BSLI National Fellowship Program (NFP) is a nine-month, part-time program designed for participating fellows to develop personally and to give back to the parental choice movement in a real way. The primary objectives of the NFP are to:
Recruit and train a cadre of Black leaders representing parents, K-12 educators, and advocates from cities and states with existing efforts to expand parental choice and increase quality educational options.
Maintain a minimum cohort of fellows.
Offer a series of Leadership and Action seminars about the following subjects: History of Black Education, Politics of Parental Choice; Social Entrepreneurial Leadership Ethics; Communications and Media Advocacy; and Community Organizing and Coalition Building.
Connect each fellow to a local, state and/or national parental choice organization to fully experience the successes and challenges of parental choice work.
The Bailey and Sullivan Leadership Institute (BSLI) is created in honor of Deirdre Lynn Bailey (1970-2003) and Lisa Yvette Sullivan (1961-2001). Each woman brought her commitment to youth leadership and political change to the founding meetings of BAEO. Their passing was deeply felt by the leadership of BAEO. So to support their legacy, the BSLI National Fellowship Program will identify, train and support dynamic leaders who direct the charge to make parental choice a viable and sustained lever of power for parents from low-income and working-class communities.
BSLI National Fellows
Quanda Charles is the eldest of nine children and was born and raised in Morrow, Louisiana, where she attended school at North Central High School in Lebeau, Louisiana. Ms. Charles is a graduate of Southern University in Baton Rouge, holding an undergraduate degree in Political Science and a Master�s degree in Public Administration. Quanda Charles plans to begin pursuing a doctoral degree program at Louisiana State University in fall 2008. Currently, Ms. Charles is employed by the Louisiana Center for Workforce Recovery as a Job Counselor.
Rashida Evans has been an educator in Milwaukee, WI for the past 11 years. Rashida received her B.S. in Early Childhood Education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and her M.S. in Education Counseling from Concordia University in Mequon, WI. She currently serves as the Dean of Students at CEO Leadership Academy, a small, private, Christian high school in Milwaukee.
Paris Ford has worked extensively with children and families within various systems (education, mental health, child protection, and corrections) for more than 15 years. Ms. Ford is currently employed with Sojourner Truth Academy a kindergarten through 6th grade charter school in Minneapolis. A native of Minneapolis, MN Paris Ford received her Bachelor of Arts from Augsburg College (�98), Minneapolis, MN, and her Master of Social Work (�05) from the University of Minnesota.
Monique Satchell is a marketing relations specialist with several years of experience working with religious schools in Dayton, Ohio. Ms. Satchell earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wright State University in Marketing. She currently works for Mary Queen of Peace School in Dayton, Ohio.