Shelley Anderson
Shelley Anderson is an educational leader with 12 years of education experience targeted at improving student outcomes in underserved communities. In her current role as an Assistant Principal at a large, urban high school in Dallas, Texas she is part of an award-winning team that excels at leading nearly 2,400, mostly minority, low-income students to the college or career of their choice. Her vast career in education also includes teaching ESOL abroad, teaching at Title I Campuses, serving as a campus literacy coach, traveling the country as an education consultant, and supporting literacy improvement at 14, inner city K-12 campuses. She was recently chosen, in a highly competitive process, for the 2nd cohort of Dallas Kids First, CAMP Fellowship.  She plans to use the knowledge gained from this opportunity to advance her goal of disrupting generational poverty in marginalized communities by providing all students with the social, emotional, and academic supports necessary to ensure success past college into strategic, global leadership positions of the future.
 
She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Southeastern Oklahoma State University, and a Master of Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Secondary Literacy from Grand Canyon University.

Edgar Cruz
Edgar Cruz is a thought leader who develops, implements, and inspires new ideas. Cruz's experience in capacity and capability building has allowed him to identify opportunities for growth and operationalize ideas to deliver social impact. More recently he served as an End Trafficking Fellow at UNICEF USA, engaging and mobilizing 13,000 individuals around the country to combat human trafficking through education and leadership development.

Cruz is a Dallas native, excited to be home, and looking forward to leveraging his tenure, experience, and expertise for the larger Dallas community in education and beyond.

Cruz received his B.A. in Sociology from Loyola University Chicago.

Tania Foster Curry
Tania Foster Curry serves as a specialist in government and community affairs for Texas Health Resources. In her current role, Curry advances Texas Health’s public policy priorities and community engagement efforts on behalf of the healthcare system comprised of more than 24,000 employees across a 16-county service area. Curry’s past experience includes advocacy and outreach in domestic violence, human trafficking, and most recently, education. She believes in the power of community organizing as a driver to social change. A recent graduate of the North Texas Commission’s Leadership North Texas University, Curry is also a devoted “Big” mentor through Big Brothers, Big Sisters. Native to the Dallas area, Curry received her Bachelor of Science and Master degrees in public affairs from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Kira White
Kira White graduated the University of Texas at Austin in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in Human Development and Family Sciences. Shortly after graduation, White returned home to work as an investigator for Child Protective Services in Collin County. White later left the agency to pursue a law degree at UNT Dallas College of Law where she intends to get a J.D. in education law.

Priscilla Beltran
Priscilla Beltran is a Sophomore in Richardson ISD. She is a Dallas native and currently resides there. She is an active member in her school and local community. She is involved with community  organizations such as the, Latino Center for Leadership Development, Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas, the Mayor’s Rising Star Council, and Storytellers Without Borders. At school she is a member of the AVID program, as well as the founder and co-president of her own political activist group, VOICES. Other extracurriculars she is involved in include the Junior World Affairs Council, Health Occupations Students of America and Student Council. Beltran has a passion for politics, medicine, education, and social equality and hopes to make a career in public service and government one day.

Kimberly Contreras
Kimberly Contreras is a passionate and drive community advocate and a proud product of public schools in Dallas, TX. Over the past three years, she has dedicated her time to serving her community by serving as a volunteer and a mentor to have a positive impact on her community. Contreras is currently pursuing her degree in criminology from The University of Texas at Dallas.

Erik Moss
Erik received his early education in public schools in Fargo, North Dakota and later attended the University of Minnesota, earning a B.A. in Psychology and Spanish Studies. After graduating in 2010, he packed a suitcase and moved to Santander, Spain, where he lived and worked as an English teacher for two years before returning to the States to serve as an AmeriCorps member with Reading Partners in their inaugural year in Dallas. It was there where he was bitten by the “service bug” while sharing his love of learning with children at Stephen C. Foster Elementary. More recently, Erik worked for the Catholic Charities of Dallas, supervising a dual-generation, literacy-based education program for adults and their preschool children. Erik has been actively involved in community-wide efforts to improve student achievement through The Commit Partnership and Southern Methodist University’s The School Zone and to eradicate homelessness among LGBTQ youth in Dallas through Outlast Youth, an advocacy organization formed out of the Mayor’s LGBT Task Force.

Nicole Cooney
Nicole Cooney is currently serving her second year as an AmeriCorps member with City Year Dallas. Nicole provides targeted academic, behavior, and attendance support to freshman students at H. Grady Spruce High School.  Prior to serving with City Year, Nicole received her B.A. in Political Science and Communication from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio.

David McDonald
A native of Dallas, Texas, David McDonald received both a Bachelor of Science in Youth & Community Studies with a concentration in Youth & Social Services and a Bachelor of Arts in African and African Diaspora Studies with minor in Public Relations from the University of Texas at Austin. While attending college, David became involved working on policy issues affecting African American students; interning in the United States Congress, studying abroad in Cape Town, South Africa and representing the voice of the student body in the Fisher v. UT Supreme Court Case on college admissions. David is now a member of the 2016 Teach For America Corps and is serving as an 8th Grade English Language Arts Teacher at The Dr. Billy Earl Dade Middle School in South Dallas.

Nora Jan
Nora Jan is currently serving as a City Year Corps Member at W.T. White High School. For her year of service her goals are to grow personally and professionally, while helping others around her. After her time in City Year, she plans to attend graduate school and earning a JD/MSW joint degree. Nora is intrigued by urban education and would also like to commit to serving students in large, urban school districts similar to Dallas ISD. As a Houston native and a newcomer to the Dallas area, she is excited to add skills to her professional toolbox that will help her in her professional journey. 

Nora completed a triple B.A from Texas Tech University in English, Political Science, and Sociology.

Courtney Johnson
Courtney Johnson is currently serving as an AmeriCorps member at City Year Dallas. She is originally from the New England area where she received her Bachelor's of Science in Psychology from Husson University in 2015. While receiving her undergraduate degree, Courtney worked as co-philanthropy chair, co-fundraising chair, and Sergeant at Arms for her sorority Kappa Delta Phi National Affiliated Sorority. After she graduated, she moved back to her home town, Manchester, New Hampshire, and was an Academic Advisor for Southern New Hampshire University until she moved to Dallas in July of 2017. 
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Ruth Ortiz
Ruth E. Ortiz was born in Mexico; however, she migrated to the United States at the age of six years old. Ortiz started first grade in the Dallas Independent School District, and continued her education attending magnet district schools. Ortiz graduated Skyline High School at the top of her class. She attended the University of Texas at Austin under a partial Presidential Scholarship. Ortiz has a dual degree in Psychology and Social Work. After graduation, Ortiz joined Teach for America and returned to the place she considers home, Dallas. Since then she continues working at her placement school, Stevens Park Elementary in the same school district she grew up. Ruth strives to provide a quality education to the community she serves.
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Ortiz, received her B.A. in Psychology and a B.S.W. from the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently undergoing studies for her M. Ed in Education at Southern Methodist University. 

Trevon Smith
Trevon Smith is a Teach for America 2016 Corps member that is currently serving as a 6th grade reading language arts teacher for Fred F Florence Young Male Leadership Academy. Smith moved to Dallas after college to pursue his passions in education. He currently serves as the debate coach at his all boys school. In 2011 Smith enlisted in the Army as a Signal Support Systems Specialist and in 2015 received his commission as officer into the Adjutant Generals Corps. 

Smith received his B.A  in Applied Technology and Performance Improvement from the University of North Texas in 2015.

Elia Espinosa
Elia Espinosa is a current high school senior at Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas ISD. A multi-sport varsity athlete, Espinsoa also demonstrates a history of leadership through student council and National Honor Society as well as consistent community service activity, raising awareness of the dangers of drug use and poor health decisions among her peers and community members.

Elia plans to further her education after graduating from high school and to continue improving her community through service.

Kiara Kabbara
Kiara Kabbara is currently a high school senior at Lincoln High School in Dallas ISD. Kabbara demonstrates a strong history of civic engagement and community service having volunteered to increase voter turnout in past elections and serving as a regular volunteer for a variety of organizations in her community. On campus, she continues to be a strong leader on campus, having served both as the junior and senior class president among other academic and extracurricular leadership positions.

Next year, Kabbara intends to attend a four-year university and has already been accepted to several in Texas and across the country.

Emily Barksdale
Emily Barksdale is a sixth grade social studies teacher in the Pleasant Grove neighborhood of Dallas, TX. She is a social studies department co-lead, the school's designated New Teacher Support Liaison, and a member of the Racial Equity Task Force, and she co-sponsors the sustainability club. She is a member of the National Council for the Social Studies and a Teach For America and Teaching Trust alumna.

Barksdale graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Asian Studies with a Latin American Studies minor from Furman University in Greenville, SC, where she was also involved in Omicron Delta Kappa, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and the Furman University Orientation Staff and studied away five times (China, China, California, Scotland, Iowa). A native West Virginian, in her free time, she enjoys reading, playing ukulele, singing karaoke, and being outside.

Kelsey Hodge
Kelsey Hodge is a World History teacher at Innovation, Design, Entrepreneurship Academy in Dallas ISD where she also served as a community liaison. Prior to coming to Dallas, she served as an English teacher in South Korea. A driven and civically engaged educator, Hodge has engaged directly with campaigns and community empowerment efforts since 2011.

Hodge earned her B.A with Distinguished Honors in International Relations and History from Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA. She graduated Summa Cum Laude.

Dani Alexander
Dani Alexander is a fifth-grade math teacher with ten years of educational experience as a classroom teacher in the public, private and charter school sectors. Alexander is originally from Miami, Florida and recently moved to Dallas during the summer of 2016. Alexander has led many volunteer opportunities for other educators, including running a mentoring program for high school students. She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated.
 
Alexander received her B.S in Sociology from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
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Darion Walton
​Darion Walton is a hybrid educator in Dallas County. He serves as a teacher for the Academy of Information Technology for Dallas Independent School District and as an Adjunct Faculty Member for Dallas County Community College District.

Darion is the co-founder of Walton Inspires, a non-profit organization that works to unlock the limitless potential of every young person in this country. When Darion is not mentoring youth he is volunteering, ministering, or spending time with his family and friends.

Darion received his Associates of Science degree in Business Administration from Navarro College. Additionally, he holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Sam Houston State University. His professional experience includes the food and beverage service, education and non-profit industries, and the retail and insurance market in various positions in process engineering, customer support, recruiting, and account production.

Driven by his desire to help others, he decided to devote his career to education after realizing that for some reason education isn’t number 1 on our politician’s agenda. A first generation, low incomed student himself, Darion strives to show next generation students that anyone can succeed when they apply themselves and rise above negative influences.

Marie Appel
Marie Appel is a first-generation college graduate and former educator. Following her time teaching in Mississippi, she moved to Dallas to work for Dallas ISD. At DISD, Marie worked in both the Human Capital Management and Early Childhood Department, where she analyzed data to inform decisions in key areas such as Teacher Recruitment and PreK Enrollment. Currently, Appel serves as a Manager of Strategy and Analytics at the Commit Partnership, where she provides data analysis to inform non-profits and legislators regarding the statistical realities in communities across Texas. 

Appel received her BA from Harvard University in Sociology with a secondary degree in Government.