K-12 Advocacy: Meet the Team
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Sekou Biddle
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Meredith Anderson, Ph.D.
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Askale Davis
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William “Bill” Brown
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Allissa Impink
Meredith Anderson, Ph.D.
Meredith Anderson, Ph.D., is a director of K-12 Research at the Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute (FDPRI). She supports the K-12 research endeavors of the advocacy team and FDPRI through design and management of empirical research projects related to K-12 education reform for African American students.
Anderson has extensive quantitative experience, including survey design and management, program evaluation and data analysis. Her research and publications have focused on public administration and policy, race, educational inequities, representative bureaucracy, intersectionality and the influence of representation on tracking outcomes for African American male students.
Prior to her work at UNCF, Anderson was program evaluator for Baltimore City Public Schools, where she contributed to the development and management of the teacher and principal evaluation system, conducted statistical analyses to inform decision-making and led the evaluation survey for principals. Anderson also contributed to the Maryland Longitudinal Data System development at the Maryland State Department of Education. Additionally, Anderson was a postdoctoral fellow and lecturer in the School of Public Affairs at American University. Prior to that, she was a research associate for the Project for Equity, Representation and Governance. Anderson earned doctorate in political science from Texas A&M University, where she also received a bachelor’s degree.
Askale Davis
Askale Davis joined the K-12 Advocacy team in March 2020 as Community Engagement Manger. She is primarily responsible for implementing UNCF’s K-12 strategy by building and managing strong community relationships and impacting the local education environment in the Washington, DC Area and Indianapolis, IN. For the last 12 years, Askale has devoted her career to urban education and workforce readiness in the Washington, DC area. Prior to joining UNCF, Askale managed a program that focused on school-wide restorative justice and community restitution practices, as well as provided wrap-around student support services for at-risk youth. Askale’s passion for urban education and advocacy began when she started her career as a secondary school tutor for DC Public Charter Schools during her senior year of college.
Askale is a proud graduate of Howard University. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Chemistry.
William “Bill” Brown
William Brown, or Bill as he prefers, joined UNCF’s K-12 Advocacy team in the fall of 2019.
Brown serves as the senior community outreach manager and has responsibilities for overseeing UNCF’s community engagement activities, both here in the Washington, DC region, as well as UNCF activities in Indianapolis, IN. Brown comes equipped with vast knowledge and experience having worked on K-12 issues for nearly a decade. Prior to joining UNCF, Brown worked on education policy and oversight at the Council of the District of Columbia, serving in the offices of the Council Chairman and two At-Large Council offices; including former At-Large Council member Sekou Biddle who now serves as UNCF’s Vice President for K-12 Advocacy.
Brown is a native Washingtonian and graduate of DC Public School System. He has served as an elected Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner and Chair of ANC 1A, in addition to his appointment to several commissions, boards and councils.
Allissa Impink
Allissa Impink works to drive deep efforts to build African American leadership for educational improvement in Indianapolis and statewide. In 2019, Allissa founded an Indianapolis region of Enriched Schools, where she cultivated 15 school partnerships and recruited over 120 educators of color to support teachers and students locally and nationwide. She expanded her scope, where she managed growing national educator and partnership pipelines, along with special revenue generating events and projects. She’s invested in Indianapolis for the past 14 years through experiences in public service, urban education, community, and educational leadership.