Board of Directors

Frank Method
Chair

Mr. Method has formidable expertise and experience in education in over 20 countries, with international experience in strategic planning, country level projects, program design, and participation in high-level international working groups on education policy and assistance strategies.  In Washington DC, he has been active in public education working groups including facilities planning, technology planning, and school restructuring.  Currently, Mr. Method is a Senior Education Policy Advisor in RTI International's Education Policy and Systems (EPS) group.  Mr. Method has held senior education policy positions with USAID, UNESCO and the Ford Foundation.  He was also a visiting professor at Stanford University and has had a variety of consulting assignments with the World Bank, UNESCO, the Center for Development at the University of Wisconsin with a BA from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.

James Preston
Vice Chair

Worked for the US Department of Treasury for 37 years in the Financial Management Service. Mr. Preston retired from the treasury in January 2007 as the Diversity Program Manager. Currently, Mr. Preston is an adjunct instructor at the Center for Business and Industry Training in Prince George's Community College where he teaches skill-based courses in Effective Mediation Techniques and Conflict Management. Mr. Preston also conducts workforce development seminars for Prince George's County Government Officials.

David Nzyoka
Treasurer

Mr. Nzyoka has worked both domestically and internationally in a variety of accounting positions, and has extensive experience in all aspects of accounting.  He has worked in Africa for various organizations including Malawi Union, Ethiopia Union, East African Union, and the University of Eastern Africa where he gained valuable management experience supervising and working with diverse accounting personnel. Mr. Nzyoka is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.  Mr. Nzyoka holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Nairobi, Kenya and a Bachelors of Business Administration from Andrews University in Michigan.

Lisa M. Tabaku
Secretary

A specialist in languages and bilingual education, Lisa M. Tabaku currently serves as Associate Manager for the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) Services in Washington, DC. Before joining MCS, Ms. Tabaku held a number of positions in Education Administration. She was the Language Access Coordinator for the District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education and Director for the District Office for Civil Rights Compliance and Multicultural Affairs with the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS).  Among Ms. Tabaku's accomplishments during her tenure with DCPS was the develpment of a new two-year language access plan for DCPS in compliance with the DC Language Access Act of 2004 and the integration of DCPS outreach efforts to linguistically and culturally diverse parents and communities. Ms. Tabaku has an MAT in Bilingual Education from Georgetown University where she also completed her undergraduate work with a BS in Languages.

Carin A. Celebuski

An expert in designing and conducting analytic and evaluative studies related to all levels of education.  Ms. Celebuski recently retired from Westat after 20 years as a Senior Study Director.  Before working with Westat, Ms. Celebuski worked in a similar capacity at the Pelavin Research Institute.  Recently, Ms. Celebuski worked as a Director on the Data Quality Initiative which provides evaluation technical assistance to about 15 country-regions on Department of Education Programs.  She also worked on the design and implementation of Even Start CLIO, a study on the effectiveness of various family literacy approaches in Even Start classrooms and was Director of a study on the impact of the US Department of Education's Reading First Impact Study.  In Washington DC, she served as Director of Evaluation of the "Early Impacts of the In2Books Program", a Washington, DC based reading program.  Ms. Celebuski has completed course work toward a Ph.D. in Sociology at Johns Hopkins University and holds a BA in Sociology from Temple University.

Rosemary V. Fennell

Ms. Fennell is a Sr. Program Analyst with the U.S. Department of Education (USED), Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), Academic Improvement and Teacher Quality Programs (AITQ Programs), where she serves as the manager of the Early Childhood Educator Professional Development Program, a $98 million discretionary grant initiative authorized under Title II, 2151(e) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1994, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.  She also manages the 2009 Early Reading First program.  Prior to her position with AITQ programs, she served as a senior analyst in the Office of Student Achievement and School Accountability Programs and in the US Office for Civil Rights.  Ms. Fennell has contributed to several education publications, including the Parental Involvement:  Title 1, Part A Non-regulatory Guidance, Parents and Schools As Partners (published in five languages), Preventing Youth Hate Crime:  A Manual for Schools and Communities, Protecting Students From Harrassment and Hate Crime:  A Guide for Schools, and the Even Start 12-Month Activity Calendar (for use in Title 1 preschools and elementary schools).  She is a long-time supporter of nonprofit organizations concerned with building inter-group relations and peace building using "elicitive" approaches to civic engagement.  She has convened and lectured at numerous forums on education and peace-building, including the U.S. Peace Institute.  Ms. Fennell received her M.Ed. from Howard University.

Barbara J. Frank

A lifetime advocate of community engagement and public schools. Ms. Frank has been recognized nationally, regionally, and locally for her talent as an educator, facilitator, and leader.  She is an author of numerous articles on community organizing and partnerships, as well as volunteer management and board development including "Recruiting Volunteers for Key Positions" and "Building An Effective Non-Profit Board".  Ms. Frank relocated to DC after taking an early retirement from 36 years of work in high needs, low income schools as a teacher and administrator in Lincoln, NE.  Currently, she is in charge of developing partnerships with online masters programs for the 3.2 million members of the National Education Association.

Anne T. Henderson

A senior consultant to the Community Involvement Program at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform.  Ms. Henderson has published on the topic of the relationship between families and schools.  Ms. Henderson is a writing contributor to the Evidence series and is author of Beyond the Bake Sale:  The Essential Guide to Family-School Partnerships.

Gloria Pope

A housing expert and advocate for fair housing. Counselor Pope has worked lobbying the Georgia State Legislature to pass anti-predatory lending laws and has been a consumer advocate in lending, mortgage finance and bankruptcy. She is also an experienced grant proposal writer and is a radio talk show producer at WOL-AM. Currently, she is a member of the Louisa County Affordable Housing Committee. Counselor Pope holds a JD from the Antioch School of Law, an MS in Legal Studies from the Antioch Center for Legal Studies, and a BS in Psychology and Economics from Howard University. She is a member of the American Bar Association.

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Advisors to the Board

Sue Ferguson

An expert in the field of education for over 25 years, specializing in the education of children and youth with disabilities, Ms. Ferguson has taught children with emotional and behavior disorders. She has also been an information specialist and outreach coordinator for the National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disablities (NICHCY). Since 1994, Ms. Ferguson has been the chairperson of the National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education (NCPIE) and has worked to strengthen relationships between home, school, and community.

Arnold Fege

An expert in the field of education presently with the Public Education Network who has supported the work of MCS since its early inception in 1997.

En español

Ex-Officio Board Members and Advisors

Toni Abernathy, Verizon Communications Division
Arnold Fege, Communications Director, Public Education Network
Warren and Alaka Williams, Banneker Ventures, LLC, Washington, DC

Past Board Members

Cecilia Alvarado, Consultant, Organizational Diversity, Early Childhood
Greg Chen, Director, Mayor's Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (Founding MCS Board Member)
Elaine Johnson, Vice President and Director, National Training Institute for Community Youth Work, Academy for Educational Development
Dawn Martin, Fellow, Eastern Mennonite University (Founding MCS Board Member)
Robert Myers, Retired Foreign Service Office (Founding MCS Board Member) (Deceased)
Edna Povich, Center for Dispute Settlement (Founding MCS Board Member)
Mary Qu, Linguist, Diplomatic Language Service
Larry Seaquist, Retired Navy Admiral and Author of PeaceGames (a grassroots civic engagement program) (Advisor)
Dick Whitter, Fundraising Consultant, Retired Mathematical Association of America Executive