Dr. Kenita Williams joined the Southern Education Foundation in 2017 and serves as the Chief Operating Officer. In her role, Kenita is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day administrative and operational functions of the organization, as well as the implementation of the programmatic priorities. Additionally, Kenita represents SEF’s values and efforts to key external stakeholders, and serves as a thought partner to the president/CEO—helping to create the organizational systems, processes, and culture that set the team forth on clear pathways to ensure that SEF is as catalytic and impactful as possible. Kenita brings a wide range of knowledge and critical experience to SEF, having held positions in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Over the course of her career, Kenita served as the Partnerships Manager for Atlanta Public Schools and as Senior Program Manager for Public Policy at the Southeastern Council of Foundations (SECF). She spent several years as a consultant for JFM Consulting Group, and worked on Capitol Hill as a legislative correspondent for then-Senator Barack Obama. Kenita is also a Teach for America (TFA) alumna and spent three years teaching third grade in Atlanta. Kenita earned her B.A. in Political Science and History from Yale University, her Master of Public Policy from the University of Michigan–Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, a teaching certificate from Georgia State University, and her Doctor of Education from Johns Hopkins University.