The Broad Center at Yale SOM Advisory Committee

President & CEO, Facing History & Ourselves

Desmond K. Blackburn, Ph.D, is the President & CEO of the global education non-profit Facing History & Ourselves (www.facinghistory.org). As President & CEO, Desmond is committed to Facing History’s mission to use the lessons of history to challenge teachers and students to stand up to bigotry and hate. Under his leadership he is excited to bring Facing History’s resources to more teachers, schools, districts, states, and networks, than ever before as well as nurture a workplace culture where staff are highly engaged and excited to build the mission and work of the organization.

Before joining Facing History, Desmond was Deputy Chancellor of School Leadership for the New York City Department of Education, the largest school system in the nation. In this role, he oversaw executive superintendents, all district and high school superintendents, in addition to the Office of School Culture, Climate, and Well-Being. Prior to that, Desmond served as CEO of the New Teacher Center, a national nonprofit that works to disrupt the predictability of educational inequities for systemically underserved students by accelerating educator effectiveness.

His career in education began in 1996 as a high school math teacher for Broward County Public Schools (BCPS). He rose through BCPS to serve as Assistant Principal, Principal, Director of School Improvement, Area Superintendent, and finally Chief of School Performance & Accountability. In 2015, he became the Superintendent of Schools for Brevard Public Schools, where his guidance led to the 10th highest graduation rate in the state, three schools earning the distinguished Blue Ribbon award, and two consecutive "A" ratings by the Florida Department of Education.

Desmond has served both state and national organizations, including the Florida Association of District School Superintendents (FADSS) and Chiefs For Change. He sits on the Board of Educational Resource Strategies, is a fellow at the Broad Academy and Pahara Institute, as well as an Advisory Committee Member for The Broad Center at the Yale School of Management. He received a BS in Mathematics from the University of Florida along with graduate degrees in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University (MS) and Florida Atlantic University (PhD).

He was born in Mt. Vernon, New York to parents, Desmond and Diana. He and his wife, Kelli, have been married for 25 years. They have two sons, Dean and Grant.

CEO, Leading Educators

Chong-Hao Fu is a career educator and former school leader who believes in the power of great teaching to help all young people access fair opportunity and achieve greatly. He has served as the CEO of Leading Educators since 2018.

Since joining Leading Educators 12 years ago as Chief Program Officer, Chong-Hao has led groundbreaking efforts to maximize the influence of our nation’s educators and accelerate instructional growth for students at the margins in some of the fastest-improving school systems in the country. He is a nationally recognized thought leader on teacher leadership and professional learning, equitable instructional practice, teacher diversity and pathways, and sustainable systems change.

Beyond Leading Educators, Chong-Hao is actively engaged in efforts to shape the future of teaching and learning as the co-chair of the Research Partnership for Professional Learning, an advisory board member for the ASU Next Education Workforce, and a steering committee member for the Coalition to Reimagine the Teaching Role. He also serves on the board of directors for the New Teacher Center and is a member of Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC) and the Pahara Institute Fellowship.

Before his time at Leading Educators, Chong-Hao was the founding principal at KIPP Sharpstown in Houston, Texas. He began his teaching career as a middle and high school math teacher in Greenville, Mississippi. In 2016, Chong-Hao was a finalist for the Teach for America Peter Jennings Award for Civic Leadership. He holds a B.A. from Yale University and an M.Ed. from National Louis University.

Partner, City Fund

Maura is a Partner with City Fund. She is co-founder of Education Forward DC where she served as CEO for six years, working with her team to ensure all students in Washington, DC have equitable access to great public schools. Maura began her career as a high school teacher in East Palo Alto, CA.

Originally from the New York City suburbs, Maura now lives in Washington, DC with her rescue pup Stella. Maura has a BA from Stanford University, a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Columbia University, and an MBA from Harvard University.

CEO, Baltimore City Public Schools

Throughout her career, Dr. Sonja Brookins Santelises has been guided by her core conviction, that – properly resourced and supported – every child can be successful, and that excellence in urban education is achievable at scale. She is now in her second term as Chief Executive Officer of Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools), to which she was first appointed on July 1, 2016. 

Early in her tenure Dr. Santelises launched “Building a Generation: City Schools’ Blueprint for Success” – a 5-year plan for realizing her vision for Baltimore City’s students. She established the first Office of Equity in Maryland in 2019, while also greatly expanding the role and resources dedicated to family and community engagement, as well as communications. Dr. Santelises also oversaw the opening of 24 new school buildings over six years under the 21st Century School Buildings Program – as well as the district’s first two “Net Zero” school buildings, which produce as much energy as they use every year. 

Dr. Santelises introduced new curriculum at both the K-8 and high school level, with an emphasis on building student knowledge that connects with their lived experiences. Following a multiyear review, in 2021 the district expanded and significantly realigned its career and technical education (CTE) programming to better focus on in-demand jobs that earn a living wage. 

During the COVID pandemic, Baltimore City Schools was among the first districts in the nation to open schools for in-person learning – thanks to the implementation of its nationally recognized school-based asymptomatic testing program. In September 2022 the district implemented the “Reconnect-Restore-Reimagine” program to accelerate student progress through the development of individual student learning plans and support the priorities of the Blueprint in a post-pandemic environment.

Dr. Santelises had previously served as Chief Academic Officer for City Schools from 2010-2013. Prior to returning to Baltimore, she served for three years as vice president for K-12 policy and practice at The Education Trust, a national nonprofit organization focused on closing the achievement gap. Prior to her arrival in Baltimore, Dr. Santelises was the assistant superintendent for teaching and learning/professional development in Boston Public Schools, where she subsequently served as the assistant superintendent of a network of 23 “pilot schools,” focused on improving the achievement of low-income students – and particularly students of color.

Dr. Santelises was a finalist for the 2020 Green-Garner Award, the nation's highest urban education honor recognizing outstanding contributions in urban education. She serves on the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Foundation and the Executive Committee of the Council of Great City Schools. Dr. Santelises was a founding board member of Ed Reports, and she is a board member of United Way of Central Maryland and Chiefs for Change.

Dr. Santelises is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Brown University. She holds a Master of Arts degree in education administration from Columbia University and a Doctor of Education in administration, planning and social policy from Harvard University. She has lived in Baltimore with her husband and three daughters since 2010.