Meet the Leading Equity Center Team
The Leading Equity Center was founded by Dr. Sheldon L. Eakins in 2018.
Read Dr. Eakins' Bio
Darlene Reyes, Student Equity Instructor
Darlene Reyes is a first-generation Salvadoran-American and alumna from Northwestern University. After graduation, Darlene became an AmeriCorps member for City Year, Washington, D.C. (CYDC), which motivated her to pursue a career in education. She is a 2019 Fulbright U.S. Student Program Fellowship Aluma who was selected to conduct research on the Imposter Syndrome in Brazil within Higher Education. Her first language is Spanish and she has a high proficiency in Portuguese. Darlene is an advocate for educational equity passionate about holistic solutions for students of all backgrounds especially students with layered identities such as students of color, first-generation, and low socioeconomic backgrounds.
LaWanda Wesley, Ed.D., Early Childhood
Dr. LaWanda Wesley serves as Oakland Unified School District's Director of Quality Enhancement and Professional Development of Early Education. She supports a cadre of 200 plus teachers and a dynamic early learning leadership team. Additionally, Wesley is the Co-Director and Co-designer a national leadership fellowship piloted in Alameda County, California, titled Emerging Leaders for Racial Equity in Early Care and Education. Most recently, Dr. Wesley Co-Founded and is Co-Director for the Center for Equity in Early Childhood Education, a new national early childhood organization focused on disrupting inequity in early childhood spaces and places.
Margaret Harris, Content Creator
As a full-time educator, my mission is to support the creation of safe learning environments in which every student subscribes to the notion of their own limitless potential. I was born and raised in Newport News, Virginia. After receiving my Bachelor's degree from Princeton University, I returned to Virginia to serve my home community as an educator. Through my work as a high school English teacher, a virtual educator, and an instructional coach, I developed a passion for instructional planning, educational leadership, and instructional technology. I have a Master's degree in Education, Policy, Planning, and Leadership from the College of William & Mary, and I currently serve as an instructional technology coach.
Sara Price, Administrative Assistant
Sara is a 5th Grade teacher and equity coach at Winter Park Model Elementary School in Wilmington, North Carolina. She began teaching in Baltimore City, Maryland, where she developed a passion for education through a culturally responsive and student-centered lens. Sara has a B.S in Film from Towson University and is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, where she received her Master’s of Science in Education in May of 2020. She believes that it is the job of educators to prepare the learners of today and leaders of tomorrow to be critical-thinking, empathetic, and strong-willed individuals in order for them to grow into the driving force of positive change in the ever fluctuating world around us. In addition to her passion for cultural responsiveness and student centered learning, Sara believes firmly in empowering students and other educators in restructuring American educational organizations into more effective and equitable places of learning and growth. You can learn more about Sara on her professional portfolio at https://ksaranoh.wixsite.com/educationalportfolio
