Dear SchoolTalk Community,

We are writing to you today with an exciting leadership update. After 17 years of dedicated service, our Executive Director, Leila Peterson, is stepping down. It is with immense gratitude for her transformative leadership and profound commitment to our mission that we announce this transition.

We are also thrilled to welcome Jeanette McCune as SchoolTalk's new Executive Director, effective August 22. Jeanette is not new to the SchoolTalk family; she has been a valued partner for over 10 years, including her instrumental role in co-sponsoring our impactful Voices of Change conference.

Jeanette brings over two decades of invaluable experience from The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where she most recently served as Senior Director of School and Community Programs. In this role, she provided strategic vision, budget oversight, and led a team overseeing local and national arts education programs for students from Kindergarten through 12th grade.

Her background includes designing, implementing, and evaluating programs that foster arts education, professional development for teachers, and comprehensive community engagement. Jeanette’s work focused on ensuring students with disabilities and other marginalized students were intentionally and thoughtfully included as part of a comprehensive strategy in support of all students. She routinely collaborated with the Kennedy Center's VSA and Accessibility team to support this critical engagement.

Jeanette holds a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Business Administration from Drake University. She currently serves on several local and national advisory boards focused on arts education accessibility, including the Duke Ellington School of the Arts Project, MINDPOP, and the Boris L. Henson Foundation. She is also joining the board of the Arts Schools Network in October 2025.

Her long-standing relationship with our mission and deep understanding of the D.C. educational and community landscape make her the ideal leader to guide SchoolTalk into its next chapter.

In her own words: “I am honored to join SchoolTalk and build on its legacy of championing equity for young people with disabilities and creating healthy school communities. I look forward to working alongside the passionate team and community to advance opportunities for all students to thrive.”

As we begin this new chapter, we are confident that Jeanette's leadership, combined with her passion for empowering youth and her proven track record, will further strengthen our impact. Her values align perfectly with SchoolTalk’s mission and vision:

• Vision: School communities where every youth is honored and self-determined.
• Mission: We tackle complex problems that impact marginalized youth and the schools and systems that support them.
• Theory of Change: SchoolTalk operates on three interconnected levels to foster a continuous cycle of learning and improvement. At the student level, the organization focuses on youth-centered programming designed to equip every student with the skills and support they need to succeed after high school. For schools, SchoolTalk helps create inclusive and restorative communities. Finally, at the systems level, we work to collect and align various schools, agencies, and community organizations through dialogue and collaborative problem-solving.

To ensure a smooth transition, Jeanette and Leila have worked closely together for the past month. Leila will continue to support SchoolTalk in a consulting role, ensuring continuity and continued success in our shared mission. We are confident that this thoughtful transition will enable SchoolTalk to continue its vital work without interruption.

We are so grateful for all we have been able to achieve together for D.C. youth and look forward to continuing this partnership under Jeanette’s guidance.

Sincerely,

Charles Moore, Board Chair

Leila Peterson, Outgoing Executive Director (17 years of service)