Melissa Connelly is the CEO of OneGoal, a national postsecondary access and success organization. Prior to becoming CEO, Melissa served as the organization’s first Chief Program Officer. In this role, she was responsible for executing the programmatic vision to ensure all students have an equitable opportunity to earn a postsecondary degree or credential. As a … Continue reading Melissa Connelly

Throughout her career, Niamani has developed a reputation for her skill in connecting people and ideas. She joined AGAG in 2001 and has guided its evolution from an idea to a vibrant network, working in partnership with the Steering Committee, members, and other colleagues working at the intersection of philanthropy and Africa. Before joining AGAG … Continue reading Niamani Mutima

Noël Harmon is President and Executive Director of Asian Pacific Islander American Scholars, formerly, the Asian Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund. She joined the organization in June 2018. Harmon comes to APIA Scholars from Say Yes to Education, where she was Senior Vice President for Strategic Partnerships. Harmon has also held positions at the Brookings … Continue reading Noel Harmon

Sameer has been a leader in college access and success for over a decade. Most recently, Sameer was a Senior Program Officer at the Joyce Foundation, where he led the philanthropy’s efforts on higher education. His portfolio focused on addressing racial and economic disparities in college access, including improving the longstanding racial disparities in access … Continue reading Sameer Gadkaree

Sarita E. Brown is Co-founder & President of Excelencia in Education, a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to accelerating Latino success in higher education by linking research, policy, and practice to serve Latino students. A recognized leader and advocate for equity in higher education, she began her career at the University of Texas at Austin, where … Continue reading Sarita Brown

Shareea is the director of the Texas College Access Network (TxCAN). TxCAN convenes Local College Access Networks to facilitate the rapid adoption of promising practices. It also serves as a data hub for college access programs by providing interactive FAFSA dashboards and other benchmarking tools. Prior to joining the Educate Texas team in 2018, Shareea … Continue reading Shareea Woods

Denise Forte is the CEO at The Education Trust, a national advocacy organization often described as “the most important truth teller” in American public education. As one of the country’s leading voices on education equity, Denise is a fierce advocate for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. She is on the forefront of … Continue reading Denise Forte

Gary Z. Linnen is the CEO of PeerForward, following its original co-founders. Mr. Linnen has steered PeerForward’s programs for more than a decade, cultivating deep experience in youth development, program innovation, and organizational leadership. He has contributed to virtually every function of the organization, from designing and facilitating workshops for educators and students to fostering … Continue reading Gary Linnen

Dr. Heather Deneen Wathington’s background is a unique blend of education, research, and philanthropy that has focused on students in underserved communities. She has served as the past president at Girard College, a historic boarding school in Philadelphia, and the chief executive officer at See Forever Foundation and the Maya Angelou Schools in Washington, DC. … Continue reading Heather Wathington

As uAspire’s chief executive officer, Jaclyn’s core responsibilities are strategic leadership and governance, organizational and people management, external relations, and fundraising. Jaclyn has been a key member of uAspire’s executive leadership team since 2017. Previously, as chief regional officer, Jaclyn strengthened uAspire’s influence and coordinated our impact in Massachusetts, New York City, and the San … Continue reading Jaclyn Piñero