Speaker Bios
Keynote & Conversation
John White
Louisiana State Superintendent of Education
​
John White was named Louisiana State Superintendent of Education in January of 2012. That year he launched Louisiana Believes, the state’s plan to ensure every child is on track to a college degree or a professional career. In the time since, White has worked to unify the state’s fragmented early childhood system, to modernize curriculum, to professionalize the preparation . of educators, to provide pathways to prosperity for all high school graduates, and to provide families with expansive school options irrespective of their financial means.
​
Louisiana Believes includes nationally recognized initiatives such as Early Childhood Networks, Louisiana Teacher Leaders, ELA Curriculum Guidebooks, the Believe and Prepare Teacher Residency, and Jump Start career education. Superintendent White and his team have also led the post-Katrina renovation and unification of schools in New Orleans and the creation of the Baton Rouge Achievement Zone.
​
Prior to being named State Superintendent, White served as Superintendent of the Louisiana Recovery School District. He previously worked under Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel Klein as Deputy Chancellor for the New York City Department of Education and served as Executive Director of Teach For America – Chicago and Teach For America – New Jersey. He began his career as an English teacher at William L. Dickinson High School in Jersey City, New Jersey. White received a B.A. in English with distinction from the University of Virginia and a Master's in Public Administration from New York University. He serves as chairman of the independent non-profit advocacy organization Chiefs for Change and is an Academic Visitor to the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Dr. Kelli Peterson
Senior Equity and Accountability Officer for Orleans Parish School Board
​
Dr. Kelli Peterson was born and raised in Flint, Michigan. After completing her bachelor’s degree in
2006 at Spelman College (Atlanta, GA), Dr. Peterson decided it was time to move forward by pursuing a vision that had been resting on her heart since she was young. She had no idea that this desire would change the trajectory of her life’s work forever.
While teaching first grade students at an Excellence Charter School of Uncommon Schools, an all-boys charter school in Brooklyn, New York; Peterson learned that her passion would not only be found in teaching and serving students, but in a cultural mission to aid others through diversifying the field of education. Peterson then enrolled and graduated from the University of Illinois –Urbana-Champaign with a Masters of Education in Educational Administration.
​
With a thirst to continue her educational goals, Peterson took to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue her Doctoral Degree (in Curriculum Planning) at Tennessee State University. Dr. Peterson simultaneously obtained a position as Assistant Principal of a Nashville elementary school, East End Preparatory Academy. As the instructional leader, Peterson lead the third-grade cohort of students to achieve 4th out of 74 public elementary schools in Davidson County in the content area of Science, 6th in the content area of Mathematics, and 16th in the area of Reading. Her daily walks up and down the hallways of that elementary brought her to yet another cupidity. “I always noticed the lack of people that looked like me.” – Dr. Kelli Peterson. It was a course in Multicultural Diversity during Dr. Peterson’s matriculation at Tennessee State University that sparked the idea of I See Me—a book designed for pre-readers that uses sight words and patterned text to provide minority students with a school that resembles them. This book and the mission behind it, are fueled by Dr. Peterson’s efforts to alleviate inadequate educational opportunities for students of color. This also became the foundation for Dr. Peterson’s dissertation, “A Qualitative Study Exploring the Lived Experiences of African American K-12 Teachers That Remain In The Teaching Profession.”
​
Dr. Peterson has served in the capacity as an elementary school teacher, middle school teacher, school administrator, district charter school authorizer, and now has the pleasure of serving as the Senior Equity and Accountability Officer for the Orleans Parish School Board. Dr. Peterson’s committees, affiliations, and awards include: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society, Golden Key Honor Society, Spelman College Alumnae Association, and The Links, Inc. Peterson was recognized as one of Nashville’s Top 30 Under 30 in 2014.