WHO WE ARE

We are
Innovation For Equity
Innovation For Equity (IFE) is a network of changemakers in education – including K-12 district leaders, higher education officials, entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, policymakers, and nonprofit leaders – committed to transforming the life outcomes of Black learners of all ages. Founded in 2018 by a cross-disciplinary group of Black senior leaders from across the education ecosystem, we seek to blend the moral vision of a civil rights organization with the innovation and urgency of a technology incubator.
Our Mission
IFE connects and cultivates Black leaders across the education ecosystem to build collective power and advance innovative solutions, shaping a future where Black learners of all ages thrive.
Innovation For Equity is working to address three interconnected gaps in the education ecosystem that undermine outcomes for Black learners and weaken the ability of under-resourced communities to shape solutions for themselves:
THE COMMUNITY NEED

Three interconnected gaps undermine outcomes for Black Learners.
Representation Gap
Although Black students and other students of color make up a majority of U.S. public school enrollment, leaders with deep ties to Black communities remain underrepresented in positions of influence across education, philanthropy, and innovation. Too often, the leaders closest to the needs, assets, and aspirations of Black learners are excluded from the relationships, resources, and decision-making spaces that shape what gets funded, built, and sustained.
Design Gap
Too many reforms that deeply affect Black learners are still designed without the meaningful input of Black educators, leaders, families, and communities. Some efforts pursue universal solutions that fail to address the specific barriers Black learners face. Others are targeted, but still fall short because they fail to draw from the lived experience, trust, and wisdom of the people closest to the challenge. As a result, communities experience not only ineffective solutions, but also the continued erosion of trust in systems that were never built with them at the center.
Coherence Gap
Leaders across early childhood, K–12, higher education, workforce, philanthropy, and community-based organizations rarely have the opportunity, structures, or support to build trust across sectors and work together toward shared goals. The result is a siloed and fragmented ecosystem rather than a coherent one capable of collaboration, shared decision-making, and collective problem-solving.
OUR APPROACH
Blending the moral vision of a civil rights institution with the urgency of a technology incubator.
Our Team
Our Board of Directors
Andre Bennin
Managing Partner, Rethink Education
Angelia Dickens
Principal,
Dickens Law Group
Kelly Leon
Vice President of Communications and Government Affairs,
Institute for Higher Education Policy
Jannah Garfio
Senior Director, Philanthropic Impact, Jewish Community Foundation
Zach Shirley
Vice President of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging,
Cambium Learning Group
Kelly Leon
Founder and CEO, Yenko
Matthew Mugo Fields
Vice President of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging,
Cambium Learning Group
Yscaira Jimenez
Senior Advisor, Opportunity to Work
OUR FOUNDERS
The visionaries who started it all
In 2018, two dozen cross-sector leaders gathered on Martha's Vineyard united by a shared commitment to educational equity. What began as a conversation among changemakers became a growing community dedicated to building collective power and advancing innovative change across the education ecosystem.
Earl Adams, Jr.
VP for Policy and Regulatory Affairs, PlusAI
Phil Alphonse
Co-Founder and Senior Partner, The Vistria Group
Henry Hipps
CEO and Co-founder, Diffusion Venture Studio
Dorsey E. Hopson
Partner, City Fund
Devonn Baker
President, Greater Boston Morehouse College Alumni Association (GBMCAA)
Jerry Johnson
Managing Director, Ariel Alternatives
Andre Bennin
Founder, M'Adwene Holdings
Marc Johnson
Associate VP for Learner Equity at Southern New Hampshire University
Lydia Carlis
Chief Program & People Officer, Acelero Learning
Jeff Livingston
CEO, EdSolutions
Michael Conner
CEO/ Founder, Agile Evolutionary Group
Lillian Lowery
VP, Student & Teacher Assessment Educational Testing Service (deceased)
Jean Desravines
President, Wallace Foundation
Bryant Marks
Founder & Chief Equity Officer, MindMarks; Morehouse College Professor
Charlene Dukes
President Emerita, Prince George's Community College
Josh Powe
Co-Founder and Executive Chairman LinkIt!
Harold Edwards
Senior Vice President, Strategic Accounts, HMH Integrated Platform
Maia Sharpley
Former Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Juvo Ventures
Matthew Mugo Fields
General Manager, Supplemental and Intervention Solutions and President of Heinemann, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Sharon Johnson Shirley
Retired Superintendent, Lake Ridge Schools
Benita Flucker
SVP, Chief Quality and Inclusion Officer, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (Retired)
Curtis Valentine
President, Male Educator Network and Policy Institute (MEN)
Sancha Gray
Senior Vice President for Entrepreneurial Education Initiatives, Kean University
Julie Washington
Professor, University of California, Irvine
Jason Green
Senior Director, AI Strategy and Systems Alignment, Communities Foundation of Texas
Margo Wright
Founder and CEO, Yenko
Lisa Herring
Chief Executive Officer, New Leaders
