Hiewet Senghor
Founder and CEO
Hiewet Senghor is a visionary leader who believes education is a critical vehicle for the advancement and self-determination of the African-American community. Specializing in nonprofit organizational development, Hiewet’s professional journey exemplifies her deep commitment to supporting the leadership of Black children and pioneering programs that serve those leaders. Hiewet is the Founder and CEO of the Black Teacher Collaborative (BTC), a nonprofit organization that believes in the genius and beauty of Black children and the unique role of Black teachers in cultivating those gifts. As the founder of BTC, Hiewet casts a bold vision for a Black-led education focused social entrepreneurship venture that works to build the mindsets, skills, and knowledge of Black teachers specific to the relationship between positive racial identity and learning and the development of Black children.
Hiewet is uniquely positioned to bring the important and innovative work of BTC to life. Her decision to start BTC leveraged her years of work of advancing the political and social conditions of Black people through traditional civil right organizations like the NAACP and the Children’s Defense Fund along with her solid grounding in the power and perils of education reform gained through six years in leadership at Teach for America. Hiewet is a proud graduate of Hampton University where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. She also completed graduate level work in Public Administration at the University of Georgia. Hiewet is a native of Atlanta, GA where she currently resides.
STAFF
AhMED LOGAN
Director of Strategy,
Analysis & Evaluation
Ahmed Logan is an experienced educator who seeks to positively impact the lives of young people through education. Ahmed has over eleven years of classroom teaching and non-profit experience. He began his career as a middle school English/Language Arts teacher in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ahmed’s non-profit experience includes service with Teach For America and OneGoal prior to joining the staff of Black Teacher Collaborative in November 2018. Ahmed received a Bachelor’s degree in African American Studies and a Master’s degree in Urban Education both from Eastern Michigan University.
WALLACE GRACE
Director of Innovation
Wallace brings over a decade of experience in education as an educator, practitioner, and researcher having worked in education non-profits, schools and districts across the nation. In his current role as Director of Innovation, Wallace contributes five years of experience using academic, applied and practitioner-based research in the design, implementation and innovation of school-based programs, as well as experience overseeing partnerships with schools to ensure high-quality program implementation that results in desired programmatic and student outcomes. In addition to serving as the Director of Innovation at BTC, Wallace is completing his doctoral studies in the Education Policy Studies program at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Wallace currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia.
DR. AYANNA Taylor, Ed.D.
Vice President of Program
and Innovation
Ayanna Taylor, Ed.D. has spent over 27 years as an educator and advocate for both Black teachers and Black students. Dr. Taylor joined the Black Teacher Collaborative in August of 2021 as the Vice President of Program & Innovation, where her primary focus will be on implementing programs that are designed to support and uplift Black teachers.
In previous roles, Dr. Taylor has been an in class instructor, guidance counselor, and consultant, working with schools and education focused nonprofit organizations to assess organizational needs and find innovative ways to improve student outcomes.
Dr. Taylor received her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, her Masters in Public Administration from Rutgers University, and her Doctorate of Education from New York University.