Advisory Board
KIPP WAYS Academy is governed by an Advisory Board. The Advisory Board's primary mission is to ensure that the school performs according to the terms and conditions of its charter and in compliance with KIPP's educational philosophy.
The Advisory Board, as a collective group, is responsible for:
- Serving as ambassadors for the school by clearly articulating the school's mission, accomplishments, and goals to the community and by garnering support from important members of the community.
- Assuring that there are adequate resources for the school to fulfill its mission by working with the principal and development staff, if any, to raise funds from the community.
- Monitoring the management of financial resources by approving the annual budget and ensuring that proper financial controls are in place.
- Supporting the principal by ensuring that he has the moral and professional support he needs to further the goals of the school.
- Evaluating the performance of the principal in conjunction with KIPP National and offering constructive feedback for areas of growth.
- Monitoring and ensuring compliance with the Georgia Department of Education regulatory statutes and other local, state, and federal laws by regularly reviewing school policies, programs, and practices.
- Assessing its own performance annually by evaluating its success as a board and its performance in fulfilling its responsibilities.
- Identifying, recruiting, and screening candidates for the Board of Directors and Advisory Council.
- Resolving student, staff, or parent grievances that are unable to be resolved at the school level.
The following individuals serve on the KIPP WAYS Academy Advisory Board:
Carice Anderson
Advisory Board Chair - Coordinator of Organizational Advancement/Eli Broad Resident in Urban Education
Carice has held various positions at Hewitt Associates, Arthur Andersen, and Deloitte Consulting in their health and welfare practices. As a senior consultant in Deloitte's Organization and Change group, Carice focuses on addressing the critical elements of organizational effectiveness such as talent management, change management, learning and development and culture. Carice brings a unique skill-set to KIPP WAYS Academy, including the ability to develop and implement strategies to recruit, develop, and retain our most valuable resource, our people. Carice has volunteered with Junior Achievement at Booker T. Washington High School and she is a graduate of the United Way VIP program. Carice has a B.S. in Marketing from the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Raheem Beyah, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Georgia State University
Raheem Beyah is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Georgia State University where he leads the Georgia State Communications Assurance and Performance Group (CAP). He is also an Adjunct Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina A&T State University and his Masters and Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Prior to joining Georgia State, Dr. Beyah was a research faculty member with the Georgia Institute of Technology's Communications Systems Center (CSC) for four years and remains a part of the Center. He also worked as a consultant in Andersen Consulting's (now Accenture) Network Solutions group. Dr. Beyah is member of LEAD Atlanta class of 2007 and is the founding faculty advisor the Georgia State University National Society of Black Engineers.
Gene Burnett
Director of Commercial Architecture, John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods
Gene Burnett has practiced Architecture since the late seventies. Currently he manages the Commercial Architecture Department at John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods. Previously he was a founding partner of Atelier Architects in Washington DC practicing commercial architecture. His professional experience includes various types of design work including office, healthcare, educational, residential and food service. His educational background includes a Bachelor of Architecture from Howard University, Washington DC and he is currently a Registered Architect in Maryland and New Jersey and a member of the Atlanta Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
Vernon Sermons
Senior Manager of Analysis Finance, Georgia Pacific
Vernon is a Senior Manager of Financial Analysis with over 20 years of accounting and financial analysis experience with Georgia Pacific and Domtar Corporation. He is currently responsible for financial analysis for the GP Commercial division supporting the marketing function. He has been a Controller at GP's Wisconsin operations. Additionally, he has been a Cost Manager at several of GP's manufacturing operations. Vernon has significant experience in Budgeting, Income statement and Balance sheet analysis, and cost analysis.
Spencer H. Wiles
Retired Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Personnel & Curricular Services, City School District of New Rochelle, NY
Spencer Wiles was responsible for the supervision of the Departments of Special and Alternative Education, Pupil Personnel Services, Health Services, ESL and Bilingual Services, the District Technology Department, and coordination of all grant funded programs (12 million annually). His professional experience also includes twenty years as an Elementary School Principal, and nine years working for NBC as the Manager of Community Relations for WNBC-TV and as a Sales Account Executive for NBCs' TV Stations Division. He holds a B.A. degree from Lincoln University, P.A., Masters and Professional diplomas in Educational Administration from New York University.
Ashley Williams
Senior Project Manager
Ashley is currently a Senior Project Manager for Accenture, a global management and information-technology consulting firm. She provides project management oversight in the Application Outsourcing practice. She has been project coordinator for Accenture's Hands On Atlanta sites, including KIPP WAYS Academy, and is involved in various other community activities.
If you would like to contact the chair of the KIPP WAYS Academy board, you may email her at kippwaysparents@gmail.com
