Executive Management

Eric Cooper, Ed.D. | President and Founder  | email
Dr. Cooper is the President of the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education (NUA). He served in a similar position as Executive Director for the NUA at Columbia University’s Teachers College and as Adjunct Associate Professor for 7 years. Prior to this position, he was the Vice President for Inservice Training & Telecommunications for the Simon & Schuster Education Group. He has worked in the capacities of Associate Director of Research & Program Development for the College Board, Administrative Assistant in the Office of Curriculum for the Boston Public Schools, and Director of a treatment center for emotionally disturbed students, in addition to working as a teacher, researcher, counselor, and Washington Fellow.
More about Eric Cooper, Ed.D.  |  LinkedIn

Sandra Denton | Administrative Support Director | email
Sandra Denton is the NUA’s Administrative Support Director. She has served the NUA in a variety of capacities since joining the organization in 2007. Ms. Denton, a native Colombian, has worked in Administration Support for over twelve years, nine of which were in the nonprofit community. Among her responsibilities, she directs the activities of the NUA and works with the Director of Operations to sustain and grow the organization’s programs and services, supports NUA’s strategic alliances and partnerships, incorporates strategic planning into the organization’s calendar, assists in budget creation and expense tracking, manages logistical coordination for staff meetings, marketing presentations and academies,  ensures that performance goals are set and achieved, manages projects through the delegation of duties to support staff and monitors progress to ensure success, and prepares reports to analyze client needs in order to tailor mentoring presentations to see that they are addressed.
More about Sandra Denton

Yvette Jackson, Ed.D. | Senior Scholar | email
Yvette Jackson, Ed.D., is internationally recognized for her work in assessing the learning potential of disenfranchised urban students. Her research is in literacy, gifted education, and the cognitive mediation theory of Reuven Feuerstein, Ph.D. She has applied her research to develop an integrated process to motivate and elicit potential in underachievers. This research was the basis for her design of the New York City Gifted Programs Framework when she was the director of gifted programs. As executive director of instruction and professional development for the New York City Board of Education, she led the development and implementation of the Comprehensive Education Plan, which optimizes the delivery of all core curriculum and support services in the public schools of New York City.

Senior Scholars and Advisors

Jabari Mahiri, Ph.D.
Jabari Mahiri, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Education and Chair of the Language, Literacy, Society and Culture program at the University of California, Berkeley. He was a Senior Fellow at Brown University in the Annenberg Institute for School Reform from 1995 to 1998; a Visiting Professor at Harvard University in 1998; and a Visiting Scholar at the University of Iowa in 2004, at Michigan State in 2005, and at the University of Minnesota in 2006. He is a Senior Scholar for the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education and the Principal Investigator of T E A C H (Technology Equity And Culture High-schools) a research initiative that collaborates with urban school and community partners on increasing educational equity, technology, and achievement for all students.

Dr. Mahiri conducts research on the literacy learning of urban youth — particularly African American students — in schools and outside of them. His focus is on successful academic development with a specific emphasis on writing development in conjunction with effective teaching and learning strategies including digitally mediated learning in urban schools and communities.
https://gse.berkeley.edu/jabari-mahiri
Read more about Jabari Mahiri, Ph.D. | Senior Scholar | email

Augusta Mann, M.S.
Augusta Mann is recognized for her workshops, demonstration lessons, and programs in culturally centered intensified accelerated teaching models in literacy for African American and other urban students.

Her Touching the Spirit workshops and classroom demonstration lessons focus on culture centered practical strategies to accelerate the learning of literacy skills by students who need to achieve multiple years growth in a short period of time. These sessions are interactive and lively and include many opportunities for questions and explanations specific to the needs of the participants.

She is the author of a videotape and guidebook on the accelerated teaching of vocabulary and phonics skills for students who are behind. This is the first component in her series: Mann’s Intensified Accelerated Reading System. She is also the author of the instructional design and the student activities for the textbook: African American History, A Journey of Liberation by Molefi Asante, and co-author of the Activity Book for that textbook.
www.successfulteachers.com
Read more about Augusta Mann | Senior Scholar | email

Rev Hillstrom, Ed.D.
Dr. Rev Hillstrom is one of this country’s foremost Indigenous scholars leading systemic change for educational excellence and equity. Through the pillars of the CLEAR model (Culture, Learning, Equitable, Achievement and Responsive) he guides systems in generating the equity consciousness needed for conceptual, behavioral and structural transformation.

Dr. Rev Hillstrom’s undergraduate studies in Music and American Indian Studies at Augsburg University gave rise to his Masters’ studies at Bethel University in Ethnomusicology and eventually lead to a Doctorate in Teaching and Learning from the University of Minnesota.

As a pedagogical innovator, Hillstrom’s approach to education connects his own indigenous worldview, artistic talents and intuitive insight with the intrinsic values of participants to create rich, professional learning experiences in culturally validating and responsive pedagogy and leadership, addressing the varied learning styles, perspectives and assets of students of all races, ethnicities, genders, and socio-economic backgrounds so they are cultivated to be lifelong learners and leaders.
www.theclearmodel.com
Read more about Rev Hillstrom, Ed.D. | Senior Scholar | email

Robert Seth Price, B.A.
Robert Seth Price is a senior scholar with National Urban Alliance. Robert understands the power of lived stories. He collaborates with the student’s and participant’s voices as part of his integrative projects. He incorporates technology, art, and music into his teaching, trainings and collaborations. Robert’s Mobile Critical Thinking Tools for Equity in Learning and Teaching is currently used as a foundational practitioners guide in Redwood City. Current and recent collaborations include:  The Pedagogy of Confidence online Action Guide with Yvette Jackson; The Clear Model online with Rev Hillstrom; Thinking Foundation with David Hyerle for research, case studies, and video documentation for visual tools; SuccessfulTeachers online with Augusta Mann; grass roots implementation of Thinking Schools Ethiopia and Thinking Design Healthcare Ethiopia; culturally relevant virtual learning focusing on ELA development with autonomous learners for Learning 1 to 1 Foundation;  teaching over ten years in K-5 urban schools and a public arts high school; adjunct professor for ELA and technology university courses; multiple amplifying student voice projects; and critical thinking training modules for textile workers.
Robert’s professional website:  www.eggplant.org.
Read more about Robert Seth Price | Senior Scholar and Senior Advisor to the President | LinkedIn | email

Regina Seabrook, M.A.
I became an educator because I believe in the power of education to transform lives and uplift society. Like many educators, I find great joy in seeing students experience “aha” moments as they connect their learning to their lives. As a biracial Black Finnish educator who has worked in rural, suburban and urban schools/districts, I draw upon my two distinct cultural and racial heritages to inform my thought and my practice as an American educator.

I have a vision for how we must live and learn together in our multiracial and culturally diverse society and how we can prosper together.

During my years as a classroom teacher and district level leader, I was fortunate to be able to lead teams and collaborate with cross-sector partners to create learning experiences and environments centered on relationships that grew both academic skills and hope. As a doctoral student at the University of Minnesota, I continue to facilitate professional development and organizational learning in collaborative partnership with school leaders and for a network of schools and districts.
Read more about Regina Seabrook | email