Fellows

Clinnesha Sibley is an award-winning writer, published author, community advocate, and educator. A native of McComb, Mississippi, she has taught Playwriting and African-American theatre courses for the University of Arkansas and the College of Charleston.

Jonathan Samuel Eddie is a fourth generation educator with a passion for youth empowerment, creative expression, and community building. A teaching artist, spoken word comedian, actor, activist, and writer, Jonathan is a graduate of Georgia Southern University.

For over 10 years, Joya Brandon’s classroom experience has traversed across various secondary schools in the Bay Area such as West Oakland Middle School and Roots International Academy. Joya began teaching in the Social Justice Academy at San Leandro High School in 2018 using a decolonized pedagogical stance

As a student of the New York City Department of Education, Kristina Thompson witnessed firsthand the things that worked really well and the things that did not work at all. Instead of leaving the gaps to fix themselves, Kristina decided to become a teacher and made it a point to return to her neighborhood to teach. She has been an educator with the New York City Department of Education since 2016.

Lisanne Shaffer is an Assistant Professor of Theater Education and Theater for Youth at East Carolina University. She received a BFA in Musical Theater from East Carolina University in 2003. While studying Musical Theater at ECU, she completed a two-year training in the Sanford Meisner technique. She received her MS in Educational Theater from the City College of New York in 2015.

Timothy Jones is a writer, trainer, educator, ordained minister, and pundit of Hip-Hop and youth development.