I am proud to work at the intersection of education, employment and equity for improved outcomes for children, youth and families.Early in my life, 9 years old to be exact, I identified education as a path to a better life largely due to the incredible support I received from my 4th grade teacher Mr. Marshall. That single relationship fostered my early decision to work hard in class, strive for excellence and take advantage of every educational opportunity that came my way eventually landing me at Yale University. From Yale, I was launched into a career pathway in insurance and financial services that later cultivated my desire to switch sectors and join the non-profit and public sector. Looking back I realize this career shift came about after the realization that I was one of the lucky ones who beat the odds. As a child, I thought all students had these opportunities and support from adults like Ms. Marshall, but I learned as an adult that most students did not share my experience. Consequently, I committed to giving back to my community especially in the area of education including being on the community redesign team for a local high school, a member of the employer advisory board for an insurance-finance high school pathway program, and host of a school-based community and health fair for several years. In 2009, I transitioned from the private industry into the nonprofit space to work on economic mobility for lower-income families, and over the past decade, I have been involved in, and in several cases, leading community-based solutions for opportunity youth, justice-involved youth, and other vulnerable populations using a number of population- and geographic-specific strategies including collective impact and place-based initiatives. Most recently, I have applied my experience and knowledge to my role as a Board of Education member for Hartford Public Schools and in leading the Department of Families, Children, Youth and Recreation for the City of Hartford. I currently manage a $20M+ budget and 200 employees. For 7 years, I was a member of Hartford Board of Education, serving as Vice Chair, Finance Chair & Co-Chair of the CT Regional Education Council. Additionally, I was a commissioner for women, children, seniors, equity & opportunity for the State. I helped designed the 1st city school aligned with the National Academy Foundation and CT's Insurance & Financial Services cluster. Also, I host the North Hartford (Simpson T. Waverly) Health & Community Fair & a disc jockey on 89.9 WQTQ FM, a community radio station.