Umoja Welcomes New CEO
A message from our Board President, Dr. Darla Cooper
It is with great pleasure that I share that the Umoja Community Education Foundation has selected Dr. Eric Mayes to be our next Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer!
Dr. Mayes comes to us as a highly accomplished and proactive management professional with a wealth of experience in higher education and nonprofit sectors. Currently serving as an Executive Scholar in Residence and Professor at Johns Hopkins University, he is actively involved in a significant US Department of Education grant aimed at enhancing student outcomes in underprivileged schools. With past roles, including Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Institutional Research at Lawrence University, Executive Director and Associate Professor at the University of Arkansas, and Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Mayes has a strong background in developing inclusive pedagogy, educational equity programs, and leadership training initiatives.
His contributions as a national program director at the Children's Defense Fund involved successfully expanding national service learning and civic engagement programs, as well as securing substantial funding. Additionally, his experience at Wayne State University involved leading research projects, budget management, and driving organizational change. Dr. Mayes also brings valuable insight from his previous role as Dean of Students and Technology Integration Coordinator in a public charter school, where he championed a positive school culture. Overall, Dr. Mayes' diverse and extensive background positions him as a highly qualified Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer ready to make a transformative impact at the Umoja Community Education Foundation.
Dr. Mayes will start his position on August 1. Stay tuned for opportunities to engage with our new Executive Director in the coming months.
I hope you will join in our excitement as we begin a new chapter for Umoja with Dr. Mayes.
