Meet the Board

Jamilia Smith Board Chair jsmith@brightenacademy.com Jamilia Smith is a wife, mother to three beautiful daughters, and a dedicated advocate for education and leadership development. Jamilia brings a wealth of experience and passion to our school community. Holding a Master of Public Administration in Human Resource and Nonprofit Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Public Relations, she is an accomplished leader, consultant, and coach. As a professional Business Consultant and Leadership Development Coach, Jamilia manages a diverse portfolio of businesses generating $150M-$200M annually across the United States. With over 15 years of higher education and corporate leadership experience, she has excelled in Career Services, Human Resources, Talent Strategy and Development, and Recruitment. Her strategic leadership has driven positive outcomes in gainful employment for college graduates, resulting in accreditation maintenance and renewal, increased funding, and a decrease in student loan debt for graduates in creative arts fields. A sought-after motivational speaker with over a decade of expertise in governance, public policy, and parliamentary procedure, Jamilia also serves as a Douglas County Chamber of Commerce Ambassador and a member of the county’s strategic planning team. She is a 2024 graduate of Leadership Douglas and continues to pursue higher education in Executive and Strategic Leadership as a lifelong learner. Passionate about fostering environments where students, staff, and parents thrive, she is dedicated to advancing student achievement and academic success. When not working, Jamilia cherishes traveling with her amazing husband and daughters.

Deona Carter Board Vice Chair Dr. Deona Carter has been working in the field of higher education expressly for over fifteen years. Dr. Carter has experience with the student life cycle from enrollment through to graduation at all levels. She has experience with successfully completing regional accreditation reviews having participated in multiple audits. As an institutional leader, Dr. Carter also has experience with budget management and review. Dr. Carter seeks to improve student outcomes in every organization she aligns with. She understands what it takes to support student success at every level of the educational journey. Dr. Carter holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Leadership from Capella University, a Master of Arts in Post-Secondary Education from Argosy University and a Bachelor of Arts in Child and Family Studies from Berea College and is an honored mother of three and the proud wife of the most incredible gentleman.

Cary Claiborne Board Member cclaiborne@brigthenacademy.com Cary Claiborne is Chief Program Officer for College Advising Corps where he is responsible for overseeing the portfolio of partnerships university and funding partners, including traditional in-school advising, hybrid and virtual advising, and advising performed by artificial intelligence. Cary has led strategic student success initiatives for over a decade. He brings experience developing, implementing, and scaling student success programs at two- and four-year collegiate levels. At Georgia State University, he served various roles, from serving students as an academic advisor to leading the university’s first-year strategy for over 8,000 students. Most recently, Cary served as Director of Diagnostic and Implementation Services at the National Institute for Student Success, where he partnered with institutions nationwide to improve student success outcomes. Cary’s storied path through Georgia State University and his passion for the work of student success is well documented in “Won’t Lose This Dream: How an Upstart Urban University Rewrote the Rules of a Broken System” by Andrew Gumbel. Cary is pursuing his Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies from Georgia State University, where he earned an MBA in Business Analysis and a BS in Economics. When he’s not enthralled with Student Success, Cary collects vinyl records and retro technology or travels with his wife, Danielle, and two children.

Coriya Burns Falker Board Member

Kristen Moses Board Secretary kmoses@brightenacademy.com Kristen Moses holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications with a focus on Journalism and Interpersonal Communications. As a published journalist, she has contributed to various media outlets and has a diverse professional background spanning both public and private sectors. With over 10 years of experience as a Communications Specialist, Kristen has worked with Fortune 500 companies and numerous private organizations. In addition to her professional achievements, Kristen served on the Brighten Academy PTO board as Membership Chair, where she played a key role in organizing school events and fundraising initiatives. She is deeply passionate about community outreach, children’s education, and empowering local communities.

Matthew Vitale Board Member mvitale@brightenacademy.com Matt Vitale is a Senior Instructor and Captain for Delta Air Lines. In that role he is responsible for the training and certification of new pilots, as well as the development and mentoring of instructors. Mr Vitale is also has responsibilities as a project lead and Flight Training Liaison. Matt and his family have been residents of Douglas County since 2006, and members of the Brighten Family since 2020. His son is a Brighten alumni now thriving at Aleaxander High School and his daughter is still a student at Brighten.

Nadra Lord Board Member

Regina Finan Board Member rfinan@brightenacademy.com Dr. Regina Finan (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Agnes Scott College. After a career in higher education administration, she earned her M.S degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Georgia State University and her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of Georgia. Her career working with college students, experience with mental health counseling, and training as a counselor educator provide her with unique perspectives on education, administration, servant leadership, and wellbeing practices. Her research focuses on diversity and social justice practices, wellbeing, and career & work considerations across the lifespan. The Finan family has been a part of the Brighten Academy Charter School community since 2014. Dr. Finan remains invested in and committed to the ongoing growth and success of Brighten Academy as an educational and community entity.

Reginald Zackery Board Treasurer Mr. Zackery has an array of experience in finance, business management, trend analysis, forecasting, process improvement, and reporting which I have used to help make strategic decisions within an organization. Additionally, he has 12+ years of customer service experience that enables me to build relationships for leading the organization. Mr. Zackery is a Senior Financial Analyst with Deluxe Corporation. In this role, he manages over $20M in revenue which adds to the broader payments business of $600M in annual revenue. He utilizes historical data to build future forecasts that allow proper decision making within the organization. Mr. Zackery recently completed his MBA from Louisiana State University Shreveport and he believes the skills learned during this program has equipped him to lead an organization into a strong financial position. Additionally, Mr. Zackery has a bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University in Finance

Shauncey Battle Board Member