|
Valerie Jean-Charles (she, her / Black Haitian-American)Board Chair
Valerie Jean-Charles is a communications strategist and consultant specializing in some of the most critical issues of our time, including racial justice, progress economics, gun safety, and political advocacy. Valerie is a native of Brooklyn, New York, and currently resides in Washington, D.C. She identifies as Haitian-American. |
|
Celeste Woolfork (she, her / African American)Co-Chair
For nearly 30 years, Celeste has dedicated her career to healthcare, with a diverse background in business development, marketing, patient advocacy, sales, and training. She spent the last several years advancing health equity for patients and improving the corporate culture related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. A lifelong advocate and humanitarian, she contributes her talents and resources in service to her community. Celeste is a native Washingtonian but travels the globe every chance she gets – having visited six of the seven continents so far. Living abroad as a teenager exposed her to people from all walks of life and sparked a deep curiosity to seek commonalities and respectfully explore differences. By harnessing the power of communication, she learned to forge relationships with people from various cultures and all walks of life. The shared vision of changing the world one conversation at a time is what led Celeste to serve on the Board of Challenging Racism. |
|
Alicia Puente Cackley (she, her / White Mexican- American)Chair Emeritus
A 29-year resident of Arlington, Alicia Puente Cackley serves as Chair of the Challenging Racism Board of Directors. She is a 2015 alumna of Challenging Racism: Learning How and in 2015 was a founding member of the Steering Committee that eventually established Challenging Racism as an educational non-profit organization in 2017. Alicia has served as PTA President at Key Elementary and on several APS-wide committees. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Educational Theatre Company, a non-profit dedicated to unlocking the potential of children and adults through immersion in theatre arts. Her four children all graduated from Arlington Public Schools, including Key Elementary Immersion Program and Wakefield, Washington-Lee and H.B. Woodlawn High Schools. Alicia holds a PhD in Economics from University of Michigan. Alicia was born in the United States and identifies as Mexican-American. |
|
Tasha Harris (she, her / African-American)Secretary
Tasha Harris joined the Challenging Racism board in January 2023. Harris served in the community development field for over 20 years, with a focus on affordable housing, community development, and mortgage and financial services industries. Harris joined the National Immigration Law Center as the Executive Vice President for Operations in January 2023, where she oversees Human Resources, Finance, and IT. Prior to the National Immigration Law Center, Harris served as the vice president for program operations at NeighborWorks America and helped to establish the National Community Stabilization Trust, a national affordable housing nonprofit organization working with financial institutions and local housing providers across the U.S. to reclaim neighborhoods hit hard by foreclosure and abandonment. Harris holds a bachelor's degree from Howard University, a master's in public affairs from Princeton University, and completed the Executive Nonprofit Leadership Program at Harvard University. She also served in the Peace Corps in Botswana. In her free time, she is a volunteer with the American Diabetes Association and an avid cyclist. |
|
Frank Smith (he, him / White)Treasurer
Financial Reporting Manager with 20 years of diversified leadership experience in the financial service industry (Prudential and Fiserv) and project consulting experience with Raritan Building Services, St.Peter's College, ITC, Scholastic, Siemens, and Dow Jones. |