A small independent K-8 school in Atlanta
Meet the Board
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Allegra Lawrence-Hardy
Governance Chair
Partner
Lawrence & Bundy LLC
Atlanta, Georgia
Allegra Lawrence-Hardy is co-founder of Lawrence & Bundy, the largest, nationally recognized Black owned litigation law firm on the East Coast. She also serves as Lead Litigation Counsel and Senior Advisor to Fair Fight Action, an organization that tirelessly advocates against voter suppression. Allegra served as campaign chair for Stacey Abrams’ 2018 and 2022 gubernatorial races.
Allegra is deeply committed to community involvement and board leadership. She has served in leadership roles for many of Atlanta’s long-established organizations, including the Children’s Museum of Atlanta, Zoo Atlanta, the Alliance Theatre, Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, the Fernbank Museum, as well as educational institutions, including the Atlanta Girls’ School, St. Anne’s Day School, the Paideia School, Emory University, and her alma mater, Spelman College. Allegra currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Independent School Chairpersons Association and was a commissioner on the American Bar Association’s Committee on the Lawyers’ Role in Assuring Every Child’s Right to a High-Quality Education.
Allegra is a recipient of many legal distinctions, including top 100 Georgia Super Lawyers, Top 50 Female Georgia Super Lawyers, Chambers USA, Benchmark Litigation Stars, and Best Lawyers in America. She is also a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America and was recently featured on the cover of 2023 Georgia Super Lawyers as one of Georgia’s perennial Super Lawyers.
Joel Kanter
Board Chair Elect
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President
Windy City Investement, Inc.
Washington, DC
As the incoming Board Chair, Joel Kanter is set to enrich our educational community with an exceptional blend of business acumen, legislative expertise, and a heartfelt dedication to the arts and education. His tenure as the newly appointed chair of the prestigious Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a testament to his leadership and his commitment to enriching cultural institutions.
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Mr. Kanter’s journey into the educational landscape began with personal investment when he navigated the independent school selection process for his own children. This experience led to an active role in school governance, first at The Langley School and later at Georgetown Day School, where he championed financial stewardship and inclusivity.
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Beyond education, Mr. Kanter's career encompasses significant achievements across various sectors. He served as President of Windy City, Inc. and as the President and CEO of Walnut Financial Services, Inc., culminating in a highly successful acquisition. His legislative experience as an aide to Congressman Abner J. Mikva and his involvement with legislative reform set a foundation for his later contributions to the National Association of Attorneys General and as Staff Director on the House Rules Committee's Subcommittee.
Mr. Kanter’s impact on the business world extends to innovative healthcare solutions, as evidenced by his leadership in companies such as Applied UV, Inc., and MEDITE Cancer Diagnostics, and extends to the tech frontier in firms developing groundbreaking medical devices and treatments.
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A Trustee Emeritus of The Langley School and a former Trustee at Georgetown Day School and the Union Institute & University, Mr. Kanter's expertise in governance is nationally recognized with his certification as a Governance Fellow by the National Association of Corporate Directors.
At the helm of the Black Student Fund and The Coalition To Stop Gun Violence, he champions educational equity and public health initiatives. His recent naming as chair of the Kennedy Center places him at the forefront of one of the nation's key cultural hubs, highlighting his vision for an educational future where the arts play a pivotal role in student development.
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Tisha Jones
Senior Advisor of Content
Math Learning Center
Atlanta, GA
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Tisha Jones has been an educator for 15 years in both public and private sectors. She is currently developing math curriculum for under represented communities. Throughout her time in education, she has taught in grades from K-7. She has a special affinity for mathematics and delivered a TEDx talk titled Insπre: Rethinking the Purpose of Math Education. She has also had the pleasure of serving as a math specialist in her last two schools.
She earned her B.S. in Elementary Education from Florida A&M University, her M.S. in Educational Psychology from GA State University, and is currently working on her Ph.D. in Elementary Education, where she has focused on mathematics and equity in education, from GSU. She deeply believes that all children should be receiving an anti-racist education.
Kyla Byas- Smith
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Kyla is an experienced Principal with a Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) focused in Early Childhood Education and Teaching from Georgia State University. She has demonstrated evidence of garnering high outputs for both staff and student outcomes as well as strong education professional skills within project management, curriculum development & design, professional learning development & delivery, leadership coaching, and staff management.
In addition to her educational experience she also holds expertise within the fields of International Relations, Policy Analysis, Education Policy, Diplomacy, and Data due to her Undergraduate Degree in International Studies from Spelman College.
Principal
KIPP Charter School
Atlanta, GA
Diana Suber
Senior Legal Counsel
Employment Law Solution
Atlanta, Georgia
Ms. Suber is a Senior Counsel at the Employment Law Solution. She has over twenty years of legal experience in both the private and public sectors. Immediately prior to working for the ELS, she served as an Assistant Regional Counsel for the Social Security Administration, defending disability claims filed in federal court. Earlier in her career, Ms. Suber worked as an employment defense attorney at two large law firms—Jones Day and McGuireWoods— practicing all aspects of employment law defense, including litigating matters arising under federal and state anti-discrimination laws, conducting fact investigations, troubleshooting, and counseling clients conducting business in a wide range of industries. She also served for over a decade as an appellate staff attorney for the Honorable Justice Robert Benham of the Supreme Court of Georgia where she honed her expertise in high-level legal research, analysis, and opinion writing. Ms. Suber uses her wealth of knowledge and career experience to obtain satisfactory results for ELS clients.
Ms. Suber received her law degree from Harvard Law School and her bachelor’s degree from Emory University.
Tamara Chambers
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Tamika Chambers is a VP at NWEA and has over 10 years of diverse experience in K-12 educational settings. She has spent time as a classroom teacher, principal, district administrator, assessment director and professional development director.
She is continuing her career supporting K-12 education through her work with a nonprofit organization, focusing on assessments and instructional resources in schools. In her past and present roles she has been successful at developing strategic school-wide plans related to school improvement, assessment transformation, expansion of curriculum and turnaround school efforts.
Currently, she presents at multiple national and regional conferences sharing information on the effects of assessments on K-12 education, various professional development topics and supporting executive leadership. Tamika is most excited about coming back to consult in Illinois, because she attended Graduate School at Governor’s State University, and wanted to focus on building better educational leadership opportunities in Illinois.
Vice President
NWEA
Atlanta, GA