Leadership | Center City PCS

Leadership

President & CEO

Russ E. Williams, Jr. was appointed President and CEO of Center City Public Charter Schools in April 2013, after serving in leadership and teaching roles in Washington, DC charter schools for more than 15 years.

Center City has achieved significant growth during his tenure. Center City’s improvement in achievement in the two years since PARCC was first administered in 2015 is the largest of any multi-campus LEA in the city. In addition, Center City serves more than 1,000 students who are classified as either Special Education, English Language Learners, or At-Risk, and each of these populations outperformed their peers across the city on the PARCC in the spring of 2017.

Our Board members bring valuable expertise and leadership experience to Center City informing decisions that push our six schools to be better for the students we serve.

Lydia Adelfio

Former CCPCS Board Chair

2021 – 2022 Board Members

The Board of Directors is the governing body for Center City Public Charter Schools.

We are fortunate to have a diverse and committed group of individuals who bring their perspectives and skills from different sectors to support our scholars and help build a sustainable future for our organization.

Lydia Adelfio
Jerenze Campbell
Charlene Fadirepo
Gretchen Guffy
Betsy Hanlon
Rev. Kelli Jareaux
Roneal Josephs
Art Moran
Ammena Nazeen
Meghan Quinn
Neville Waters
JD Wilde

Betsy Hanlon

Chair

Art Moran

Vice Chair

Neville Waters

Secretary

JD Wilde

Treasurer

Jeffrey D. Wilde is a Managing Partner at Omicelo, LLC, where he oversees acquisitions and asset management. Omicelo is a mission-based real estate investment firm tasked with improving the lives of community members in low to moderate income areas by providing safe and affordable housing along with necessary services to catalyze wholesale economic change. Prior to Omicelo, JD was a Vice President in US Real Estate at The Carlyle Group, where he managed real estate funds and led various housing research projects. As part of the research projects, he developed econometric models to analyze supply and demand imbalances and quantify investment opportunities throughout the US. In addition, he has held various positions in the financial industry ranging from investment management to financial consultant. Mr. Wilde holds bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and statistics from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree in statistics from Purdue University. He lives in the DC area with his wife and two children.

Lydia Adelfio

Member

Josh Boots

Member

Jerenze Campbell

Member

Charlene Fadirepo

Member

Charlene Fadirepo is the Founder and CEO of Guidefi, a fin-tech platform that makes it easier for women and people of color to find their ideal financial professional. Charlene started Guidefi after experiencing difficulty in finding the right financial advisor for her own multicultural family. Launched in 2019, Guidefi has garnered multiple awards including First Place in the In3 Labs Pitch Competition, and admission into the Washington, DC-based SeedSpot Impact Accelerator.

Charlene spent the last 20 years of her career in financial services. Most recently she spent 4.5 years at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, where she worked on consumer compliance and bank supervision initiatives. Prior to the Federal Reserve she spent six years advising banks as part of PwC’s Financial Institution and Bank Regulation Practice.

Charlene is passionate about financial education and served as the President of Greater Washington Jumpstart Coalition for several years. She has hosted multiple live family money segments on the Good Morning Washington Show on ABC 7 and has has served as a keynote or workshop speaker for several conferences across the DC community. Charlene currently teaches financial education to youth through Guidefi’s sister organization, GuidefiKids. She is the author of two children’s books about money, Ayo’s Money Jar and Ayo’s Had Enough. She is also a real estate investor and agent with Keller Williams Capital Properties. Charlene studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Virginia and has a Masters In Business Administration from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband and two children. Learn more about Charlene at www.charlenefadirepo.com.

Gretchen Guffy

Member

Rev. Kelli Jareaux

Member

Roneal Josephs

Member

Areesah Mobley

Member

Ammena Nazeen

Parent Member

Meghan Quinn

Member

Additional Board of Directors Information

Board of Directors Meeting Schedule

The next meeting of the Board will be held virtually on Wednesday, September 28, 2022 from 9:30am-11:30am. If you would like more information, please contact Aprele Smith.

Board of Directors Meeting Agendas

Board of Directors Approved Meeting Minutes

Board of Directors Meeting Recording

December 2021 Meeting passcode: @nt0*&$F
June 2021 Meeting
March 2021 Meeting
December 2020 Meeting

Board of Directors Contact Information

For questions, comments, or concerns regarding CCPCS Board of Directors
- Board Chair Email
- Vice-Chair Email

Our Mission

Empower our students for lifelong success by building strong character, promoting academic excellence, and generating public service throughout Washington D.C.

Campuses

Brightwood
Capitol Hill
Congress Heights
Petworth
Shaw
Trinidad

Central Office

301 N Street NE, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20002
(202) 589-0202
(202) 589-1629 (fax)
info@centercitypcs.org

The Center City Public Charter Schools Newsletter provides pertinent information for our School community

Betsy Hanlon, Vice Chair

Betsy Hanlon is a senior financial executive who has held financial, strategic and administrative positions with private, public and non-profit companies. Ms. Hanlon recently rejoined CAF America as Interim CFO, a role she previously held in 2015. From 2016-April 2019 served as CFO and Director of Finance and Administration for Climate Advisers, Inc., where she was responsible for several functions, including finance, human resources, contracts, facilities and IT. Previously, Ms. Hanlon was COO for Grayling (formerly Dutko), a subsidiary of Hunstworth PLC, an international communications group, and held senior positions with Cambridge Information Group, a privately held investment and management company. From 2007 to 2010, she directed all financial operations of CIG and the company’s Sotheby’s Institute of Art, Bach to Rock, and Jindy Stores after serving as Controller of Sotheby’s Institute of Art New York. Previously, she was associated with prominent telecommunications, public relations, biomedical and law firms in the DC area. She began her career at Price Waterhouse in Philadelphia. A graduate of The College of William and Mary, Ms. Hanlon holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a Nonprofit Management.

Art Moran, Member

Art is a Sales Manager at The CW Television Network, WDCW-TV in Washington, D.C. He has over 28 years of marketing experience in the broadcast, digital and social mediums. He has held various management positions in Pittsburgh, Houston, Los Angeles, Austin, Miami, Dallas and DC. His area of expertise is building high performance organizations and transforming stagnant to vibrant business growth. Art also serves on the Community Advisory Board Member, John F. Kennedy Center for The Performing Arts, a world premier performing arts organization and nation’s busiest arts facility, with unmatched theater, dance, and musical performances for all ages and as a Board Member, Gala Hispanic Theatre, groundbreaking “theater” presenting classical and contemporary plays in Spanish and English, with accompanying program of dance, music, poetry, spoken word, art, and film. Art holds a bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton. He lives with his partner in DC.

Neville Waters, Member

Neville Waters currently serves as the Public Information Officer with the Department of For-Hire Vehicles. Previous work experience spanned the sports, hospitality, media, and music industries. Mr. Waters has held various roles in broadcasting, including on-air announcing, research and programming, media planning, promotions, public affairs and production. Other endeavors involved organizing, promoting and managing shows and events such as the Taste of DC; the Tibetan Freedom Festival; the Human Rights Campaign Concert; the WHFS Festival; World Cup soccer matches; tours for U2, N’Sync and the Promise Keepers; and the unique mass wedding sponsored by the Unification Church. His professional achievements include the NBC Fellowship Award; the National Black MBA Scholarship; the Walter Kaitz Foundation Award; the Achievement in Radio Award; an Addy Award; an Effie Award; the Adrian Award for hospitality marketing; and Radio Program Director of the Year. He also won $5,000 on the TV game show Scrabble. A fifth-generation resident of the Georgetown neighborhood in Washington, DC, Waters graduated Magna Cum Laude from Springfield College in Massachusetts and also received a Master’s Degree in Psychological Services. He later earned his MBA from Georgetown University.

JD Wilde, Member

Jeffrey D. Wilde is a Managing Partner at Omicelo, LLC, where he oversees acquisitions and asset management. Omicelo is a mission-based real estate investment firm tasked with improving the lives of community members in low to moderate income areas by providing safe and affordable housing along with necessary services to catalyze wholesale economic change. Prior to Omicelo, JD was a Vice President in US Real Estate at The Carlyle Group, where he managed real estate funds and led various housing research projects. As part of the research projects, he developed econometric models to analyze supply and demand imbalances and quantify investment opportunities throughout the US. In addition, he has held various positions in the financial industry ranging from investment management to financial consultant. Mr. Wilde holds bachelor's degrees in mathematics and statistics from Pennsylvania State University and a master's degree in statistics from Purdue University. He lives in the DC area with his wife and two children.

Lydia Adelfio, Chair

Lydia W. Adelfio served as Assistant Head of School for Administration at Sidwell Friends School as well as Secretary to the Board of Trustees. She touched on myriad functions of the School including governance, development, special events, strategic planning, and community and Quaker Life. Her support of the School continues on the Alumni Association Executive Board, fundraising for financial aid and other volunteer capacities. Ms. Adelfio also serves on the Siena School Board, a school in Silver Spring, MD for children with mild to moderate language-based learning disabilities, on The Friends of Holly Hill Farm, an organic educational farm with programming for children and adults and a focus on teaching sustainable agriculture, providing schools the tools to learn and provide produce to food pantries and exposing inner city children to farm life, and she directs an annual fundraiser for Bethesda Friends Quaker Meeting to raise scholarship funds for Ramallah Friends School, a Quaker school in a the war torn country of Palestine. A graduate of Vassar College, Ms. Adelfio was an Institutional Portfolio Manager and Research Analyst covering the Technology and Telecommunications Sector at Kidder Peabody Inc. prior to moving to the education field.

Josh Boots, Member

Josh is the Founder and Executive Director of EmpowerK12. Prior to starting EmpowerK12, Josh served in a variety of education roles in DC over the last 19 years, including teaching 7th-grade math at DC Public Schools, leading the KIPP DC data team as their first Data Director, and contributing as a member of OSSE’s Assessment and Accountability team.

Josh is recognized as a leader in DC assessment and data analytics. He serves on the DC Education Research Collaborative’s leadership council and was appointed to the original DC State Board of Education ESSA Taskforce in 2017. His primary work at EmpowerK12 focuses on leading our Student Well-Being Survey work, pandemic impact research, Bold Schools analyses, citywide strategic data-driven planning, and coaching education leaders. Josh also consulted with MySchoolDC, the District’s common lottery system, during its first implementation year, running and auditing the lottery Josh is the Founder and Executive Director of EmpowerK12. Prior to starting EmpowerK12, Josh served in a variety of education roles in DC over the last 19 years, including teaching 7th-grade math at DC Public Schools, leading the KIPP DC data team as their first Data Director, and contributing as a member of OSSE’s Assessment and Accountability team.

In his free time, Josh nerds out over astrophysics, attends games at Nationals Park and Audi Field, and plans his trip into low-Earth orbit. algorithm.

In his free time, Josh nerds out over astrophysics, attends games at Nationals Park and Audi Field, and plans his trip into low-Earth orbit.

Jerenze Campbell, Member

Dr. Jerenze Campbell was born in Washington, DC, and received his formative education there. He went on to St. Peter’s College where he received a dual bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Sociology. After undergraduate school, he continued his education by earning a Master’s of Education degree from Temple University in Educational Administration. He earned his doctoral degree from Nova Southeastern University in Educational Leadership. Dr. Campbell served as a classroom teacher and assistant principal before becoming the principal at Whitehall ES. Whitehall Elementary School was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2012 by the United States Department of Education under his leadership. Dr. Campbell opened the school and served as the principal for 9 years. Next, he was appointed to the position as Supervisor, School Leadership Programs for PGCPS. In that role, he was responsible for creating and sustaining leadership programs for all current building level administrators and those who aspire to such roles. He later served as a Leadership Development Coach. Aside from serving the children and stakeholders of PGCPS, Dr. Campbell is the Chief Executive Officer of Super Kids Clubhouse and Services, LLC, D/B/A SKC Early Education Centers. These pre-schools care for and educate infants 6 weeks through Pre-K 4 and school-aged children for before and aftercare. He is also an adjunct professor at McDaniel College where he instructs post-masters level students who aspire to become school administrators. He contracts with the National Association of Elementary School Principal (NAESP), where he provides professional development on the association’s behalf around the country. Dr. Campbell is the proud husband of Mrs. Monica Campbell and the father of one son, Clay. He is a Life Member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He enjoys using his skills and talents to simply help others.

Charlene Fadirepo, Member

Charlene is passionate about financial education and served as the President of Greater Washington Jumpstart Coalition for several years. She has hosted multiple live family money segments on the Good Morning Washington Show on ABC 7 and has has served as a keynote or workshop speaker for several conferences across the DC community. Charlene currently teaches financial education to youth through Guidefi's sister organization, GuidefiKids. She is the author of two children’s books about money, Ayo's Money Jar and Ayo’s Had Enough. She is also a real estate investor and agent with Keller Williams Capital Properties. Charlene studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Virginia and has a Masters In Business Administration from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband and two children. Learn more about Charlene at www.charlenefadirepo.com.

Gretchen Guffy, Member

Gretchen is the Senior Director of Policy and Planning with ACT, Inc. where she leads the development of the organization’s education and workforce policy agendas and associated recommendations. Gretchen has nearly twenty years of experience in the education sector, having begun her career as a high school teacher. She has held positions with Chicago Public Schools, DC Public Schools, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), and 50CAN. Gretchen earned a bachelor’s degree and teaching certificate from the University of Iowa and a master’s in public policy from the University of Chicago. She lives in Washington, DC with her family.

Rev. Kelli Jareaux, Member

Reverend Kelli Jareaux is owner of Jareaux Law and founder of the GROW Continuum, a nondenominational church. She is a Speaker, Coach, Arbitrator for FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority), and a Mediator on the District of Columbia’s Multidoor Mediation Panel. Rev. Kelli ignited her passion for education and began her career as an education attorney with a large Washington, DC. Law Firm, where she represented accrediting bodies, state systems, and institutions of higher education. She has authored articles on affirmative action and diversity that have been featured in various education industry publications. Rev. Kelli is a graduate of Inner Visions Institute for Spiritual Development, where she received her ordination and learned coaching from New York Times Best-Selling Author Iyanla Vanzant. Rev. Kelli’s spiritual writing has been featured in publications including 11:11 Magazine, and the anthology, Sacred Secrets: Finding Your Way to Joy, Peace, And Prosperity, (a Next Generation Indie Book Awards finalist). Her new book, I AM @ Work, Unleashing the Power of Divine Self on the Job, was an Amazon #1 New Release in Business Mentoring & Coaching and Personal Success & Spirituality. Reverend Kelli is a graduate of Howard University and Georgetown University Law Center. She lives on Capitol Hill with her son, Kaleb, and her partner.

Roneal Jospehs, Member

Roneal Josephs is Lead Information Systems Engineer at the MITRE Corporation. She received a B.S. degree in Computer Science from Frostburg State University and a M.S. in Information Systems Management from DeVry University. She is a dynamic leader with over 15 years of systems engineering experience in the Federal government contracting professional services market and private industry, with emphasis in systems modernization and systems performance engineering. She has significant expertise in building consensus between IT and business stakeholders by translating technical concepts and requirements. Roneal is a sought-after thought leader adept at building internal and client relationships to identify the right resources to accomplish the task at hand. Roneal is a native Washingtonian who began her academic career in the DC Public School system. With a passion for encouraging youth to excel in academics and personal development, Roneal has volunteered in several capacities with organizations throughout the DC metro area, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, Byte Back, the Higher Achievement Program, the Montgomery County Business Roundtable for Education (MCBRE), as well as, various STEM outreach activities hosted by MITRE.

A Northern VA native and 18 year resident of the District of Columbia, Areesah currently serves as the Director of Development at 826 National, helping their team to uplift the voices of under-resourced students across the country through proven and innovative writing programs. Areesah brings 18 years of fundraising and organizational growth strategy experience in youth development, human services, and civil rights at nonprofits including 826DC, Martha’s Table, the Marijuana Policy Project, and Kid Power. A Communication graduate from George Mason University with a deep history in the performing arts, Areesah holds an equal passion for relationship building and nonprofit management.

Ammena Nazeen, Member

Long before she accepted the role as a Center City parent representative, Ammena Nazeen's commitment to education and service was well established: She volunteered as secretary of the PTA at AppleTree Early Learning Institute, where her son attended 2012-2014, then president.

Because of Nazeen's dedication, the school's administrators recommended that she serve on the inaugural Parent Advisory Council, which she did from 2013-2018. During that time, she was instrumental in providing input to My School DC and the Common Lottery Board that would inform the design process and guide outreach to parents.

For the past seven years, she has been a volunteer at Center City Petworth, where her son is a student.

Nazeen holds and MBA and an MS in cybersecurity from the University of Maryland Global Campus. As a contracted senior cybersecurity expert and analyst for the Department of Transportation for more than 20 years, she is responsible for system compliance, system integration, and project management.

Meghan McMurtrie, Member

Meghan McMurtrie Quinn was born and raised in the Washington, DC area. She attended Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda for 12 years (1987) and went onto Boston College in Chestnut Hill, MA., graduating with a degree in Adolescent Psychology and English Literature (1991).

After graduating, Meghan joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, living in Chicago, Illinois for 18 months. While in JVC, she worked with teen runaways/homeless youth-tutoring and serving as the employment counselor at the Neon Street Center.

From 1992-1994, she worked on Capitol Hill in the Republican Leader’s Office for Senator Robert Dole. Her responsibilities included scheduling the Senator’s appointments, communicating with constituents, working on the Senate floor, and sitting in on meetings with other senators and congressmen and women.

In 1994, Meghan returned to BC to obtain an M.Ed in Urban Education. Simultaneously, she taught in the public school system of Jamaica Plains. Upon her graduation from graduate school (1995), she returned to DC and took a mid-year job working at the St. Anthony School. The next school year, she took a third-grade homeroom position at Immaculate Conception School, where she taught for one full year, until moving to Houston, TX. when she got married in 1997.

When she moved back to DC from Texas, Meghan joined the board of the Consortium of Catholic Academies for three years before it split and half the schools became charter schools. She also served as a director on the Christ Child DC board for 5 years, and as the head of the School Programs Committee for 6. Responsibilities included running the tutoring program, assisting the social workers in our “adopted” schools, chairing the annual gala, overseeing guild works. Currently, Meghan continues to serve on the School Success committee and has been tutoring in the program for 8 years. She is also very active as a volunteer at the San Miguel School for Boys in DC.

She resides in Bethesda, MD with her husband Eddie Quinn and their four daughters, Maggie(22), Lucie(20), Sam(18), and Eloise(14).