Board of Directors
NeQuan McLean, President.
NeQuan (he/him) is a father of four children, an Elder at his church and is a long-standing community activist focused on improving the lives of children in his community. He is currently the president of the Community Education Council District 16 serving Bedford-Stuyvesant community in Brooklyn. He has served in this role for a decade. As the president of the Board of the ECC, he has mentored many parent leaders across all five boroughs. NeQuan has received numerous awards and accolades for his public service to the New York City Department of Education and the community of Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Shino Tanikawa, Treasurer.
Shino (she/her) is a mother of two daughters who graduated from the public school system in New York City. She has been a public education advocate for over two decades, including a 12-year tenure on the Community Education Council District 2 in Manhattan. She has also served on mayoral and city council task forces, such as the Blue Book Working Group, Fair Student Funding Task Force, School Siting Task Force, and School Diversity Advisory Group. She is one of the founding members of the ECC having joined in late 2013 when a group of parent leaders first came together.
Camille Casaretti, Secretary.
Camille (she/her) has served in numerous parent leadership roles, including PTA President, SLT Co-Chair, Community Education Council District 15 (Brooklyn) President, and currently as the Brooklyn Borough President’s Appointee to the Panel for Education Policy (PEP). As the president of the CEC 15, she has extensive knowledge of and a deep understanding of issues within her community school district. As the Brooklyn Borough President appointee, she has been steadily building relationships with parents across many neighborhoods in Brooklyn in order to represent their concerns and issues on the PEP. Camille chairs the ECC’s Policy Committee.
Lupita Figuera
Lupe (she/her/ella) was raised on Ohlone land. She is a direct descendant of the Yanomami Tribe of Venezuela and carries her Indigenous heritage into her lifelong commitment to community care and advocacy. Lupe began her service working alongside Mother Wright, supporting families facing housing and food insecurity and facilitating the Child Abuse Prevention Program for youth on and off Native reservations. She is also a parent leader and education advocate in NYC public schools. As a citywide community organizer; she advocates for Students with Disabilities and works closely with Regional Directors of Students in Temporary Housing to provide material, educational, and wellness support to housing-insecure families and newly arrived asylum seekers.
Jonathan Greenberg
Jonathan (he/him) lives in Jackson Heights, Queens, and is a parent of a high school student. He has served on school leadership teams and the community education council, where he served as president from 2021 to 2022. He is an advocate for an equitable school system in New York City. Jonathan is chair of the ECC’s School Governance Committee.
Eduardo Hernandez
Eduardo (he/him) is a veteran who served for 4 years in the Marine Corps and later earned his Bachelor of Engineering from CCNY and master’s and Doctorate degrees in Engineering from the CUNY Graduate Center. He has three daughters who attended NYC public schools and served in their schools’ PA/PTAs and SLTs. He served for 8 years in Community Education Council 8 in the Bronx. He was part of the original cohort of CEC members that created the ECC. He served in one the sub-committees of the NYC School Diversity Advisory Group and was appointed to the Fair Student Funding Task Force, which was tasked to revamp the NYC schools students funding formula.
Tracy Jordan
Tracy (she/her) is a dedicated education advocate, community leader, and New York State–licensed attorney who strongly believes in equity and access to opportunity for all New York City public school children. Born in Barbados and raised in Brooklyn, she brings a lifelong commitment to supporting families and strengthening communities through both service and professional leadership. She is the proud mother of two daughters, who she is raising in the same neighborhood she grew up in. She is continually moved by the powerful stories families share and remains passionate about ensuring students have the resources they need to thrive. She served on the Community Education Council District 22 (Brooklyn) as the president.
Erika KendallErika (she/her)
Erika is a parent of two children in public schools. She currently serves as the president of the Community Education Council in District 17 (Crown Heights, Brooklyn).
Vanessa Leung
Vanessa (she/her) is Co-Executive Director of the Coalition for Asian American Children + Families (CACF) and co-leads the organization’s work in policy advocacy, leadership development, and coalition building. Since their tenure, the co-executive directors increased CACF’s operational budget more than 400%, led the advocacy on the passage of data disaggregation law, and coordinated collective community advocacy for historic City and State investments in Asian American community based organizations. In addition, Vanessa is dedicated to improving public education through her career, advocating on behalf of Asian American Pacific Islander students and English Language Learners in New York City public schools. She was appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio to the Panel for Educational Policy and served 8 years as Chair of the PEP from January 2014 to December 2021.
Naomi Peña
Naomi (she/her/ella) is a lifelong New Yorker from the Lower East Side and is a parent advocate and education leader dedicated to dismantling barriers for students with learning differences. Her journey began nearly 20 years ago when her oldest child was diagnosed with dyslexia. Navigating New York City’s complex special education system, she became a resource for other families while continuing to advocate for her own four children, all of whom are dyslexic. Naomi served on the Community Education Council for District 1 for 8 years, with five years as president. In 2020, Naomi co-founded the Literacy Academy Collective, a school support nonprofit that successfully launched South Bronx Literacy Academy (2023) and Central Brooklyn Literacy Academy (2024), the first NYC public schools designed specifically for students with dyslexia and related language-based learning disabilities.
NeQuan (he/him) is a father of four children, an Elder at his church and is a long-standing community activist focused on improving the lives of children in his community. He is currently the president of the Community Education Council District 16 serving Bedford-Stuyvesant community in Brooklyn. He has served in this role for a decade. As the president of the Board of the ECC, he has mentored many parent leaders across all five boroughs. NeQuan has received numerous awards and accolades for his public service to the New York City Department of Education and the community of Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Shino Tanikawa, Treasurer.
Shino (she/her) is a mother of two daughters who graduated from the public school system in New York City. She has been a public education advocate for over two decades, including a 12-year tenure on the Community Education Council District 2 in Manhattan. She has also served on mayoral and city council task forces, such as the Blue Book Working Group, Fair Student Funding Task Force, School Siting Task Force, and School Diversity Advisory Group. She is one of the founding members of the ECC having joined in late 2013 when a group of parent leaders first came together.
Camille Casaretti, Secretary.
Camille (she/her) has served in numerous parent leadership roles, including PTA President, SLT Co-Chair, Community Education Council District 15 (Brooklyn) President, and currently as the Brooklyn Borough President’s Appointee to the Panel for Education Policy (PEP). As the president of the CEC 15, she has extensive knowledge of and a deep understanding of issues within her community school district. As the Brooklyn Borough President appointee, she has been steadily building relationships with parents across many neighborhoods in Brooklyn in order to represent their concerns and issues on the PEP. Camille chairs the ECC’s Policy Committee.
Lupita Figuera
Lupe (she/her/ella) was raised on Ohlone land. She is a direct descendant of the Yanomami Tribe of Venezuela and carries her Indigenous heritage into her lifelong commitment to community care and advocacy. Lupe began her service working alongside Mother Wright, supporting families facing housing and food insecurity and facilitating the Child Abuse Prevention Program for youth on and off Native reservations. She is also a parent leader and education advocate in NYC public schools. As a citywide community organizer; she advocates for Students with Disabilities and works closely with Regional Directors of Students in Temporary Housing to provide material, educational, and wellness support to housing-insecure families and newly arrived asylum seekers.
Jonathan Greenberg
Jonathan (he/him) lives in Jackson Heights, Queens, and is a parent of a high school student. He has served on school leadership teams and the community education council, where he served as president from 2021 to 2022. He is an advocate for an equitable school system in New York City. Jonathan is chair of the ECC’s School Governance Committee.
Eduardo Hernandez
Eduardo (he/him) is a veteran who served for 4 years in the Marine Corps and later earned his Bachelor of Engineering from CCNY and master’s and Doctorate degrees in Engineering from the CUNY Graduate Center. He has three daughters who attended NYC public schools and served in their schools’ PA/PTAs and SLTs. He served for 8 years in Community Education Council 8 in the Bronx. He was part of the original cohort of CEC members that created the ECC. He served in one the sub-committees of the NYC School Diversity Advisory Group and was appointed to the Fair Student Funding Task Force, which was tasked to revamp the NYC schools students funding formula.
Tracy Jordan
Tracy (she/her) is a dedicated education advocate, community leader, and New York State–licensed attorney who strongly believes in equity and access to opportunity for all New York City public school children. Born in Barbados and raised in Brooklyn, she brings a lifelong commitment to supporting families and strengthening communities through both service and professional leadership. She is the proud mother of two daughters, who she is raising in the same neighborhood she grew up in. She is continually moved by the powerful stories families share and remains passionate about ensuring students have the resources they need to thrive. She served on the Community Education Council District 22 (Brooklyn) as the president.
Erika KendallErika (she/her)
Erika is a parent of two children in public schools. She currently serves as the president of the Community Education Council in District 17 (Crown Heights, Brooklyn).
Vanessa Leung
Vanessa (she/her) is Co-Executive Director of the Coalition for Asian American Children + Families (CACF) and co-leads the organization’s work in policy advocacy, leadership development, and coalition building. Since their tenure, the co-executive directors increased CACF’s operational budget more than 400%, led the advocacy on the passage of data disaggregation law, and coordinated collective community advocacy for historic City and State investments in Asian American community based organizations. In addition, Vanessa is dedicated to improving public education through her career, advocating on behalf of Asian American Pacific Islander students and English Language Learners in New York City public schools. She was appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio to the Panel for Educational Policy and served 8 years as Chair of the PEP from January 2014 to December 2021.
Naomi Peña
Naomi (she/her/ella) is a lifelong New Yorker from the Lower East Side and is a parent advocate and education leader dedicated to dismantling barriers for students with learning differences. Her journey began nearly 20 years ago when her oldest child was diagnosed with dyslexia. Navigating New York City’s complex special education system, she became a resource for other families while continuing to advocate for her own four children, all of whom are dyslexic. Naomi served on the Community Education Council for District 1 for 8 years, with five years as president. In 2020, Naomi co-founded the Literacy Academy Collective, a school support nonprofit that successfully launched South Bronx Literacy Academy (2023) and Central Brooklyn Literacy Academy (2024), the first NYC public schools designed specifically for students with dyslexia and related language-based learning disabilities.