Board of Trustees
Experts in their fields and passionate about educational equity, the Achievement Prep’s Board of Trustees provide trusted governance and oversee our work.
Our Board
Kadeem Cooper, Legislative Director at the Office of U.S. Representative Katie Porter
Dwight J. Draughon, Jr., Assistant U.S. Attorney at the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland
Dwight J. Draughon, Jr.: Dwight is an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, where he prosecutes firearm trafficking, wire fraud, public corruption, and other federal offenses. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Dwight practiced at large law firms and clerked for a federal judge in the District of Maryland. He is also a Teach for America alumnus and former middle school teacher. Dwight brings a mix of teaching experience and a legal background to the board. From the Bronx of New York, Dwight has a Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University, a Masters in Education from American University, and a Juris Doctor from the Howard University School of Law.
DeeDee George, Secretary, Director of Affordable Housing at UPO
DeeDee George: DeeDee is Director of Affordable Housing, at the United Planning Organization (UPO). DeeDee is a strategic real estate executive with over 15 years of experience in Portfolio Management and Performance Oversight in Affordable Housing and Institutional Real Estate. Her prior leadership positions as Portfolio Manager for the Alexandria Redevelopment & Housing Authority and Assistant Vice President for New Tower Trust Company provide a strong background in financial analysis and management. Currently she is focused on her passion for helping vulnerable populations with equitable access to affordable homes and educational opportunities. She received a Bachelor’s degree from Siena College and a Masters of Real Estate from Johns Hopkins University.
Patricia Grant, Dean Undergraduate Programs at Georgetown University
Patricia Grant: Patricia is the dean for the Undergraduate Programs at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. At Georgetown McDonough, she has revamped the undergraduate advising structure; expanded career trek opportunities; laid the groundwork for a young alumni advisory group; contributed to curricular innovations such as an entrepreneurship fellows program and first-year seminar program; and created two diversity and inclusion initiatives for incoming students, including one that partners with PwC.
Grant joined Georgetown McDonough in 2010 with more than 15 years of experience in undergraduate, graduate, and executive education program administration. She has taught courses at the University of Pennsylvania, the College of New Jersey, Temple University, and Georgetown. Additionally, she worked in the Office of Executive Education at Penn to develop and launch six master’s and doctoral programs.
She holds an Ed.D. and M.S.Ed. from the University of Pennsylvania and an A.B. from Cornell University.
Erica Harrell, Program Support Manager at Teach for America
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Crystal Hill, Supervisory Program Manager Analyst and Business Operations Director at the Department of Homeland Security
Amber Jackson, Parent at Achievement Prep
Amber Jackson: Amber Jackson is a Platinum Parent with four scholars attending Achievement Prep ranging from PK4 through 8th grade. Since joining Achievement Prep in 2015, Mrs. Jackson continues to volunteer in classrooms, chaperone field trips, and special events. She is dedicated to being a partner exemplifies love for her children and expects the best for them; she believes Achievement Prep has been a stepping stone in achieving what they can do and proud that her family will be apart of Achievement Prep’s legacy. Mrs. Jackson chose Achievement Prep because she’s their dedication and passion platinum teachers bring everyday to scholars. Mrs. Jackson is currently a Managing Member for Rockstar Inkk LLC and also President of K.N.O.T.T.Y Gurl Natural Hair Care. She was raised in Washington, DC and currently resides in Ward 7 of Southeast DC.
Julie Johnson, Independent Education Consultant
Julie Johnson: Julie is an independent education consultant. Prior to this new venture, Julie served as the Chief of Talent and Culture for DC Public Schools (DCPS) and brings a strong background in talent acquisition and retention, systems improvement, and operational excellence to the board. Julie began her career as a Teach For America corps member, teaching fifth grade in El Mirage, Arizona. Inspired by her students to make a broader impact, she joined DCPS in 2009 and remained with the district for over a decade in a variety of strategic roles including Chief of Staff for the Chief Operating Officer.
Julie has a Masters in Public Administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Arizona State University. She lives with her husband and daughter in Northeast DC where they can frequently be found visiting one of the parks or libraries in the neighborhood.
Jim Kline, Senior Director of School Programs at CityBridge Education
April McGill, Senior Account Executive at BetterUP
Keshia Paris, Parent at Achievement Prep
Susan Rosenbaum, Adjunct Professor at American University and George Washington University
Susan Rosenbaum: Susan is an educator with over four decades of experience in both public and private schools. Susan is currently an adjunct professor of education
at both American University and George Washington University. Before retiring from full-time employment, she was associate head of school and middle school principal of the Norwood School in Bethesda, Maryland where she was instrumental in the development of the middle school. She has served on numerous nonprofit boards. Susan studied at Columbia University’s Teachers College and holds an MBA in finance from American University.
Kenneth Ward, Executive Director at College Bound Inc.
Kenneth Ward: Kenneth is a native North Carolinian, born in Halifax County; home of the Halifax Resolves, which is the precursor of the Declaration of Independence. After graduating as valedictorian of his senior class at Enfield High, he matriculated at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill on a Pogue Scholarship. After relocating to Washington DC, Mr. Ward obtained a Master’s Degree in Education from Trinity College and has worked at the Library of Congress, Charles Young (5th Grade), Harriet Tubman (Summer School Principal), and Paul Public Charter School. Mr. Ward has been a part of the College Bound Organization for the past 20 years serving as the site coordinator at the Gonzaga and Beacon House sites before being selected as the Executive Director of College Bound.
Ed Williams, Senior Associate at WilmerHale
Ed Williams: Ed is a Senior Associate at WilmerHale, an international law firm that represents a variety of clients in complex litigation and corporate transactions. Ed’s practice focuses on supporting clients that are litigating against the federal or a state government, or are litigating matters in appellate tribunals, including the United States Supreme Court. Ed earned a Bachelor of Business Administration cum laude in international business and finance from Howard University and his Juris Doctor magna cum laude from the Georgetown University Law Center. After graduating from Howard University, but prior to attending Georgetown Law, Ed served as a third-grade teacher in the Atlanta Public School System through Teach For America and trained incoming teachers as a Corps Member Advisor for the Teach For America institute in Atlanta. As a Georgetown Law student, Ed took on several unique leadership roles including serving as a student member of the Law Center’s Budget Committee, which was responsible for making budget recommendations to the Dean of the Law Center, and as a student member of the Law Center’s Long Range Planning Committee, which was responsible for drafting a five-year strategic plan for the Law Center.
As a legal professional, Ed has served in several capacities including as a Law Clerk to two federal judges in the District of Columbia, as a Law Clerk to the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, as an Extern at the Department of Justice Civil Appellate Division, and as an Associate at Skadden Arps.
Ed recently joined the Board of Directors of a newly-founded social justice non-profit, Artists and Athletes United for Social Change (“AAUSC”). AAUSC aims to provide actionable social change initiatives that assist artists and athletes in using their celebrity to raise the profile of important social justice issues and engage their fans in social causes.
Ursula Wright, Division Director at WestEd
Ursula Wright: Ursula is a founding trustee of Achievement Prep. She is currently a Division Director at WestEd and a member of the agency’s senior leadership team. In this role, she is responsible for leading and supporting a 200+ person team focused on fulfilling a range of K–12 education needs that bridge policy, research, and educator practice. Wright’s immediate past position was with FSG, a mission-driven consulting firm for leaders in search of large-scale, lasting social change. Through its combination of customized services, powerful ideas, and learning communities, FSG helps foundations, businesses, nonprofits, and governments around the world accelerate impact. Ursula was with the Obama Administration where she served as the Associate Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Innovation and Improvement at the U.S. Department of Education. Prior to her government service, Ursula was an executive at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the leading national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the quality growth of the charter school movement. Before transitioning to the not-for-profit sector, Ursula developed functional competencies in strategy, operations, finance, and marketing at some of the nation’s most recognized private sector firms. Ursula earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Spelman College and a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She has also completed executive education coursework at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Board Meetings
SY 2021-23
Board Meeting Agenda and Minutes
Click the link above to review agendas and minutes for all 2022-23 school year meetings.
SY 2020-21
June 5, 2021 – Board Retreat
May 19, 2021
Approved Board Meeting Minutes
April 21, 2021
Approved Board Meeting Minutes
February 27, 2021
Approved Board Meeting Minutes
January 27, 2021
Approved Board Meeting Minutes
January 13, 2021
Transparency Policy
Achievement Prep’s Board of Trustees is composed of experts in their fields and passionate parents committed to educational equity. Achievement Prep’s Board of Trustees provide trusted governance and oversee our work. Achievement Prep complies with all provisions of the Open Meetings Act and will hold Board meetings that are open to the public. To ensure public access to Board meetings, Achievement Prep will publish the following information on its website:
- The names and roles of each Trustee.
- Contact information for the Board Chair.
- The full record of Board meetings, including meeting minutes, recordings, and documents provided to the Board beginning January 13, 2021.
- Achievement Prep’s annual Board meeting schedule and notice for upcoming Board meetings at least two days in advance.
- Contact information for the Special Assistant to the CEO for additional information.
Further, the Board will only close meetings for the specific reasons outlined in the Open Meetings Act. As it has done in the past, Achievement Prep will meet with Achievement Prep’s scholars, parents and staff to address any proposed campus closure, location change, or charter relinquishment.
Please see our meeting calendar here.