Board of Advisors
David Banks
David Banks was the Founding Principal of The Eagle Academy for Young Men, an innovative all-boys public high school in New York City established in 2004. As the founding administrator and Principal, he was directly responsible for the development and implementation of the Academy’s overall academic strategy, in addition to direct oversight of the Academy’s day-to-day operations. David is now Executive Director of the Eagle Academy Foundation and supports a network of Eagle Academy Schools in New York City. The Eagle Academy for Young Men, the first all-boys public high school in New York City in over 30 years, is a nurturing institution where students, faculty and the community work together to develop academic excellence, ethical behavior and personal responsibility. The Eagle Academy was established as part of New York City’s twenty-first century high school reform initiative, an accomplishment achieved through a unique partnership with the One Hundred Black Men, Inc.
Maureen G. Colburn
Ms. Colburn is the Director of the National Coalition of Single-Sex Public Schools and the organizer of the National Conference on Single-Sex Public Schools. In addition to her work with the Coalition, Maureen is working with the Baltimore City Public Schools System to open the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women. This all girls secondary school will open with 120 students in September. Ms. Colburn established her consutling practice in 2006 advising clients in the not for profit and philanthropic sectors. Recent clients include: Foundation for BLSYW, Cristo Rey Network, Council on Foundations, Women and Philanthropy and the NativityMiguel Network of Schools. Prior to establishing her consulting practice, Ms. Colburn was the Executive Director of Young Women's Leadership Foundation from 2000-2006. During her tenure she opened three Young Women's Leadership Schools in New York City.
Tim King
Tim King is founder, President and CEO of Urban Prep Academies. Urban Prep is a nonprofit organization operating the state of Illinois’ first and only public charter school for boys: Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men—Englewood Campus. The mission of the school, which opened in 2006, is to provide a high quality comprehensive education that prepares young men for success in college. Before launching Urban Prep, Tim was President & CEO of Hales Franciscan High School, an independent Catholic school serving African-American boys on Chicago’s South Side. Tim was the first lay and youngest President in the school’s history. 100% of the school’s graduates were admitted to college in each of the five years Tim served as President. An avid writer and public speaker, Tim is a contributor to the Chicago Tribune and has lectured to many groups. Tim was chosen by Ebony Magazine as one of “30 Leaders of the Future” as well as by Crain’s Chicago Business for its annual “40 Under 40” list. Tim was featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show and President Bill Clinton, as well as other leaders, have recognized him for his work with youth.
Carmyn Neely
Ms. Carmyn Neely has 40 plus years of experience in the education field. She has served as a classroom teacher, an adjunct professor, and an administrator at the school campus, district, and state levels. Ms. Neely received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from the University of North Texas in Denton. She has done post-masters coursework at Texas A&M University at Commerce, the University of North Texas, and Texas Tech University. Throughout her career, Ms. Neely has focused on curriculum and instruction at the school and administration level in districts throughout the state of Texas. She was Deputy Director of Statewide Initiatives, working with Regional Education Service Centers and the Texas Education Agency. In this role, she identified exemplary programs and best practices. Ms. Neely has served on the State Board of Directors and was a member of the Texas Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. She has held membership in the state and national Associations for Supervision and Curriculum Development and Phi Delta Kappa.
Kathleen Ponze
Kathleen Ponze is the Director of Education for the YWL Network. Ms. Ponze support a growing network of Young Women’s Leadership School replications and affiliates. Kathleen provides a wide variety of educational training and supports to the principals and teachers in all of the network schools and presents at conferences on the model and single sex public education for minority girls. Prior to joining the Network, Kathleen was the Principal of The Young Women’s Leadership School of East Harlem from 2001-2006. During her tenure she refined the YWL model and created an exemplary learning community. In 2005, Ms. Ponze was recognized by National Association of Secondary School Principals as one of 10 National Breakthrough High School Principals. In 2006 she was the recipient of the Harlem Children’s Storefront School Educator of the Year Award.
Miriam Lewis Raccah
Miriam Raccah is the Executive Director and co-founder of Girls Preparatory Charter School. She seeks to create in Girls Prep the single-sex educational experience she sought for her daughter. Prior to working together with Bryan Lawrence and Eric Grannis to found Girls Prep, Ms. Raccah served as Director of Business Affairs and Development for Harlem Day Charter School where she was responsible for the day-to-day affairs of running a non-profit organization including budgeting, board relations, fundraising and strategic planning. Prior to her work with Charter Schools, Ms. Raccah worked for Friends of the Family Academy where she was Director of Development, and The Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone where she was Director of Non-profit Development working to support non-profit organizations in Harlem and Upper Manhattan with grants and technical assistance. Ms. Raccah has also served as Associate Executive Director of the Jericho Project and was instrumental in transforming that organization from a start-up to an established organization poised for continued growth.
Michael C. Reichert, Ph.D.
Michael C. Reichert is the Executive Director, Center for the Study of Boys and Girls LIves. Dr. Reichert earned his doctorate in Professional Psychology and received additional clinical training at the Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic. He has specialized in work with children, families and males in a clinical and consulting practice for the past 25 years. He created and served as Director of an urban youth development program, Peaceful Posse, sponsored by Philadelphia Physicians for Social Responsibility, and currently serves as Executive Director of the Center for the Study of Boys’ and Girls’ Lives, a research consortium of independent schools operating in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Reichert has published and spoken at conferences, schools and to community groups on subjects related to boys’ and girls’ lives and traumatic disruptions in children’s experience. He has consulted to and conducted training for many independent schools, is currently on staff at The Haverford School outside of Philadelphia.
Rosemary Salomone
Rosemary Salomone is the Kenneth Wang Professor of Law at St. John's University School of Law where she teaches constitutional law, administrative law, and a seminar on children and the law. She has lectured and written internationally on educational law and policy and particularly on single-sex education. Her internationally recognized book, Same, Different, Equal: Rethinking Single-Sex Schooling (Yale University Press), was selected as an "Outstanding Academic Title for 2005" by Choice Magazine. She has been a recipient of numerous research and academic awards including St. John's University's highest honor, the St. Vincent de Paul Teacher-Scholar Award, and has held fellowships at Columbia University’s School of Law and the Open Society Institute. She also is the author of Visions of Schooling: Conscience, Community, and Common Education (Yale University Press) and Equal Education Under Law: Legal Rights and Federal Policy in the Post "Brown" Era (St. Martin's Press).
Ann Rubenstein Tisch
A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Ms. Rubenstein began a 19-year career in broadcast journalism at WIBW-TV in Topeka, Kansas. She then moved to WCCO-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and later joined NBC Network News as a National Correspondent. At NBC, Ms. Rubenstein worked on several magazine shows, covering political, medical, and human interest stories. She also served as a substitute anchor on the “Today Show” and “NBC at Sunrise.” As a National Correspondent, Ms. Rubenstein developed a strong interest in educational issues. After covering dozens of education stories for the network, as well as reading and studying data on single-gender education, she conceived the idea of an all-girls public school. In 1996, with the help of the Center for Educational Innovation and the unanimous approval of the New York City Board of Education, Ms. Tisch turned her idea into a reality.