Our Staff

Cedric Thompson

Chairperson 

Cedric Thompson serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Innovation, Research, and Transformation in Education. He has 15 years in education ranging from classroom teacher to area superintendent. He has served schools in several of America’s wonderful urban districts including Chicago, Washington, DC, and Detroit, and has led in various roles to ensure delivery of high quality teaching and learning in the academic core as well as career and workforce programs. Prior to this, Mr. Thompson served as the Deputy Chief of Schools at Chicago Public Schools where he managed a portfolio of schools serving a diverse population of students, teachers, and learning needs. From 2012-2014, he served as the Deputy Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning within the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education at the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) in Washington, DC. Mr. Thompson completed his Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Benedict College in South Carolina and a Masters of Education from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Treasurer

Kortney Grant currently serves as Vice President of Global Consumer Banking and Private Banking at one of America’s “Big Four” banks. There, his leadership focus is on big data management. In addition to his professional career, Mr. Grant is passionate about entrepreneurship for himself and others. In 2019, Kortney founded his second business venture, Carolina Canyon Corporation (3C Group), a Washington DC-based financial-asset management company. It is the mission of the 3C Group to provide financial readiness support that impacts individuals’ financial literacy while creating legacy opportunities for an underserved demographic.    Mr. Grant holds a master’s degree in business administration from The University of South Florida, and master’s degree in human resources from Webster University, and a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Benedict College, while being Certified in both Agile Project Management and Lean Six Sigma. 

Secretary

Nathan Warner is the Deputy Director of Operations for the American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia, the local affiliate of the ACLU which works to defend and preserve civil liberties for Washington, DC. In this role, he manages key organization operational functions including finance, human resources, technology, and staff development, as well as helping guide overall organization budget and strategy. Prior to joining the ACLU of DC, Nathan served as an educator for ten years, most recently serving as an assistant principal with DC Public Schools at a high-poverty elementary and middle school. During his five years as a school administrator, he led his school to triple achievement gains in literacy, improve student satisfaction by 20%, and receive recognition as winner of the 2020 Equity Award, which honors school-wide commitment to recognizing bias, reducing disparities, and increasing opportunity for at-risk students and students of color. While teaching in Las Vegas, he learned fluent Spanish during the summer break in order to communicate effectively with the parents and community of the largely Latino/a student body. He previously served as a medic in the Nevada Army National Guard and has volunteered with the Red Cross, mutual aid groups, and other community organizations.

Board Member 

Iris Bond Gill is the chief executive officer of IBG Consulting Group. An established education and policy leader, she is known as a dynamic Professional Developer, Educator, Entrepreneur, Advocate, and Student Champion. Ms. Bond Gill has a strong background in education and youth policy, having served as a senior leader at the national policy level and as an assistant superintendent at the state education level. She is committed to professional development and closing achievement and opportunity gaps and never waivers in her commitment to equity and continuous improvement; both on the macro-level of a system and on the micro-level of an individual leader. Ms. Bond Gill has worked directly with schools and system leaders to advance improvement initiatives and understands that better solutions come from groups who are closest to the work, with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. She currently provides leadership training, coaching, and consulting across the country in addition to providing anti-racism training specifically to build culturally proficient leaders. Ms. Bond Gill received a Bachelor of Science from Arizona State University and a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University.

Board Member

Cubie A. Bragg, Ph.D., DAC, NCC., LICSW, LCPC is a licensed counselor and psychotherapist. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, and he is a full-time faculty member in the Department of Counseling at Bowie State University. He is also Director of the Adler-Dreikurs Institute of Human Services and coordinator of the Adlerian Counseling Psychology Program at Bowie State University. He is an internationally known lecturer, and a national doctoral addiction counselor and therapist. He is certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc., and is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in the District of Columbia. Dr. Bragg has completed extensive research in stress management, depression, and anxiety disorders. He serves as a reviewer for several national journals and is the recipient of numerous awards for his outstanding work with youth and child care workers. Dr. Bragg is the Owner and Chief Executive Officer of Bragg Training Consultants and President of The Family Education Center of Metropolitan Washington. He has published independently, with peers and graduate students. He has also co-authored conference papers, thesis manuals, developed new courses, and written grants. He currently serves on various boards and committees at Bowie State University and the community at large. He continues to present scholarly papers at several professional conferences and maintains applied skills via consulting in his areas of expertise. 

Are you interested in joining our Board of Directors? Contact Raeshawn Crosson at rcrosson@are-inc.org

Please review board description here.