Leadership

Traci Adams, Executive Director

Traci is a native North Carolinian, having grown-up in Monroe, NC. She has lived in our area for twenty-six years, is married and a mother of five children, with her youngest being a middle school student. Traci is a passionate advocate for excellent education, especially for children of color. She attended public school and achieved a BA from Yale University and a JD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law. Her children, ranging in age from eleven to twenty-six years old, have attended both public and independent schools and have also been homeschooled. Her oldest child graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and she has two other children currently in college, one at Oberlin College and the other at NC State.

Traci joined Students to Scholars in January 2023 as the Academic Program Manager. Her previous work experience includes being the Executive Director of Durham Community Preschool; being a Case Law Editor at LexisNexis; and, while raising her children, volunteering in many PTA positions at her children’s schools.

Outside of education, Traci enjoys camping trips with her family, running, playing tennis, and reading murder mysteries.

Board of Directors

Chelsea Neilsen

Co-Chair

cnielsen@students2scholars.org

Chelsea Nielsen began with Students to Scholars as a volunteer, then a board member, and now co-chair because of her interest in helping students access educational opportunities. Her passion for education is rooted in her deep love of learning, which drove her to pursue degrees in Biology and Anthropology at the University of Miami and now a Master of Environmental Management and Juris Doctor at Duke University. Before moving to Durham, she was a teaching assistant and tutor in subjects from reading to university physics. She then worked in museum collections, facilitating internship programs at the Frost Museum of Science in Miami and the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum in the Florida Everglades. Seeing students flourish strengthened her commitment to helping maximize their potential, drawing her to Students to Scholars. Chelsea‘s experience working with young students and diverse communities complements the organization’s commitment to preparing local students for success.

Khari Williams

Co-Chair

kwilliams@students2scholars.org

Khari grew up in Durham, NC, graduated from Durham Academy and then from the University of Virginia, where he studied commerce. Following graduation, Khari lived in Washington DC and Nashville TN before returning to Durham. Khari’s career is in technology and he currently serves as a Senior R&D Program Manager at Pendo.io in Raleigh. Outside of work, Khari has dedicated his time to giving back to his local community in Durham, serving as a Success Coach for the Durham Success Summit, as an Assistant Varsity Basketball Coach at his high school, Durham Academy, and as a member of the Alumni Board at DAl. Khari joined the Board of Directors of Students to Scholars because he loved his Durham Academy experience and wants to help other minority students enjoy their independent school experience. He wishes there had been support groups like Students to Scholars to help him with the transition into DA from his middle school so he wants to make sure that other students like him can have a resource to help make their transition independent schools a good one and to help them maximize their potential and opportunity.

Allan Berliant

Vice-Chair

aberliant@students2scholars.org

Allan spent the bulk of his career in finance as an institutional money manager. He has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from the University of Chicago. Currently, he volunteers as an academic tutor and is a member of the Board of Directors of The Boys & Girls Clubs of Durham and Orange Counties

Meriel Parker

Secretary

mparker@students2scholars.org

Meriel originates from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, though her family’s roots run deep in North Carolina. After a well-established career in clinical research, healthcare administration and entrepreneurial ventures, she relocated to Greensboro, North Carolina to work as Director of Life Science Research at North Carolina A&T State University’s Division of Research and Economic Development. Representing the university as its research partnership liaison with Chapel Hill-based institutions such as University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and RTI International, she ultimately relocated to the triangle area. Subsequently, she worked with clinicians around the world, managing scientific programs for the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis. In 2023, she decided to pursue her entrepreneurial passions and launched a nonprofit organization designed help patients battling a rare immune disease, Inclusion Body Myosistis; to access critically needed, life-extending mobility equipment. Her “to-do list” consists of a number of uniquely impactful projects but she considers her service to the Board of S2S “coming full circle.” In high school, she volunteered as a tutor at the Boys & Girls Club in Pontiac, MI. She later founded and led the Young Adult Committee (YAC) of the NAACP-North Oakland County Branch. Through those experiences, she learned the profound impact which results from taking active interest in a child’s education and work towards a culture of equity.

Meriel is an advocate for STEM exposure, bringing a Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan State University in Physiology and a Master of Science Degree from University of Detroit-Mercy in Biology. She recently earned a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University and is a graduate of NC Farm School. Her daughter, a freshman in high school, has proudly attended Durham Academy since 2nd grade.

Jessica Thornton

Treasurer

jthornton@students2scholars.org

Jessica’s expertise in business administration and finance began in college where she earned her B.A. degree from Shaw University and her MBA from Phoenix University. She is married and has two middle school boys. She now works in accounting in Durham where she has lived most of her life.

Jessica believes in the Students to Scholars mission of opportunity for middle school children and the confidence it brings to all of the students’ future endeavors.

Alphonzo M. Hedgepeth II

Board Member

ahedgepeth@students2scholars.org

Alphonzo was born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina. As a student who went to private, charter, and public schools, he has first-hand experience to contribute to S2S. He graduated from North Carolina Central University with a Bachelor’s in Accounting and is currently attending North Carolina Central University for his MBA in Wealth Management. While Alphonzo’s expertise is in accounting, ranging from tax services to trust services and beyond, he is dedicated to helping as many people as possible with the knowledge he has gained from accounting. When not working/assisting clients, Alphonzo enjoys spending time with his family and dogs, cooking, and playing chess. He is committed to helping Students to Scholars grow and to being a valuable resource to the board and the community.

Annise Weaver

Board Member

aweaver@students2scholars.org

Annise has over fifteen years of experience developing initiatives that better serve diverse populations. Annise serves as the Associate Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, and NC-PAL Education & Outreach Manager-Community of Duke University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Before joining Duke, Annise oversaw two mental health treatment programs that served largely Black and Latinx clients in New York City. Throughout Annise’s career, she has been a leader in spearheading initiatives to serve underrepresented students. Annise received her undergraduate degree from the University at Albany and her Master’s degree in Education of Science with a focus on Rehabilitation Counseling from Hunter College. Annise maintains a credential as a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. She received an award from New York State as the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor of the Year in 2014. Most recently, Annise received the Samuel DuBois Cook Society Staff Award for Duke University in 2022. She moved to the Triangle in 2019 and lives in Durham.

Leisha DeRiso

Board Member

leriso@students2scholars.org

Leisha has been in higher education for 16 years beginning as an Instructor at Louisiana Tech University in Louisiana until her recent position as Director of Pre-College High School Programs at Duke University in North Carolina. Much of her time in higher education has been dedicated to international students and global education as exemplified by her service as Director for the English Language Program at Clemson University and Managing Director of a new English Pathway Program at Louisiana State University, as well as through her national and regional presentations on the topic. Leisha is currently pursing her PhD in Higher Education Administration in hopes of bringing knowledge and solutions for leadership in the education of future leaders and global citizens. She is committed to ensuring equitable opportunities for all.

Takeasia McArn

Board Member

tmcarn@students2scholars.org

Takeasia is a parent of a former Scholar. Her daughter, Asia, attended Duke School from grades 6-8 through Students to Scholars where she was an outstanding student. Takeasia understands the mission of Students to Scholars from a parents‘ perspective and from a teacher’s perspective since she is a teacher in Wake County. She earned her Bachelors of Science degree from North Carolina Central University in Family and Consumer Sciences. She lives in Briar Creek and loves traveling and shopping in her free time. Now the Programs Committee Chair, Takeasia uses her perspective as an S2S parent to create programs that are supportive of the students and families in their new schools.

Oscar Hernandez

Board Member

ohernandez@students2scholars.org

Oscar was born in Honduras and moved to New York as a pre-teen. Over ten years ago, he and his wife relocated to Durham, where they are raising two wonderful children. Their son is thriving in the 5th grade, and their daughter, a proud S2S graduate, is excelling in 10th grade.

Oscar has always had a passion for serving others, with more than a decade of experience in social services. Currently, he works as a school social worker, partnering with families to promote healthier habits and positive change.

Help promising students from overlooked communities succeed in middle school and be better prepared for success in high school and college. Your gifts of time, talent, and financial support change the trajectory of young lives!

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About Students to Scholars

Students to Scholars is a free program providing Durham and Orange county students with the opportunity to enroll and succeed in local, high-achieving independent middle schools that will prepare them for the college track in high school.

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PO Box 52022
Durham, NC 27717

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