sowing seeds of justice education summit

Jason Marshall

Jason has extensive experience working in the field of education.  He has a Bachelors degree in Early Childhood education from the University of Minnesota-Crookston and a Masters degree in Student Development in Higher Education from Central Connecticut State University.    He started his career in Connecticut working in alternative high schools for two years as an Associate Instructor.  Soon thereafter he moved on to the University of Connecticut where he split his time working as an advisor for Upward Bound and the Office of Multicultural and International Affairs in the role of Program Advisor.  Upon the completion of his master’s studies  Jason accepted  a job in Boston at the MATCH Charter Public High School as the Director of College Counseling.   Since then he worked on many initiatives concerning access and equity in the K-16 arena.  He is currently the Director of the GED Plus Program.  A program that provides GED preparation, intensive case management and mental health services to Boston residents ages 16-24, many of whom are gang affiliated and/or adjudicated youth.

Steven Flythe

Steven spent his childhood outside of Washington, D.C. where he developed a lifelong passion for exploring the connections between art, politics, history and social justice. His work as Director of the K-12 Initiative at RQI is motivated by a personal commitment to change systems that perpetuate social, economic and educational inequalities. Steven has provided his expertise to a variety of schools and community-based organizations, including the Harlem Children’s Zone, NJ State Prison and the National Committee on the Self Development of People, where he served as Chairperson. Steven holds a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and an M. Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary. He is a Doctoral Candidate in International Educational Development at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Official Education Summit Flyer

Nicole Baker Fulgham

Nicole Baker Fulgham is the founder and president of The Expectations Project, a non-profit organization creating faith-motivated advocates to help close the academic achievement gap in public schools. 

A native of Detroit, Nicole graduated from the University of Michigan and joined Teach For America where she taught fifth grade in Compton, California. Nicole received her doctorate from the University of California at Los Angeles, with a focus on urban education policy and teacher preparation.  She then joined the national staff of Teach For America, where she held several key leadership roles, including Vice President of New Site Development, Vice President of Teacher Training and Support and Vice President of Faith Community Relations.  

Nicole regularly speaks at faith-based and education conferences and has authored several articles about educational equity.  She has appeared on CNN and ABC News and was cited by Christianity Today as ‘Who’s Next: One to Watch.’  Nicole is on the board of several non-profit and community organizations. She lives in the Washington, DC area with her husband and their three children.

Dr. Marilyn C. Maye

Marilyn is an Assistant Professor in the Department  of  Educational Leadership at New Jersey City University in Jersey City, New Jersey. Born and reared in Harlem, New York City, she is a graduate of Swarthmore College, with degrees in mathematics and in anthropology-sociology, with a concentration in Black Studies. She earned a masters in teaching from Harvard University Graduate School of Education; a masters in mathematical statistics from Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences; and a doctorate in education from Teachers College Columbia University.

After teaching mathematics briefly in the public schools of New York City, Dr. Maye taught mathematics in the City University of New York for many years. Later, pursuing an interest in technology, she studied computer science and spent several years in New York City government, eventually as an Assistant Commissioner in the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications. Leveraging her experience in public sector management, she returned to education and served as Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Englewood, New Jersey.

While Marilyn and her husband reared Richard, their only child, she returned to the study of education to find answers to the question, “how should parents and teachers prepare African-American youth for successful adulthood in a stubbornly color-conscious society?”  Her research includes the experiences and study practices of students of African descent on predominantly white college campuses, when pursuing mathematics, science, engineering and technology majors.

The editor of Stone of Help: Ebenezer – the First Fifty Years, and co-author of Orita: Rites of passage for youth of African descent in America, she helps young people understand their spiritual heritage and construct their lives on it.   Her most recent book is They are Men and Not Gods, exploring the often overlooked role of ancient Egypt in the Bible and the consequences of misappropriated worship of dominant cultures for young people today.