A native of Washington, DC, Mr. Ward began his teaching career in 2007 as a high school biology teacher in the same school district from which he graduated high school. During his three years at Battlefield High School, he increased the passage rate from 90% to 93% on the Virginia Standards of Learning End-of-Course Biology Exam, and created a new curriculum as the Professional Learning Community leader. He then taught middle and upper school science at Wakefield School, a small independent school in rural Virginia, before joining Teach For America in 2012 as a corps member where he taught high school science in Prince George’s County Public Schools. In his second year as a corps member, Mr. Ward had 100% of his biology students pass the High School Assessment exam for Biology, and earned the Edith Tatel Education Award for Excellence in Teaching. He spent his last year as a teacher at Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools for Public Policy’s Capitol Hill campus. There, he was named one out of five middle and high school science teachers in North America who were national finalists for the Shell Science Lab Challenge, bringing nearly $10,000 in laboratory resources to the school.
Prior to joining Journey Community Schools, Mr. Ward was the Director of School Culture at what is now City Arts and Prep Public Charter School in Washington, DC. There he focused on behavior management and clearly-defined school-wide procedures which lead to a 20% reduction in the number of behavior incidents and an 8% reduction in the total number of incidents and consequences for the highest stake student populations. Most recently, Mr. Ward was the principal of another JCS school, Hanley Middle School, where he and his team lead the school from a TVAAS Level 1 to a TVAAS Level 5 in one school year.
Mr. Ward is a proud graduate of Virginia State University, where he was a Presidential Scholar. He has completed additional coursework at Georgetown University and earned his Master’s degree in School Administration from Trinity Washington University in 2016. In his free time, Mr. Ward enjoys working out, attending live performances and concerts, traveling, community service through his fraternity, dining out, and spending time with his family.

For over 15 years Mrs. Roberts has been a devoted public servant whose passion for investing in children inspires others. Jameka is originally from Oklahoma but has made Memphis her home. Education runs in her family and her passion for education is contagious. Jameka brings experience as both a General Education Pre-K thru 5 and Special Education teacher. No stranger to leadership - Jameka has served as Grade Level Chair, Special Population Chairperson, RTI A/B Coordinator and Pre-School Coordinator. Jameka’s impact on student achievement has been evident.

Mrs. Roberts received a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. She received a Masters Degree from The University of Memphis in Instruction Curriculum and Leadership, and is currently pursuing her Doctorate of Education in Instructional Leadership from Freed Hardeman University.

Loraine Jones is originally from New Orleans and holds a BA in Elementary Education from Dillard University and an M.A. in African American Studies from Clark Atlanta University. Loraine taught in Georgia, Texas, South Carolina, and Kentucky before moving to California and beginning her work with Aspire in 2007. She immediately felt a strong sense of alignment with Aspire’s mission and vision of providing a quality education for all scholars and served as the K-1 lead teacher and a Peer Observer at Aspire Rosa Parks Academy. Loraine relocated to Memphis and served as the founding Intervention Specialist at Aspire Coleman. In 2016, she transitioned into the Assistant Principal of K-2 Instruction. She has been an educator for over 20 years and is greatly fulfilled by making a positive impact in students’ lives everyday. In her free time, Loraine enjoys reading, shopping, and traveling with her husband and daughter.

Alicia Moore, a native Memphian and loving wife, has served in education for over ten years. She currently holds a M.A. in Educational Leadership and a B.A. in Elementary Education. Alicia started her career in Obion County as a third grade teacher and then moved back to Memphis, where she has been serving the Coleman community for the past eight years. During her tenure at Coleman, Alicia has held leadership positions including lead teacher, mentor teacher, and currently assistant principal. Alicia believes that all students deserve a high quality education that will prepare them to be essential pillars in the community.