2025 DEIJB CONFERENCE

Randolph L. Carter has been a leading voice in equity and justice in education for over four decades. As the founding director of the Eastern Educational Resource Collaborative (East Ed), Randolph has supported hundreds of schools, districts, and organizations in building more inclusive, responsive communities. His work focuses on empowering educators to meet the needs of students of color, gender-diverse youth, families in poverty, and those with disabilities.

From 2000 to the present, Randolph has designed and led conferences, student leadership programs, and professional development initiatives across the country. He co-founded Teaching While White, created job fairs for hiring diverse educators, and developed equity tools now used by practitioners nationwide.

Earlier in his career, Randolph served as the first Director of Diversity at the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). There, he expanded the People of Color Conference (POCC), founded the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC), and guided hundreds of schools in building lasting DEI strategies. He also led public education efforts during the anti-apartheid movement through the American Friends Service Committee, working closely with communities across the U.S.

A former teacher, administrator, and advisor, Randolph brings both national perspective and deep local engagement to his work. He has taught in Seattle Public Schools, consulted with Portland Public Schools and Reynolds School District, and supported Waldorf and Montessori schools across the Northwest. He also integrates mindfulness and meditation practices into his approach to equity leadership.

Randolph holds degrees from the University of Washington and Harvard University, and has completed doctoral studies in diversity-responsive pedagogy at Fielding Graduate University. His writing has appeared in The Journal of Negro Education, Multicultural Perspectives, and several NAIS publications.

With a career rooted in courage, compassion, and a clear call for systemic change, Randolph continues to be a trusted guide for educators seeking to transform their communities through equity and purpose.

Sherry Coleman is a seasoned educational leader and social justice advocate. Her career has spanned decades of work in independent and public schools, higher education, and non-profit communities. She recently retired as a Managing Director at a leading executive search firm. She now works with schools and organizations as a consultant through a lens of equity and inclusion.

Her work in independent schools began as a classroom teacher and assistant director of admission. From there, she moved on to recruitment and search work. She has supported, placed, coached, and guided numerous teachers, mid-career administrators, senior administrators, Heads of School, and Trustees. Sherry understands the challenges and opportunities faced by the most senior managers in schools, especially regarding hiring, retention, supporting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), and other strategic initiatives. Currently, she is focusing on her work as an advisor, coach, and strategist with individual clients, schools, and organizations.

Sherry was the founding director of the Independent School Consortium (ISC) of Greater Philadelphia in 1994. ISC began as a three-year DeWitt Wallace Readers’ Digest grant with five schools, grew to include over 20 schools, and became a trusted source of support for administrators and faculty of color for over 17 years. ISC was an organizational resource focused on recruiting and retaining faculty and administrators of color. ISC became a sustaining and vital link to many successful educators of color in independent schools. Many of those placements are still in education. This initiative led to work for two national executive search firms. She has worked with various school types and many constituent groups and students. Sherry has built an extensive and diverse network of contacts throughout the country and abroad and is well-respected in the education community.

There, she began working with Blair Stambaugh and Kit Reath at the founding of the Multicultural Resource Center (MCRC). Philadelphia became the guiding light for what was possible in independent schools through the work of MCRC and ISC. The road was long and challenging, but they weathered the storms, celebrated the victories, and made a difference in independent school education.

Sherry has received several awards and acknowledgments for her work in DEIBJ. She is actively involved in national and community organizations and has been a trustee for independent charter schools, non-profits, regional associations, and higher education councils.

She holds a doctoral degree from the University of Pennsylvania, a master’s degree from West Chester University, and a bachelor’s degree from Cheyney University, the first Historically Black College and University (HBCU).

Darryl J. Ford has been a steadfast supporter of MCRC throughout his distinguished career, notably during his tenure at William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia, where he served as both Middle School Director and later as Head of School. In these roles, he championed the mission of MCRC by hosting key programs, serving on its board, and playing a critical role in facilitating the merger between MCRC and ADVIS.

Bringing more than three decades of leadership in independent schools, Darryl now focuses on supporting and mentoring educational leaders nationwide. As an experienced executive coach and leadership advisor, he specializes in guiding schools and organizations through periods of transition, training emerging leaders, and advancing institutional efforts in equity, excellence, and innovation.

From 2007 to 2023, Darryl served as Head of School at William Penn Charter School. Under his leadership, the school completed a $135 million capital campaign, executed a transformative campus master plan, and developed a forward-looking strategic vision that enriched student life and empowered faculty and staff.

Prior to that, Darryl led Penn Charter’s Middle School for a decade and previously served as Head and Executive Director of St. Gregory’s Episcopal School in Chicago, a low-tuition school for boys.

Darryl’s impact extends into higher education. He served for 10 years on the Villanova University Board of Trustees, contributing to major strategic initiatives, including Villanova’s elevation to R2 research status and the expansion of its doctoral programs. He also played an active role in the university’s DEIB efforts as a member of the Aequitas Committee. He currently teaches in the School Leadership Program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, where he lectures on symbolic leadership and essential leadership frameworks.

A dedicated leader in educational governance, Darryl serves on the boards of Wilmington Friends School, AIM Academy, Cliveden of the National Trust, and the Foundation Board of Wissahickon Charter School. His previous board service includes the Friends Council on Education, the Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools (ADVIS), Steppingstone Scholars, and the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools’ Commission on Accreditation.

Throughout his career, Darryl has mentored leaders, led accreditation teams, and spoken widely across K–12 and higher education settings.

A proud graduate of Friends Select School, Darryl holds a B.A. in Honors Liberal Arts and a B.S. in Social Studies Education from Villanova University, as well as an M.A. and Ph.D. in Educational Administration and Policy Studies from the University of Chicago.

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Bradley James Davies is an award-winning, best-selling author, speaker, and coach with over 25 years of corporate and nonprofit leadership experience (from consulting to international development to education to driving the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile!). Davies is also the founder of Falkor, a leadership and life consultancy dedicated to helping clients lead better, live better, and love better.

As an ICF-certified (PCC) leadership coach trained at Georgetown University, Davies clients span all sectors, from technology and entertainment to government and education, and all levels of leadership, from rising stars to c-suite veterans. 

A strategic listening expert and dedicated leadership wellness practitioner, Davies speaks and facilitates workshops on “Next Level Listening,” “Next Level Leadership,” and “Next Level Wellness.” 

Davies’ first book, School Leadership from A to Z: How to Lead Well Without Losing Your Way, is about the ups, downs, and all-arounds of school life and leadership. 

Born and raised in Minnesota to a bricklayer dad and bookworm mom, Davies calls Crested Butte, Colorado and Madrid, Spain home. Learn more about Davies at www.bradleyjamesdavies.com