Project Team Board
The Boggs Educational Center Project Team has established itself as a nonprofit group to continue planning the launch of their school. The Project Team board ensures that the development team adheres to management plan and implements the project and expenditure of grant funds according to federal and state requirements.
Project Team and Proposed School Board
Dr. Lumas Helaire received his B.A. in Psychology with honors from Morehouse College, where he was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate, and his Master of Science in Developmental Psychology and Doctorate in Education and Psychology from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor. He is a positive youth development practitioner working to empower adolescents and young adults through mentoring programs, projects and workshops aimed at personal, social and academic growth. He specializes in two areas: developing curricula (primarily for college preparatory programs) and designing and developing vision in the field of education. Lumas works as an assistant director for the Office of Academic and Multicultural Initiatives (OAMI) at the University of Michigan where he directs the college preparatory program GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs). There, he has developed relationships between the University of Michigan and middle schools and high schools in Detroit, Highland Park and Romulus for the past five years, leading a team of eight people in collaborations between GEAR UP, the schools and various community organizations to support a college-readiness culture in the school community.
Lumas is also co-creator of the THREADS (Truth Honor Respect Education And Development of Self) mentoring program. Upon graduation, he and his co-creator acquired the rights to the program from the University of Michigan. He has since designed and instituted THREADS at the Horizons Upward Bound (HUB) program. Lumas’s personal educational experiences, work in mentoring, and collaborating with educators at all levels have led him to expand his view of education. His current interest is to use his experiences and networks in education and other fields for holistic community revitalization anchored in schooling development.
Alice B. Jennings attained her B.A. at Michigan State University and her Juris Doctorate at Wayne State University Law School. She is a founder of the firm Edwards & Jennings, P.C., specializing in civil rights and employment law, where she has been a partner since 1981. Formerly, she worked as an associate attorney and partner at the firm Philo, Atkinson, Darling, Steinberg, Harper & Edwards, P.C., specializing in workers’ compensation and personal injury. She is a current member and former chairperson of the State Bar of Michigan, serving on the Civil Liberties Committee from 1994-1995.
She is affiliated with the National Conference of Black Lawyers, the Wolverine Bar Association, the Black Women Lawyers Association (received the Harriet Tubman Trail Blazer Award in 2007), and the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association (sustaining member). She has received an NAACP Legal Award. She has served as a pro bono trial attorney with Sugar Law Center and was involved in landmark case of NAACP v. John Engler, Governor, et al. The numerous boards Alice has served on include the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development, the Grace and James Lee Boggs Center to Nurture Community Leadership, the Subcommittee of Artist & Children Creating Community Together (coordinator), and Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice (DWEJ). She was general counsel for DWEJ, Detroit Summer, and Save Our Sons & Daughters (SoSad) and served on the legal committee for the Coalition to Save the City of Detroit Human Rights Ordinance. In addition, Alice has authored a number of articles and chapters addressing education, civil rights, and activism. Having had her six children educated in the city of Detroit and focusing her legal work on the rights of Detroiters, she is personally and professionally committed to improving educational opportunities for Detroit children with projects like BEC.
Patrick Crouch found his true calling in organic agriculture after graduating with a fine arts degree. Patrick has been with Earthworks Urban Farm/Capuchin Soup Kitchen since 2004. As Program Manager, Patrick oversees all programs, staff and interns. He directly oversees the farm, greenhouse and apiary and teaches monthly working lessons. Patrick is responsible for weekly Detroit Earthworks updates e-mails. He has been teaching urban gardening classes for the last eight years and assisted in the writing and development of the Urban Roots program, a community gardening training program. Patrick assisted in the development of a nine-month adult education program, the Earthworks Agriculture Training Program, and teaches many of the classes for it. He serves on the Detroit Agriculture Network Board as well as the Food Policy Council of the City of Detroit. Patrick’s commitment to working for safe food for all Detroiters will be an asset to our principles of sustainable living as well as social justice issues facing our community.
Yusef Shakur is the author of the book, The Window 2 My Soul: My Transformation from a Zone 8 Thug to a Father & Freedom Fighter, which tells his story of overcoming the odds of a fatherless home, an alcoholic and abusive mother and being mentored by criminals. Ultimately, it was that street life mentorship that led him to co-found a gang, which later contributed to his imprisonment before the age of 20. While in prison, he met his father who aided him in his journey to become a responsible adult. Since Yusef’s release from prison, he has achieved a great deal of personal success. He is a father, an activist and has earned his Associate’s degree. He has worked as a Head Start Assistant and Teacher and a Fatherhood Outreach Worker. In addition, Yusef works with Lakeshore Economic Coalition Detroit as a Youth Mentor Consultant and Ex-Offender Consultant and successfully co-owns and operates the Urban Network bookstore. Yusef shares his challenge and transformation in order to be a change agent for his community. His most recent initiatives include organizing a backpack and school supplies giveaway serving over 150 children; serving as chair of Helping Our Prisoners Elevate (H.O.P.E.), a prisoner advocacy organization, and providing mentorship through various programs that he has coordinated and facilitated.
Yusef has been recognized publicly, including certificates of "Special Tribute" from State Senator Hansen Clarke and State Representative Fred Durhal, the "Spirit of Detroit Award" from the Detroit City Council, a "Testimonial Resolution" from Detroit City Council, the 2009 "Silent Hero Award,” and the 2008 "Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony Social Activist Award.” Yusef is an asset to our board in that he can relate to many of the challenges our students and their families face. He believes that he can help us manage our school in holding that negative situations or influences a person encounters can be overcome through the transformation of oneself, an attitude he lives by and challenges others to embrace.
Phyllis Adkins has more than 35 years of experience in K-12 education, including administration, staff development, teaching, and developing community and business partnerships. She has worked with major corporations, city government and state government advocacy organizations and universities to find solutions to problems facing our schools, parents and educators in order to better educate the students in the Romulus Community School District. In January of 2011, she retired from the Romulus School district as the Dean of Academic Programs for Romulus Middle School. She was a member of the five person team of administrators who authored a $5.4 million grant that is funded by the Federal SIG Grant. Phyllis recently joined the University of Michigan’s Office of Academic and Multicultural Initiatives in their Gear Up Program as an administrative advisor.
Phyllis is a National Milken Educator from the great state of Michigan. She has received the Muth Award along with her staff for the improvement of an underperforming elementary school and the State Board’s Michigan’s Best Award for chairing a School/Community District Committee that developed the Compact for Achievement and Boys and Girls Club of Romulus in partnership with the city government, churches, parents, senior citizens, local business and the school district personnel. Phyllis holds an undergraduate degree from Western College of Miami University and an M.A. from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Most recently Phyllis was part of a district team participating in MCREL Training, a two year program in the area of Balanced Leadership through Wayne County RESA.
Klo Phillippi teaches at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Her research interests include early reading and writing and professional learning communities where University interns, mentor teachers and University instructors learn together. She teaches literacy courses at the undergraduate and graduate level, mentors doctoral students in her classes and has taught in the Elementary Master of Arts with Certification (ELMAC) program since it began in 1998. Much of her work focuses on the relationships between university and school districts, and the work of students in the field, particularly in areas of literacy and language arts. She currently works in a “focused school site” where her undergraduate teacher interns learn in elementary classrooms with mentor teachers and where she also teaches her courses. Phillippi taught all elementary grades as a classroom teacher and learning specialist. She received her undergraduate degree from Alma College and her MA and PhD from Michigan State University.