MAINSTAGE PANELISTS

Leading for Liberation: Advancing Racial Equity in a Shifting Landscape

Sharhonda Bossier

CEO | Education Leaders of Color (EdLoc)

Sharhonda Bossier is CEO at Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC), and a committed advocate for children of color who have been denied adequate educational opportunity. She previously served as EdLoC’s deputy director. EdLoC supports talented leaders of color in education and related fields to thrive as disruptive and innovative agents of change. Under Sharhonda’s leadership, the organization is expanding its scope and focus by strengthening its growing multi-racial coalition and designing holistic solutions to disrupt cycles of generational poverty in the communities EdLoC serves. Sharhonda started her career in education as a public school teacher. She also brings years of legislative and electoral campaign experience in both volunteer and leadership capacities to her work. Among the variety of her experiences, she launched a multi-state education engagement and advocacy organization to help communities develop the skills and capacity to more effectively engage with policymakers and other decision-makers.

Viridiana Carrizales

Co-founder and CEO | ImmSchools

Viridiana is the Co-Founder and CEO of ImmSchools, a non-profit organization that partners with teachers and school leaders to create strong school cultures and climates for all students, regardless of their immigration status. Through Viridiana’s leadership, ImmSchools has impacted over 36,000 students, parents and educators across New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Viridiana was born in Michoacán, Mexico and immigrated with her family to the United States when she was 11 years old. She began her journey as an immigrant activist in 2004 by co-founding a grassroots organization dedicated to organizing and informing undocumented students of their rights and access to higher education. Viridiana holds a bachelor degree in Spanish Literature and Communications from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to ImmSchools, she led Teach For America’s efforts to recruit and place teachers with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in classrooms throughout the country. Through her leadership, the program recruited over 240 DACAmented educators who are teaching in 22 cities across 11 states. She is a Pahara Fellow and received honors from the Austin Chamber of Commerce and the League of United Latin American Citizens for her leadership and dedication to the immigrant community. After 14 years, she became a US citizen in 2016 and currently resides in San Antonio, TX.

Sharif El-Mekki

Founder and CEO | The Center for Black Educator Development

Prior to establishing the Center, Sharif served as the U.S. Department of Education Principal Ambassador Fellow under the Obama Administration and principal of Mastery Charter Shoemaker. During his principalship, Shoemaker received the prestigious EPIC award for three consecutive years as one of the top three schools in the country for accelerating student achievement levels. In 2014, Sharif founded The Fellowship: Black Male Educators for Social Justice, an organization dedicated to recruiting, retaining and developing Black male teachers. In 2019, he left his principal post to devote his full time to rebuilding the national Black teacher pipeline. Sharif is a blogger on Phillys7thWard and a founding member of the 8 Black Hands and the Freedom Friday podcasts. He also serves on several boards and committees focused on racial justice and educational equity.

Nella García Urban

CEO | DSST Public Schools

Nella García Urban became the CEO of DSST Public Schools in March 2024, succeeding the founding CEO Bill Kurtz. Nella came to DSST from YES Prep Public Schools where she spent over 20 years leading and operating charter schools. She graduated from Rice University as a Mellon Mays Fellow and received a master’s degree from Sam Houston State University in Education Leadership. Nella has completed the Pahara Fellowship, the Broad Academy for Superintendents program, and is a certified Executive Coach through the John Doerr Institute at Rice University. Nella is the Board Chair of LEAL - Latino Educators Advancing Leadership - an organization working to increase the number of Latino leaders in charter schools.

Moderator - Byron Sanders

Power Surge Alum & CEO | Arete Health

Byron Sanders is a passionate advocate for healthcare innovation and equity, leading Arete Health on a mission to revolutionize access to affordable, high-quality care. As founder and CEO, he’s driven by a belief that healthcare should prioritize people, not bureaucracy, ensuring everyone—not just the privileged few—has access to preventative care, advanced biotech, and innovative insurance solutions. Byron’s introduction to the complexities of healthcare began with Pfizer, where he saw how managed care and payer systems often dictated whether patients could get the treatment they needed or if doctors could provide the best care. That firsthand experience shaped his resolve to change the system and center care around people. Prior to Arete, Byron’s career spanned education, philanthropy, and entrepreneurship. Read more about Byron here.

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