Five-day ™

As President and Chief Executive Officer of UnboundEd, Lacey Robinson sets the organization’s vision for equity-driven national change as she carries the pride and tears of her enslaved ancestors and the native sons and daughters of this sacred land to this work. While continually monitoring the design, delivery, and quality of UnboundEd’s antiracist work, Robinson concurrently maintains the nonprofit’s health, sustainability and future-driven vision for what teaching and learning can be in the 21st century. 

Robinson engaged with industry partners to support standards-aligned, content-focused, equity-driven adult professional learning and development from the organization’s infancy as its Chief of Program and Engagement. She also supported vital design and execution elements for UnboundEd’s signature professional learning opportunity, the illustrious Standards Institute. Robinson’s contributions led to the rapid growth of the organization and positioned UnboundEd as industry leaders. Robinson spearheaded migrating this work into a virtual space during the pandemic to meet the needs of educators.

As a teacher, principal, and staff development specialist, Robinson maintained a focus on literacy, equity, and school leadership for more than two decades. Her life’s work aims to help educators in school systems disrupt systemic racism and all of its legacies in classrooms. Inspired by Langston Hughes, her path is to build temples for tomorrow, as strongly and bravely as she knows how, and to ensure that future generations can stand freely within themselves to be whomever they choose to be. As CEO, Robinson pursues this passion by leading an organization known for the highest integrity in professional development.

Dr. Pamela Seda is an educational consultant with over 30 years of educational experience.  She is the owner of Seda Educational Consulting, creator of The VANG Game math card game, and co-author of the book, Choosing to See: A Framework for Equity in the Math Classroom. Dr. Seda has held various positions in mathematics education including high school mathematics teacher, math instructional coach, college math instructor, and district math supervisor.  She currently serves as the Professional Learning Director for NCSM Leadership in Mathematics Education, and Treasurer for the Benjamin Banneker Association. Dr. Seda is passionate about changing how students experience mathematics, especially those from marginalized groups, and advocates for mathematics instruction that develops all students as mathematical thinkers and problem-solvers.

Gyasi Ross (Blackfeet) is an essayist and writer, poet and speaker, lawyer and activist. Through a life of service, listening and living within Native communities, Gyasi profoundly understands the needs of his people and has dedicated his life to forging change within his communities.

Part of Gyasi's mission is raising the profile of the reservation populace, often viewed with ignorance as a shadowy world, as well as instilling a sense of pride amongst the people. He has taken his message to hundreds of colleges and universities, high schools and community venues nationwide.

"My point in everything is helping my community and the various populations therein to influence the systems that affect them. My goal in life is about mentorship, about figuring out how to instruct others to fulfill their purpose and understand the sense of self-awareness and application of spirituality to everyday life. To understand that we are worthwhile: economically, politically, educationally, and spiritually. We have a lot to offer."

Ross is the author of two books, “Don't Know Much about Indians (but I wrote this book about us anyways)” (2011) and “How to Say I Love You in Indian” (2013). "I come from a family of storytellers. My family tells long stories, drinking coffee and blowing smoke in your face. It just fit for me to tell stories, and then I started writing them. My standard for writing stories is, if I can't explain it to my niece or nephew, or my grandpa who dropped out of school then I need to understand this topic better. People have a love affair with over-academicizing things."

Ross has written for Huffington Post, Indian Country Today, Deadspin and Gawker and is often tapped to appear on various talk shows and news programs (including MSNBC and ESPN) on topics about Indian Country and beyond (immigration, climate change, sports). Ross is in demand as a speaker at conferences on race and social justice as well as speaking at colleges and universities nationwide on a variety of topics. He also speaks to and mentors young people to encourage confidence in the future and to address the epidemic of adolescent and teen suicide in Indian Country.

Ross’ latest project is a spoken word/hip hop CD, “Isskootsik (before here was here)” which recently debuted at number five on college radio hip hop charts.

While still utilizing his skills as a Columbia Law School graduate, Gyasi continues in the family business of working within the community and telling his people's stories. Always believing in his mission, Ross first and foremost just wants things to be right with the complex world of the Indian nations. "Gratification is internal and I'm comfortable with that," Ross says, "I'm just trying to figure out how to help my folks."

Popularized as the "Handshake Teacher", Barry White Jr. is a top tier educator in the North Carolina school system, teaching 5th graders of Ashley Park Elementary School in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mr. White earned his Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Claflin University, and is also a distinguished member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

As an educator for the past three years, Mr. White has made it his mission to build relationships with students and create a family oriented atmosphere, where students can be assured that their voice matters. He strives to inspire through innovative teaching practices, and by nurturing creativity amongst young scholars.

In 2016, Mr. White discovered that a practice he'd implemented as a sign of trust between he and his students had gone viral. Mr. White's increasing popularity stemmed from the recording, which depicted him giving personalized handshakes to each of his students, attracting attention all over the world. His purpose--to stress the importance of individuality and the positive impact that giving individualized attention to each student can have.

Mr. White has also been featured in the Charlotte Observer, highlighting his efforts as co-founder for the Ashley Park Blue Wings Step Team: the school's first ever step team, consisting of 4th - 8th grade students. It is his goal to create opportunities that will generate collegiate interests amongst students and propel them to strive for sights and adventures beyond their local surroundings.

Barry White Jr. has been instrumental in youth empowerment, encouraging youth to utilize their personal platforms and gifts to motivate and inspire others. He believes in pushing children to be global leaders, fostering both global and cultural awareness. Mr. White aims to continue his career in educational leadership, with plans of becoming a school principal in the coming years. Barry has also founded an organization, the Barry White Jr. Foundation, where he will be a direct liaison for educators, providing tips on enhancing the learning experience for students, capitalizing on the various learning styles.

Tanji Reed Marshall, Ph.D., is the senior practice associate for P-12 literacy, leading Ed Trust’s Equity in Motion literacy assignment analysis work.

Prior to joining Ed Trust, Tanji worked in the Office of Academic Programs at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University to prepare the school of education’s accreditation with the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. Before that, she supported prospective secondary English teachers who were working to obtain licensure through the school of education.

Before joining Virginia Tech, Tanji worked as a district-level literacy specialist in Charlotte–Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina, where she supported middle schools across the district to refine their literacy practices. She also worked to prepare the district as they transitioned to Common Core standards. Additionally, as a Title I literacy coach, Tanji worked with targeted schools to improve literacy instruction for traditionally underserved students. Her career also includes elementary and middle school classroom teaching in North Carolina and New Jersey, which has allowed her opportunities to consult with school districts across the country to refine and focus teacher practice on literacy and to strengthen student achievement — with an emphasis on traditionally underserved students.

Tanji holds a doctorate in curriculum and instruction, with an emphasis on teacher practice with high-achieving African American students, from Virginia Tech; a master’s degree in English education, with a focus on critical literacy, from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte; and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Boston College.