Equity Board Committee

Stefanie Adams serves on the NHCS Board of Education.  She is passionate about ensuring equitable educational opportunities for all students.  Stefanie has a B.S. in Elementary Education, and an M.Ed. in Multicultural Education; she started her career in Philadelphia Public Schools supporting CTE students, and has guided whole school reform implementation through research based, Johns Hopkins University programming at eight schools in North Carolina.  Stefanie lives in Wilmington with her husband, Scott, and son, Brayden.  In addition to her work as an NHCS Board Member, she serves on the EDI Committee, Family Communications Committee, and Educator of the Year Committee; in the community, Stefanie sits on the Youth Services Board of the YMCA, and the Board of Directors of the Community Boys and Girls Club.

 

Dr. Lachawn Smith graduated from UNCW in 1991 with a BA in Special Education. Demonstrating her love of learning she completed her Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership from UNCW in 2011. She has been happily married for more than 25 years and has 2 living children. During her 29 years in the field, she has held the position of special education teacher, assistant principal, principal, principal coach, K-12 Director of Instructional Services, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and Academic Accountability and is currently the Deputy Superintendent for New Hanover County Schools.

 

 

 

Franchon Francees is the founder of Healing Your Almond, a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and a Certified Trauma Practitioner and Trainer. She founded Healing Your Almond, a Wilmington, NC-based consulting group, in 2019, utilizing her expertise in both trauma and emotional intelligence to help companies address employee stress and team efficiency. Ms. Francees is also an active member of the community. She serves on the board of Community CPR, a non-profit organization created to connect people and resources and serves as director of the Coastal Youth Media, which focuses on amplifying the voice of youth through the use of media and leadership development. Ms. Francees participated in Free Movement’s 5k, Black Men Running.

 

 

Jennifer Turner is employed at South East Area Health Education Center as a Continuing Professional Development Project Specialist.  She is actively involved in health equity, sexual orientation and gender identity, and implicit bias training initiatives for healthcare professionals, in both professional and volunteer settings.  She will complete her master’s degree from UNC Greensboro in May 2021 in Peace and Conflict Studies.  Jennifer enjoys spending time with her twins, traveling, reading and drawing.

 

 

 

 

Caress Clegg is a member of both the equity workgroup and Equity Diversity and Inclusion Committee. As an African American who is a part of the LGBTQIA+ community, she is dedicated to inclusion for all and ensuring that opportunities and resources that the district provides are available and communicated to families across the community with an emphasis on those in marginalized communities. Caress currently works in the Communications and Outreach Division of NHCS and is pursuing a Masters in Communication Management and Resolution from UNCW. 

 

 

 

 

Gayle Tabor is a firm believer in the necessity of equity and inclusion for all. Currently, in the final semester of seminary at Chicago Theological Seminary, Gayle serves as the pastor of Church on Tap which meets at Waterman's Brewery on Sunday evenings and is the chaplain for the Carousel Center. Additionally, Gayle leads a church service that meets in the summer on the boardwalk in Carolina Beach. Gayle is the owner of Biz Buzz Social Media Marketing, a business that specializes in social media coaching and website design for small businesses and nonprofits. She lives with her wife, dog, two cats, and a turtle in Wilmington, North Carolina.

 

 

 

Rachel Greer serves staff, students, and families of New Hanover County as the Principal of Codington Elementary. In her experience as an administrator of Pre-K through High School grades in the mountains, piedmont, and coast of North Carolina, it is evident that the most pressing issue in education is equity.  Her passion is to advocate for students to have access to equality through excellence in education.

 

 

 

 

 

Shawn Lamb is responsible for leadership & management for a team of 14 in the GEH Nuclear businesses Core & Fuels Engineering team. Shawn has led many volunteer initiatives in education, including STEM-based activities such as Science Olympiad, Engineering Academies, and the annual Girls in Technology summit, to introduce students to STEM and provide hands-on learning opportunities. Shawn’s experience includes working with children with special needs and other diverse abilities, from the AIG program to EC services, all with the goal to increase equity and inclusion so all children can obtain an equitable education, independent of one's race, gender, socioeconomic status, or disability.

 

 

Tyler Shumate is a 5th-grade teacher in NHCS, currently serving at Alderman Elementary. Equity is such an important issue in the classroom as schools work to dismantle centuries of injustice and inequity in education. He is dedicated to equity work because he wants to ensure that ALL students have an advocate fighting for them in every level of education from the classroom to the BOE and beyond.

 

 

 

 

 

Karen C. Beatty, holds a Master of Social Work Degree, specializing in School Social Work. She is a native of Wilmington NC. She retired from New Hanover County Schools as a Licensed School Social Worker (LSSW) after 30 plus years of service. She is also interested in, and involved in community and national social organizations that focus on enhancing the lives of African Americans, on social and educational reform, politics and local government, and the betterment of mankind (humanity). She is passionate about education, particularly as it refers to equity. Her role with the EDI Committee is as a community representative.

 

 

 

Andi Webb is from Fayetteville, North Carolina and is in her twenty-second year as an educator. She has taught kindergarten, first and second grades, and third-fifth in different capacities. She is currently an instructional coach. Andi is working on her EdD in Educational Leadership and is a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award for Science and Mathematics Teachers recipient, and is most passionate about international education.

 

 

 

 

 

Kayce Smith is currently a coordinator of multi-tiered systems of support at Myrtle Grove Middle School and a student of critical theory and curriculum. She has a passion for elevating youth voices in educational and decision-making spaces. She believes that equity for all means the (re)prioritization first of the needs of the most historically marginalized groups and the (re)distribution of resources accordingly.