Charles Russell, M. Ed, President

Kenitra Bennett-Edwards is a sixteen-year educator who serves as the District STEAM Coordinator at Rhodes School for the Performing Arts. Her academic preparation, along with excellent organizational skills, aids in her development and implementation of the STEAM curriculum. She builds capacity in teachers by mentoring and supporting their efforts. Kenitra possesses strong leadership skills that help her interact well with school faculty, parents, and other key educational stakeholders. Her professional experience and collaborative spirit make her a welcomed asset to the administrative team.

Kenitra graduated from Wiley College (Marshall, Texas) with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry and from Oklahoma City University with an MBA in Health Administration and Marketing. Her organizations and affiliations include Beta Kappa Kai, the National Scientific Honor Society, and Lake Houston Friendship Society, Incorporated.

Kenitra is married to Avery Edwards and has three children (Baleigh Burrell (20), Adam Daniels (14), and Averiel Edwards (7).

Michelle Harris, M. Ed, Member

Chrishelle Palay is the director of the Houston Organizing Movement for Equity (HOME) Coalition. HOME was created in response to Hurricane Harvey in an effort to ensure all Houstonians equitably recovered from the disaster. HOME comprises several organizations whose expertise ranges from policy advocacy, direct services, legal enforcement, and grassroots organizing. Prior to leading this collective, Chrishelle focused on fair housing policy advocacy as the Southeast Co-Director at Texas Housers for over seven years. Through this work, she provided housing and neighborhood development policy analysis and review to local community organizing groups who were addressing major disinvestment and neglect in their communities. Her expertise grew from disaster recovery efforts after 2008’s Hurricane Ike disaster recovery process. This experience well-positioned community leaders, organizers, and advocates to demand equitable investment and treatment for low-income communities in the Hurricane Harvey recovery process.  

Before transitioning into social justice work, Chrishelle practiced architecture, specifically multifamily high-rise development. Chrishelle is a Next City Vanguard alumni and was a Ford Public Voices Fellow of The OpEd Project. She also participates in several national cohorts, including Community of Practice on Local Housing Strategies, Ford Just Cities Narrative Shift  Project, and the National Fair Housing Peer Network Group.  

Chrishelle has a Bachelor of Architecture from Prairie View A&M University and proudly serves on the boards of directors of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County, and Rhodes School For The Performing Arts.

Derrick Sherrard, Member