About the Board
Five Core Beliefs
- We believe all students can learn at or above grade level.
- We believe that the achievement gap must and can be eliminated, by all students reaching their learning potential.
- We believe schools have an enormous impact on students’ lives.
- We believe that all parents must be empowered to play an active role in their students’ education.
- We believe that community collaboration is fundamental to achieving and sustaining excellence.
Board News & Updates
Board Members
Ayesha R. Clarke, Chair
Ayesha R. Clarke, was born in the city of Hartford and educated in the Hartford and East Hartford Public School Systems. She has a Masters Degree in Social Work with a concentration in Policy Practice from the University of Connecticut (UCONN) a Masters Degree in Public Health (MPH) from Benedictine University and a Bachelors degree in Economics from the University of Connecticut (UCONN). Ayesha is a member of the Citadel of Love and a member of the Greater Hartford NAACP and the Black Association of Social Workers.
Karen Taylor, Vice-Chair
Karen Taylor is a parent and longtime resident of Hartford’s North End. She has elementary school aged twins who attend a Hartford magnet school. Karen is a member of the Sheff Movement Coalition and the Greater Hartford NAACP. She is a proud graduate of Weaver High School and Trinity College’s IDP program. As a former Hartford public school student and current parent of school aged children in the city, Karen is committed to supporting opportunities and excellence in education for Hartford children. She is most passionate about utilizing schools as a vehicle to improve quality of life, self-awareness, and civic engagement.
Kimberly D. Oliver, Second Vice Chair
Kim Oliver was born, raised, and is currently a resident of the North End of Hartford. She is a proud graduate of Hartford Public Schools and received her Bachelor of Art degree in Economics from Yale University and a Master degree in Business Administration from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Kim has a deep commitment to Hartford and actively participates in several non-profit, community-based organizations. Most notably, Kim was a community member of the Hartford Public Schools’ design team for High School, Inc., a 9-12 theme school aligned with Connecticut’s Insurance & Financial Services Cluster and the National Academy Foundation.
Shontá Browdy, Secretary
Shontá Browdy is a Hartford native and proud mother of two children who currently are being educated in the Hartford Public School system. Shontá has served on School Governance Councils, PTO’s and facilitated many education forums across the city. For years her advocacy work has been centered on children receiving an education that will equip them for a successful life and for families to better understand the educational system. She is a member of the Greater Hartford NAACP and currently serves as the Education Committee chair and Co-Advisor of the Youth Council.
Juan M. Hernandez
Juan M. Hernandez has been the Director of the Myatt Center for Diversity and Inclusion at the University of New Haven since September of 2016 where he advocates for under-represented students, educates the campus community on issues of identity, diversity and inclusion, and facilitates interaction between diverse groups of students within an environment that respects and celebrates the uniqueness of all community members. He has implemented a year-long diversity and inclusion programming calendar for the University community and has developed and implemented diversity training as needed.
Leslie Paguada
Leslie Paguada was born in Honduras where she was a third grade teacher. She moved to the United States in 2000. She has more than 20 years of experience in pre-school education and a Master’s Degree in Early Education. Ms. Paguada is currently studying for her Doctorate in Leadership at the University of Hartford.
Philip Rigueur
Philip Rigueur is Head of Transformative Markets Sales Effectiveness and Distribution for CVS Health/Aetna focused on transforming healthcare for patients by providing solutions for more affordable, high quality health care. As a sales executive, Phil has held leadership positions in sales management, strategy and product development for Aetna for the past 13 years.
Craig Stallings
Mr. Stallings has been a PTO president at two Hartford schools and was coordinator of the original governance council at Thirman Milner School. He has three children in the Hartford Public Schools. He has been co-owner and marketing manager for the Stallings Tax Service since 2006, as well as having worked out of the home as a customer service representative for Tele Tech, contracted to work for Bank of America. A graduate of Weaver High School, he has attended Capital and Manchester Community Colleges and the University of Hartford.