Educational Equity Council
The Educational Equity Council was formed in 2023 through House Bill 188 with House Amendment 1 for the purpose of providing input and oversight into the Education Equity Ombudsperson Program and to study and recommend solutions to ongoing or systemic equity problems. For general inquiries related to the Educational Equity Council, please email educationequity@delaware.gov.
The Delaware Education Equity Ombudsperson Program (DPEOP) assists students and families to advocate and resolve educational disputes. To learn more about the DPEOP, click here.
The duties of the Council are as follows:
- To work with the Department of State to annually develop a request for proposal or renewal for the Education Equity Ombudsperson.
- To approve the awarding of the contract for the Education Equity Ombudsperson Program. The Council may appoint a subcommittee to review and consult with the Department of State on the award of the contract for the Education Equity Ombudsperson Program.
- To meet at least twice each year to review the operation and effectiveness of the Education Equity Ombudsperson Program.
- To provide recommendations to the Education Equity Ombudsperson Program to improve its effectiveness.
- To provide recommendations to the General Assembly and the Department of Education to improve equity in the public educational system.
The Council is composed of the following voting and non-voting members or their designees:
Voting Members
Dr. Doris Griffin, Chair
Appointed by Chair of the Senate Education Committee
Rony Baltazar-Lopez
Secretary of State’s designee
Tyeisha Grier
Appointed by Chair of the Senate Education Committee
Dr. Jessica Heesh Mensack
Appointed by Chair of the House Education Committee
Dr. Lisa Lawson
Appointed by Governor
Margie Lopez Waite
Appointed by Governor
Representative Sherae’a Moore
Appointed by Speaker of the House
Jalyn Powell
Appointed by Chair of the Senate Education Committee
Fleur McKendall, Vice Chair
Appointed by Chair of the Senate Education Committee
Tonya Frazier
Appointed by Chair of the House Education Committee
Tika Hartsock
Appointed by Chair of the House Education Committee
Kanika Jackson
Appointed by Chair of the House Education Committee
Senator Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman
Appointed by President Pro Tempore of the Senate
Jose Matthews
Appointed by Chair of the Senate Education Committee
Representative Charles Postles, Jr.
Appointed by Speaker of the House
Senator David Wilson
Appointed by President Pro Tempore of the Senate
Non-voting members
Michelle Allman
Appointed by Chair of the Senate Education Committee
Dr. Susan Brown
Appointed by Governor
Janine Clark
Appointed by Chair of the House Education Committee
Ade Kuforiji
Appointed by Chair of the House Education Committee
Dr. Aaron Bass
Appointed by Governor
Dr. Kelly Carvajal-Hageman
Appointed by Chair of the Senate Education Committee
Dr. Kirsten Jennette
Appointed by Chair of the House Education Committee
James Simmons
Secretary of Education’s designee
Public Meetings
Past and upcoming meetings of the Educational Equity Council can be found by clicking here.
General Inquiries
For general inquiries, please email educationequity@delaware.gov or call the Secretary of State’s Office at (302) 739-4111.
FOIA Requests
To make a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request regarding the Educational Equity Council, click here. All FOIA requests for the Council are handled by the Office of the Secretary of State via the state FOIA portal.
