Candidates for Elected Leadership

Leadership for Educational Equity (LEE) believes closing the achievement gap requires transformational leaders in various public leadership roles. Below you will find a set of candidates running for office to make a difference in their communities. All of the candidates on this page have a shared set of experiences -- teaching successfully in urban and rural schools -- which informs their view that the achievement gap is a solveable problem. We are inspired by their commitment to this vision.

We hope you will consider supporting these candidates through a financial contribution to their campaign. Contributions are not tax-deductible.

LEE supports these candidates based on their leadership and experience in the classroom. We encourage interested contributors to follow the links below in order to learn more about how each candidate proposes to close the achievement gap in his or her community.

We thank you for your support of this group of leaders.

If you have any questions or would like to learn about other ways to support our candidates, please do not hesitate to contact us at: contributions@educationalequity.org.

Recipients & Amounts

• Brian Johnson for CA State Assembly (46) After graduating from Princeton University, Brian began his career in education reform as a first grade teacher with Teach for America in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This experience inspired Brian to devote his professional career to fighting for educational equity. He subsequently earned an MBA and law degree from Stanford University before becoming the Executive Director of Teach for America - Los Angeles. Brian is now the Executive Director of Larchmont Schools, a network of high-performing and racially and socio-economically diverse public schools in Los Angeles. He lives in Studio City. To learn more about Brian, please visit his candidate website.
  
  Primary Election: 6/5/2012
  General Election: 11/6/2012
  
  Contribution Limit: $3900
  
  Paid for by LEE California Political Action Committee, 1413 K St., NW, Washington DC 20005. Not authorized by a candidate or a committee controlled by a candidate.
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• Alexis Gonzales-Black for NV State Board of Education (1) Alexis attended James Madison University in Virginia and went on to teach high school science at Southern High School in Durham, North Carolina as a Teach For America corps member. Shortly thereafter, Alexis joined the educational non-profit Teach For America as an operations coordinator, a teacher mentor at their summer institute and as a college recruiter at universities including UNLV and UNR. Alexis recently took a role with Zappos.com and she is excited to begin a career at a company that cares deeply about the Las Vegas community and education. Alexis and her husband, who is also a former educator, live in Las Vegas. For more information on Alexis please visit her candidate website.
  
  Primary Election: 6/12/2012
  General Election: 11/6/2012
  
  Contribution Limit: $5000
  
  Paid for by Leadership for Educational Equity.
  $
• Allison Serafin for NV State Board of Education (3) Allison graduated from Texas Christian University with a degree in political science. Following her undergraduate studies, Allison earned an MS in social work at the University of Texas at Arlington, where she channeled her passion for serving others into the realm of education reform. She then went on to teach 6th and 7th grade English and Social Studies with Teach for America as a Houston corps member. Most recently, Allison served as Executive Director of Teach for America - Las Vegas Valley before transitioning to her current position as special consultant for Superintendent of Clark County Schools Dwight D. Jones. Allison resides in Summerlin. To learn more about Allison, please visit her candidate website.
  Primary Election: 6/12/2012
  General Election: 11/6/2012
  
  Contribution Limit: $5000
  
  Paid for by Leadership for Educational Equity.
  $
• Jason Esteves for GA State House (53) After graduating from the University of Miami Jason spent two years teaching at Fonville Middle School in Houston, Texas as a Teach For America corps member. After teaching, Jason aattended Emory University School of Law where he served as President of the Latin American Law Student Association and was on the board of the Black Law Students Association. Today, Jason is a business and commercial litigator at the Atlanta law firm of McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP. Jason lives in Atlanta. To learn more about Jason please visit his candidate website.
  
  Primary Election 7/31/2012
  General Election 11/6/2012
  
  Contribution Limit: $2500
  $
• John Haubenreich for Metropolitan Nashville Board of Education (TN) John attended Duke University. Following his graduation he joined Teach For America and taught high school English in Newark, New Jersey. After his time in the classroom he earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University and pursued a Master's Degree in K-12 Education Policy at Vanderbilt's Peabody College. During his time back in school John interned with Mayor Dean's Office of Children and Youth and the Nashville District Attorney's Office. John now practices at the law firm Neal & Harwell. For more information on John please visit his candidate website.
  
  General Election: 8/7/2012
  
  Contribution Limit: $1400
  
  Paid for by Leadership for Educational Equity PAC. Authorized by the candidate.
  $
• Rob Bryan for NC State House (88) After graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill Rob spent two years teaching in Los Angeles as a Teach for America corps member. Rob returned to North Carolina following his time in the classroom and graduated from Duke University School of Law. He went on to build a successful commercial real estate practice at Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, the largest law firm headquartered in North Carolina. Rob and his wife Dottie live in Raleigh and have six children. For more information on Rob please visit his candidate website.
  
  Primary Election 5/8/2012
  General Election 11/6/2012
  
  Contribution Limit: $4000
  
  Paid for by Friends of Rob Bryan.
  $
• Caitlin Hannon for Indianapolis Public Schools Board (IN) Caitlin left her hometown of Indianapolis to study acting in New York City at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Following her graduation she worked at the Center for New York City Law Center at New York Law School where she developed a passion for education reform. Inspired to find a way to create positive change in her community, Caitlin enrolled in the undergraduate public affairs program at Baruch College at the City University of New York and continued working. While at Baruch Caitlin served as the education policy director for New York State Assemblymember Brian Kavanaugh. Following her graduation, she taught high school and middle school English language arts in Indianapolis as a Teach For America corps member. To learn more about Caitlin please visit her candidate website.
  
  General Election: 11/6/2012
  
  Contribution Limit: no limit
  
  Paid for by Leadership for Educational Equity. Authorized by the candidate.
  $
• Elissa Kim for Metro Nashville School Board (TN) While Elissa was an undergraduate at Northwestern University, her parents moved to Uzbekistan to provide free medical care to low-income families. Her parents' decision influenced her to join Teach for America, where she taught ninth and tenth grade English for three years at New Orleans' largest public school. Elissa is now Teach for America's Executive Vice President for Recruitment and Admissions, a capacity in which she has led the organization's efforts to recruit promising individuals to teach in America's highest-needs schools. To learn more about Elissa, please visit her candidate website.
  
  General Election 08/02/2012
  
  Contribution Limit: $1400
  
  Paid for by Elissa for Nashville Schools.
  $
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