NCAN is thrilled to introduce the 12 college attainment professionals who will make up our inaugural cohort of Leading for Equity Fellows. These accomplished rising leaders represent NCAN member organizations from across the country.
The purpose of the year-long Leading for Equity Fellowship program is to increase the number of
leaders of color represented in the C-suite within organizations in the college attainment field.
At college attainment organizations, people of color are often well-represented among student-serving positions, but not in executive leadership. That needs to change.
Professionals of color know firsthand the systemic barriers that can deter students from achieving a college degree. They also are vital role models and transformative leaders.
The goals of this largely virtual fellowship are to, among other things, help participants:
Distill their greatest leadership strengths.
Build skills in key executive leadership competencies, such as fundraising, organizational management, inclusive leadership, managing team dynamics, and strategic planning.
Strengthen their capacity to address systemic issues of power, privilege, oppression, and equity within organizations, communities, and systems.
Grow their supportive network of peers, mentors, and long-term connections in the field.
NCAN’s launch partner for this fellowship is UBS. We’re grateful for their support and emphasis on the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion, which made this program possible.
"If we want to ensure more equity in college attainment for communities of color, then investing in the talented pipeline of leaders proximate to those communities is imperative," said Jamie Sears, Head of Community Impact & Corporate Responsibility for
UBS and secretary of the NCAN board of directors. "UBS congratulates the 12 extraordinary individuals who make up the first cohort of the inaugural Leading for Equity Fellowship – we’re excited for you and your leadership journey!"
Without further ado, please meet the 2022 Leading for Equity fellows!
Matthew Avery is a Senior Program Manager of Partnerships with the DC College Access Program (DC-CAP). As a Senior Program Manager, Matt is responsible for developing and maintaining the relationship with the colleges and universities
that partner with DC-CAP for its Partnership Scholarship. Matt started his DC-CAP career as a college retention advisor in 2009 and has served in several different roles across the organization, including Senior Retention Advisor and as the Director
of the Alpha Leadership Project.
He earned a BSBA in Marketing from Old Dominion University in 2004 and a Master in Counseling in 2013 from the University of the District of Columbia. Matt began his career in higher education at Trinity Washington University before coming to DC-CAP.
Matt has always been passionate about helping students decide the direction of their future endeavors, and he uses that passion every day to help the students at DC Public and Public Charter Schools.
Lina Calderón-Morin is a native of Los Angeles, born and raised in East LA and Pasadena, CA. She is passionate about community wellness, education equity, and all things college access and success. Informed by her personal experiences
as a first-generation college student and her years spent providing direct support and counseling to diverse communities, Lina is continually motivated by the belief that postsecondary education should be a viable option for everyone.
Over the past 10 years, Lina has partnered closely with public school districts, postsecondary institutions, community-based organizations, and federal and state agencies to provide holistic, community and student-centered programming. As Deputy Director
of SoCal CAN, she amplifies the network's strategic vision of "advancing education equity for all" by developing dynamic member programming, facilitating member engagement, deepening partnerships, expanding resources, and identifying opportunities
for cross-sector collaborations.
Tiffany Enríquez is Manager of CCR Program Strategy at AchieveMpls, where she supports 19 unique career & college centers in St. Paul and Minneapolis Public High Schools. A proud MPS alumna herself, Tiffany has 21 years working in public
education with the last 13 spent supporting high school students and families with postsecondary planning. Tiffany is an unapologetic advocate for students, especially those historically excluded from economic prosperity, and calls upon her many years
of school-based experience to inform priorities and solutions within the AchieveMpls Career & College Readiness team.
Prior to joining AchieveMpls in 2012, Tiffany worked in a variety of education organizations throughout the K-16 landscape. Tiffany holds a BS from the University of MN where she studied social change and studio arts; she lives in Minneapolis with her
partner, their four teenage children, and too many plants to count!
Tiffany Gusbeth, citizen of the Northern Cheyenne Nation, is Vice President of Student Success Services at the American Indian College Fund. This team is responsible for student support systems and strategies for Native student success.
Tiffany oversees scholarships, college access, career readiness, student engagement, strategic enrollment management programming, and leads the development of an organizational student and program management database. Tiffany's passion is to ensure
this work is accomplished with respect and with a cultural match to those she serves. Her educational background is similar to the students she serves and is vital to informing her work to support Native student success.
Tiffany earned her GED at Chief Dull Knife College located on the Northern Cheyenne reservation, and was a former tribal college student and College Fund scholarship recipient. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Edu. at Western Colorado University
as a 1st Generation college graduate.
John Jones joined Bottom Line, a nonprofit whose mission is to help first-generation students get into college, graduate, and go far in life, in 2020 as the Senior Accountant. Prior to Bottom Line, he was an auditor at Defense Contract
Audit Agency and a Revenue Agent at the Internal Revenue Service. During his tenure at the IRS, John helped taxpayers better understand and meet their tax responsibilities.
John is a graduate of Southern New Hampshire University, where he earned his MBA in Finance along with a BS in Accounting & Business. He currently lives in Rhode Island with his wife and son. When he's not spending time with family, you can find John
exercising, playing video games, or watching anime.
Ashaki Larkins is the Associate Director of the Newark City of Learning Collaborative (NCLC). Previously she was Policy Advisor in Mayor Ras J. Baraka’s Office of Education, where she was responsible for identifying and implementing policy
priorities for the office, including a citywide Children’s Cabinet.
With 20 years of experience in leading collectives of cross-sector organizations in developing policy positions and leveraging resources to address social and economic challenges, Ashaki has expertise across multiple disciplines, including city government,
education, nonprofit management, housing, asset management, and urban affairs.
Ashaki holds a dual degree in Communication Arts /Journalism and English accreditation from Caldwell University. She is certified by the New Jersey Department of Education as an Elementary School teacher, as well by NeighborWorks America for financial
capabilities & coaching. She is a Fellow of Education Pioneers and board member for Programs for Parents, Inc.
Precious Mines, M. Div., B.A., has committed her life to giving back to her community and building a career in education for the past 20 years. For the past five and a half years, Precious has served as the Senior Program Director at
College Possible, and she currently serves as the Interim Executive Director for the Philadelphia site. In her role, she is able to exercise her passion for building strong relationships with key stakeholders, advocating for student needs, and producing
excellent outcomes. Precious has served on the #ReachHigherPhilly team in Philadelphia, and she has been requested to share her knowledge at the Philadelphia Prep Roundtable, Sara Goldrick-Rab’s #RealCollege conference, and the statewide PACAC conference.
Precious' strategic leadership in equipping low-income students to achieve their educational goals will result in more students being empowered to break generational cycles of poverty and allow students to realize their greatest dreams.
Aileen Moner is Network Director of College and Career Success at Great Oaks Legacy Charter School. She leads the development and implementation of the Newark charter network’s college and career programming for current students and alumni.
Before joining Great Oaks, Aileen served as the founding program director of 10 years for the NYU College Advising Corps, where she led the expansion of the program to double its footprint in New York City. Through this expansion, the program grew to
serve over 10,000 first-generation, low-income students annually, as they successfully navigated their college and career pathways.
Aileen holds a master’s degree in educational leadership, politics, and advocacy from NYU Steinhardt, and a bachelor’s degree in politics from the NYU College of Arts and Sciences.
She is adjunct faculty for NYU Steinhardt’s Department of Applied Psychology, and co-chair for the New Jersey Association for College Admissions Counseling annual conference.
Ninfa Murillo is the Director of Scholarship & Affordability at Achieve Atlanta, where she oversees the largest need-based scholarship program in Georgia and leads the organization’s work to remove financial barriers to postsecondary
persistence and completion. Before joining Achieve Atlanta, Ninfa spent almost a decade with the Dell Scholars Program at the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, where she assisted in building a college completion model and need-based scholarship program
that achieved graduation rates for low-income students at four times the national average. During her career she has held a variety of roles supporting students succeed, including the Director of Multicultural Programs at Linfield College-Portland
Campus, assisting nursing students in her home state of Oregon.
Ninfa holds a master’s degree in public administration from Portland State University and a bachelor’s in business administration from Oregon State University.
Dr. Yarbrah Peeples is Senior Director of Programs-East for College Advising Corps (CAC), a national college access nonprofit. She provides leadership to a regional director team, cultivates relationships with key stakeholders and senior
university leaders, and identifies and advances opportunities for expansion. Prior to joining CAC’s national team, Yarbrah launched and led the University of Georgia’s CAC chapter. She began her education career as Assistant Director for the TRIO
Student Support Services program at Florida State University and later served as Senior Assistant Director of Admissions and Alumni Relations at UGA. Prior to her current role at CAC, Yarbrah served as Regional Director for Georgia and South Carolina.
Yarbrah holds a doctorate in higher education from the University of Georgia, a master's degree in higher education from Florida State University, and a bachelor's degree in business management and MBA from Florida A&M University.
Robert Robinson is the Senior Managing Director of CollegeBound Initiative (CBI) at Student Leadership Network. In this role, he oversees the successful partnership and implementation of college access programming within the network's
26 partnered high schools. As the head of the department, he ensures the effective supervision/training of counseling staff and manages overall CBI operations while maintaining college access outcomes across the network.
As a Brooklyn native and New York City public school alumnus, Rob began his career as an Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at his alma mater, New York University (NYU). Rob received both his Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science and his Master
of Arts in Higher Education Administration from NYU.
When not immersed in his passions for student development and higher education, Rob spends his free time with his beautiful wife Nicole, and their three kids (Brooklyn, Waverly, and Violet).
Shaquinah Taylor Wright currently serves as the Senior Director of Advising and Post-Secondary Success at iMentor. She leads the architecture and execution of an organizationwide college and professional pathway advising strategy, including
curricular changes, postsecondary data analysis, and professional development for program staff and mentors across all regions and partners. She was previously the Director of College Bridge at CARA, where she was responsible for launching, developing,
and managing a youth-leadership college access program designed to prevent summer melt. She is an adjunct instructor and curriculum writer in the Clinical and Counseling Department at Teachers College, Columbia University. Throughout her work, Shaquinah
has been an advocate for capacity building and creating systems of support for young people to navigate the postsecondary process.
Shaquinah received her BA from Cornell University and her EdM in Counseling Psychology from Teachers College.
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