A non-partisan, national alliance dedicated to sharing resources and information to support, promote and strengthen state school boards associations

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Urban Boards Alliance

The Consortium of State School Boards Association (COSSBA) offers at no additional cost the Urban Boards Alliance (UBA) resources to support school board members in creating educational strategies and sharing best practices that address and improve the educational outcomes of students within challenging environments. The UBA recognizes that these challenging environments and issues are not unique to only urban school districts and encourages participation from rural and suburban school districts as well. UBA works to provide resources to address equity, literacy, student achievement barriers, broadband access, drug and alcohol abuse, and school violence through its annual symposium, special events, webinars, podcasts, and online information.

Urban Boards Alliance Advisors

Gina Patterson, Chair (Executive Director, Virgina Schools Boards Association)
Jamie Devine (Richland County School District One, South Carolina)
Ray Freeman (Warrensville Heights City Schools, Ohio)
Dr. Steve Gallon III (Miami-Dade County Public School District, Florida)
Dr. Tammy Grissom (Executive Director, Tennessee School Boards Association)
Rodney Jordan (Norfolk City Public Schools, Virginia)
Cecil Lizana (Pass Christian Public School District, Mississippi)
Erika Mitchell (Atlanta Public Schools, Georgia)
Michelle Robinson McKissack (Memphis-Shelby County School District, Tennessee)
Sheila Nelson (Board of Directors of Illinois Association of School Boards)
Valerie Wilson (Executive Director, Georgia School Boards Association)
Dr. Michelle Yener (North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale ISD 622, Minnesota)
Ray Murphy (Richards R-V School District, Missouri)
Jennifer Thompson (Cherokee Central School, North Carolina)

The UBA Advisors provide recommendations to COSSBA on areas such as programming, program review, and training.