Academy Information
Join the premier leadership experience designed to empower school board members with the knowledge, strategies, and networks needed to drive systemic change. The NSBA/Howard University School Board Governance Academy is a rigorous and transformative program focused on policy development, budgeting, and superintendent evaluation, ensuring school boards lead with excellence and impact.
Why Attend?
- Strategic Policy Development – Craft and implement policies that drive equity, student achievement, and system-wide excellence.
- Effective Budgeting – Align financial decisions with student success, ensuring fiscal responsibility and equity-driven resource allocation.
- Superintendent Evaluation Mastery – Leverage best practices to hold leadership accountable while fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
Lead Partner
Course Details
Outcomes:
- Deepen your understanding of effective governance through real-world national urban district examples.
- Engage in collaborative problem-solving to address pressing challenges in education policy and equity.
- Build lasting relationships with board colleagues nationwide, exchanging best practices and insights.
- Walk away with model policies and actionable strategies that make an immediate impact in your district.
Elevate your governance. Transform your district. Ensure every child thrives.
Sponsoring Partners
Academy Sponsor
Verjeana McCotter-Jacobs, Esq.
Verjeana McCotter-Jacobs brings extensive leadership experience in the education sector, having served as Chair of the Board of Education for Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland — one of the nation’s largest school districts — for more than a decade.
During her time as a school board member, she served as president of the Maryland Association of Boards of Education and Chair of NSBA’s Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE), demonstrating an unwavering commitment to promoting excellence and equity in education and working tirelessly to enhance educational outcomes for all students. During her time on the school board, McCotter-Jacobs worked for more than 20 years for the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections, retiring as the Division Chief of the Office of Professional Responsibility and Legal Affairs at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. She maintains license to practice law in Maryland and the District of Columbia.
McCotter-Jacobs began her tenure at NSBA in 2017, leading the organization’s change around member engagement, as well as building upon the organization’s progress in member services, equity, and social justice to identify discriminatory practices, prejudices, and beliefs in education policy. Under her leadership, NSBA’s CUBE experienced triple-digit growth. She was named NSBA’s Chief Transformational Officer in 2020 and Deputy Executive Director in August 2022.
Academy Leaders
Dr. Shawn Joseph
Dr. Shawn Joseph’s passion for education has led him to serve in a number of roles in the world of education. Currently, he is an assistant professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Howard University, and he is a senior associate at Hazard, Young, Attea, and Associates.
Dr. Shannon R. Waite
Dr. Waite is an educational leader with over two decades of experience and holds a doctoral degree in educational leadership from Fordham University. Currently serving as an Assistant Professor at Howard University in the School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies, Dr. Waite is a scholar-activist-researcher.
Micah Ali
Throughout his years of service, Ali has been at the forefront of efforts to advance education equity for all students. He works with school districts and education leaders across the United States with a particular focus on helping school boards operationalize equity and high student expectations in order to secure real and measurable improvements in student achievement, student opportunity, fiscal administration, and board governance.
