Safety Taskforce, and Hinds County Children’s Coalition, and has been honored with awards like The President’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2024) and Medgar Evers NAACP Award (2022). A Tougaloo College and Jackson State University graduate, she is deeply involved in community and civic initiatives, including the NAACP, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and Mississippi MOVE.