*Shayla will start the BES Fellowship in October 2026. BES Fellows have differentiated start dates to accommodate for varied authorizer timelines.
“I have a deep conviction that children should not have to leave their communities to access a high-quality education, nor should families have to choose between financial stability and educational opportunity. Communities are not simply places students come from. They are places students can contribute to, lead in, and help transform. That belief is foundational to the school I am working to build in Cleveland.”
Shayla was born and raised in Cleveland, OH, and her own educational journey is deeply connected to why she wants to found a school in this community. The youngest of five children and raised by two parents who both had a high school education, she became the first person in her family to attend and complete college and graduate school and is embarking on the journey of becoming the first doctor (Ed.D).
Education changed the trajectory of her life, but accessing a high-quality education came with a cost. She grew up at a time before the school choice options families have today and because of where she lived, accessing that opportunity meant sending her to a school outside of her community and taking on debt to afford it. As she grew older and eventually became an educator herself, she began to understand what that experience represented—how her zipcode determined the educational opportunities available and how her mother’s ability and willingness to make a significant personal sacrifice changed what she was able to access. This has stayed with her throughout her career.
Shayla has more than a decade of experience in K-12 education, serving as both a teacher and school leader. She has led at multiple areas of the school system, from classroom instruction and direct student support to instructional leadership, educator development, school improvement, family engagement, and district-level initiatives. As an administrator, she led work focused on strengthening instructional practice, using student data to improve outcomes, developing more responsive student-support systems, and building the capacity of educators. She also designed and led initiatives beyond the walls of her own building including launching a districtwide New Teacher Support Program to support new educators entering the profession.
Her leadership has also extended beyond the district level. She contributed to systems and policy change through her service on the Ohio Assessment for Educators Review Committee, bringing the perspective of a practitioner to conversations that influence the preparation and assessment of educators across the state. Across each of these experiences, the throughline has been the same for her: identifying barriers, building better systems, and expanding what is possible for students and communities.
Shayla earned her bachelor’s degree from Spelman College, her master’s degree in Education from Johns Hopkins University, and her Executive MBA from The Ohio State University. She is currently pursuing her Doctor of Education Leadership at Youngstown State University.
