Tiffany Herndon

Tiffany Herndon joined Aspire in 2017 as a teaching resident at Aspire Alexander Twilight Secondary Academy and then became a history teacher at Aspire Langston Hughes Academy. While at LHA, Tiffany held various leadership positions, including Equity Lead, Black Student Union Moderator, and Pro-Black Programming Site Coordinator. In time, she became LHA’s Culture & Climate Specialist and eventually Dean of Students, creating a restorative and culturally responsive program to disrupt disproportionate behavioral and discipline outcomes for LHA scholars. Her leadership extended beyond LHA, as well. Tiffany has served as the co-chair of Aspire’s DEI council, supported Aspire-wide Black Student Union implementation, co-founded the Black Advisory Leadership Council and the Pan-Asian Empowerment & Cultural Enlightenment (PEACE) council, and was a Black Affinity Group facilitator. This year, she engaged in equity work as the Culturally Responsive Teaching Project Plan Manager to develop Aspire’s CRT definition, framework, and professional development. Finally, she launched a nonprofit, Nzinga Incorporated, to disrupt racialized and inequitable academic outcomes for Black scholars. Her work to develop a student literacy program, Black is Lit, was recently featured in national publications. In her current role, Tiffany leads our equity strategy and theory of action, including establishing a clear infrastructure for goal setting, feedback cycles, and progress monitoring. Her professional and personal experience makes her highly qualified to support educators as we cultivate the genius in all of our scholars and disrupt inequitable outcomes for future generations.