Jason is the National Parents Union National Organizing Director – East Region. Previously, he was a special education teacher in Georgia and a fellow of the American Association of Educators. He founded educational entities, including Speak Black Man podcast, Students for Equity, The Educators Voice Blog, Lillie’s Foundation, and more. He was raised in Atlanta, Georgia, and comes from a family of educators. He advocates for students and families in public schools, especially students identified as exceptional learners. Jason’s educational beliefs are rooted in student excellence and providing every student the pathway to excel in their gifts, talents, and interests. He is a graduate of the University of West Georgia with a B.A. in English and a master’s degree in special education. 

Educator Barnes is a married mother of identical twin boys. She has been an educator for nearly two decades. Although she has worked in the urban traditional public school setting for the majority of her career, she student taught in rural Indiana, worked in the suburbs, and in public charter schools. She is Indy Kids Winning Editor-in-Chief, Blazing Brilliance CEO (an education consulting business), Brave Brothers Books Co-Founder & CEO, and teaches undergraduate and graduate college courses. Previously, she served as a middle school academic dean, an elementary library/media specialist, an elementary and high school literacy coach, a middle and high school English/Language Arts teacher, and K-5 English as a New Language teacher. She won the 2019 Indiana Black Expo Excellence in Education Journalism Award. To learn more about Educator Barnes, visit http://www.educatorbarnes.com.

Andrew is a social studies teacher at KIPP Indy College Prep. Previously, he has taught math, technology, and literature. He is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and a Teach for America Alum. As a Teach Plus Policy fellow alum, Andrew is looking forward to putting the skills he has learned to good use. Andrew has written for several publications in the past on a wide variety of topics but will be sticking to education for his role on Indy K12.