Raymond C. Pierce serves as the president and CEO of the Southern Education Foundation, where he leads the organization’s historic mission of advancing educational opportunities for African American and low-income students in the southern states. Since joining SEF in January 2018, Mr. Pierce has focused the organization on policy research, education legislation, and leadership development.

Prior to joining SEF, Mr. Pierce was dean of the School of Law at North Carolina Central University. Earlier, Mr. Pierce served as deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights as a political appointee in the administration of President Bill Clinton. During that time, Mr. Pierce also served on the White House Domestic Policy Council working group in the development of the Empowerment Zone and related economic and workforce development policies.

Mr. Pierce has also been a partner in the business practices at the law firms of Baker Hostetler and Nelson Mullins, where he represented clients in the steel, energy, transportation, and defense contracting industries. He also represented clients in higher education.

Mr. Pierce is a visiting professor of Public Policy and Political Theology at the Duke University Divinity School. He is also a member of the National Math and Science Initiative board of directors. He has served on the Council of Legal Education of the American Bar Association and is a past vice president of the North Carolina Bar Association. He is a permanent member of the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference and has served as an appointed member of the North Carolina State Banking Commission.

Mr. Pierce earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Syracuse University, where he also received an officer’s commission in the U.S. Air Force Reserves. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, and a master’s from the Duke University Divinity School.

Leighton O’Sullivan, CPA, joined the Southern Education Foundation as chief financial officer in April 2020. He has more than 25 years of experience in accounting operations in non-profit organizations and for-profit companies. His leadership style promotes a culture of accountability and a commitment to high-quality work, customer service and increased internal controls.

Leighton previously served as the chief financial officer at IFS Group, a securities firm. Prior to that, he held positions at Clark Atlanta University as the associate vice president and controller, the controller, and the director of profit clients. His experience includes oversight and responsibility for the direct management of accounting operations, financial reporting, financial audits including A-133, entity compliance, treasury, acquisitions, project management, risk management, business valuations, Sarbanes Oxley, and system implementations.

Leighton received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree, cum laude, in Accounting from Baruch College in New York. He moved to Atlanta more than 20 years ago and maintains an active Georgia-issued CPA license.

As SEF’s director of research and policy, Max Altman, Ph.D., designs and manages SEF’s research agenda and development of research-informed policy positions and advocacy initiatives. His research interests include  the creation of K-12 educational policy that reflects and supports social justice initiatives and is interested in how teacher and student contexts shape their own conceptions of equity and social justice.

Max previously served as a managing researcher and Task 5 (Training, Coaching, and Technical Support) lead for the Pacific Regional Educational Laboratory at McREL International, where he facilitated ongoing technical support projects in Hawaiʻi and throughout geographic Micronesia. A former high school math teacher, Max has also taught courses at the University of Michigan and has served as a professional developer and curriculum writer. His work has emphasized the implementation of culturally responsive policies that support student success in K-12, college, and workforce contexts.

Max earned bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and secondary education from Vanderbilt University and a doctorate in educational administration and policy from the University of Michigan. He has published several articles and a book chapter on topics related to education equity and justice.

Max has visited more than 30 countries, and he loves to travel with his fiancée. He loves music and plays the upright bass and ukulele.

Alan Richard is the director of communications for the Southern Education Foundation. A veteran education writer, he contributes to SEF’s mission by fostering public discourse on important education issues and highlighting SEF’s influential research, policy, and leadership programs.

As a journalist, he covered the South and rural America for Education Week. His work also has been published by The Washington Post, PBS NewsHour, The Nation and many others. He was awarded national first prizes by the Education Writers Association for his coverage of school inequality in the South and rural communities.

Alan joined SEF after serving as the Southern Regional Education Board’s (SREB) media relations officer. Earlier in his career, he had served as SREB’s director of communications.

He also has worked with many education organizations as an independent consultant and at Hager Sharp, a public relations firm in Washington, DC.

A national board member for Parents for Public Schools and the Rural School and Community Trust, he began his career as a reporter for newspapers in his native South Carolina. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina.

Darian Burns joined the Southern Education Foundation in August 2022 as a legislative and public policy analyst on the government affairs and advocacy team. She supports the senior director of public policy in monitoring and advancing equitable education policies across the South that align with the values and mission of SEF.

She holds a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, where she served as a Research Assistant at the Ford School’s Education Policy Initiative. She co-authored a brief on making higher education more equitable and accessible for students from low-income families. A Public Policy International Affairs (PPIA) program alumna, Darian was also a literacy tutor working with kindergarteners and first-graders for American Reads.

Darian holds a bachelor’s degree from Seattle Pacific University, where she was a two-time NCAA Division II National Champion gymnast, a 12-time All-American, and named the 2020 NCAA Division II Gymnast of the Year. In graduate school at the University of Michigan, she was also on the 2022 Intermediate Co-ed National-Championship cheerleading team. She is a coach and mentor for Brown Girls Do Gymnastics, which supported the nation’s first HBCU collegiate gymnastics program at Fisk University.

Hannah Curry is the program manager for the Outcomes Based Contracting strategic initiative, overseeing its strategy, execution and implementation.

Hannah has been involved in program management across a variety of industries for over a decade. Most recently, she worked as program manager for the Academics Division of Denver Public Schools, where she developed a passion for building and maintaining efficient and collaborative systems to help districts thrive.

She received her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute, has completed the 5280 Fellowship with the Denver Institute for Faith & Work, and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado in International Studies.

Sherrell Glenn is the program coordinator supporting the Outcomes Based Contracting initiative through district relationship management, data collection, resource development, and funder reporting.

Prior to her current position, Sherrell honed her skills as a school program coordinator for Georgia Commute Options, where she demonstrated her commitment to creating sustainable transportation solutions around schools and promoting environmentally friendly practices.

Sherrell’s dedication to education is her 11 year history with the Dekalb County School District. As an educator, she worked to make a positive impact on the lives of students by helping them to develop the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed academically and beyond.

Sherrell received her bachelor’s degrees in education from the University of Alabama

Asley Gulaid is the senior leadership development program associate at the Southern Education Foundation, supporting SEF’s comprehensive and proactive leadership-development strategy, including program design and implementation.

Prior to joining SEF, Asley served as a Policy and Advocacy Fellow at Education Forward DC, creating a landscape analysis and implementation report to strengthen equity and amplify teacher-voice in support of Washington, DC, students.

Asley is a Teach for America alumna and previously taught third-grade math in Memphis, Tennessee. In her time as an educator, she planned community events and organized efforts to expand access to quality educational opportunities for the greater Memphis community.

Asley received bachelor’s degrees in psychology and business administration from the University of Florida.

Danielle Harris is the program manager for the Equity Assistance Center-South at the Southern Education Foundation, overseeing the Center’s day-to-day operations.

Prior to this role, Danielle was the manager of development and donor operations for SEF, managing the donor-relations program and fundraising initiatives for the organization. She previously served as operations and strategy program associate, assisting with key strategic initiatives and new pathways for impact, partner engagement, and the development and management of organizational strategy and operations.

With more than a decade of experience in education with Atlanta Public Schools, Danielle previously served as a site director, revamping an out-of-school enrichment curriculum to  align with the development needs of the students. Her work also led to three out-of-school programs becoming nationally accredited through the Council on Accreditation.

Danielle holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Georgia Southern University.

Lauren Mead is the operations program associate for the Southern Education Foundation, supporting a range of important functions and assisting the COO with key projects.

Previously, Lauren served as program manager at MedShare International, an organization focused on alleviating global health disparities. She focused heavily on program evaluation, volunteer efficiency, and waste reduction. She also managed volunteer operations, corporate events, and distribution of much-needed medical supplies during COVID-19 across greater Atlanta. With more than a decade of work in the nonprofit finance and fundraising, she has previously hosted galas, written grants and impact reports, and managed donor relationships.

Lauren also stays involved in local politics, having served as campaign finance manager for a successful grassroots city council campaign.

Lauren holds a bachelor’s in English and creative writing from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree in public administration from Georgia State University.