Staff

Adam Powell currently serves as the President & CEO of Communities In Schools of the Dallas Region. His work includes bringing strategic insight to bolster CIS Dallas’ basic needs and mental health work for at-risk students. By working collaboratively with stakeholders, Adam is able to augment the work of CIS Dallas for thousands of students and families in the Dallas area.

Prior to coming to CIS Dallas, Adam served as the Vice President of College Possible, a national college access and success organization. In that role, Adam was responsible for performance in fundraising, program delivery, staff management and development, site board development, and community relations across all sites, including Seattle, Portland, Minnesota, Chicago, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and Omaha.

Before joining College Possible, Adam served as a leader of several education organizations in a variety of capacities, including Director of Strategic Planning, Chief Operating Officer, and Executive Director. Working with Dallas Mayors Mike Rawlings and Tom Leppert, Adam was instrumental in designing and implementing the Mayor’s Intern Fellows Program, now one of the largest high school intern programs in the country. In 2017, Adam, in conjunction with Mayor Rawlings, founded the Mayor’s Cup, a public debate partnership between the City of Dallas and Dallas Urban Debaters focused on some of society’s most divisive issues.

Along with his professional responsibilities, Adam has been an active member of several community organizations, including the Southern Dallas P-16 Council, the Mayor’s Star Council, the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce’s Education Committee and the National College Access Network. He has spoken to groups across the country on behalf of the United Negro College Fund, as well as several other institutions, including the Urban League and United Way. Adam was recently inducted into the Forbes Non-Profit Council, an honor set aside for top non-profit executives around the country. Additionally, Adam was selected to the Dallas Business Journal’s “40 under 40” club, honoring individuals under the age of 40 making a positive impact in the Dallas Community. Adam currently serves on the board of the UT Austin Youth Engagement Center- Dallas, and has been featured in several publications including the Dallas Morning News and Dallas Business Journal, among others.

Adam holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Jackson State University and a master’s degree from the University of Texas at Arlington. When he’s not working, Adam enjoys reading, live sporting events, and spending time with his 10-year-old son.

Jeannea Busby is a native of Port Arthur, Texas. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas. Additionally, Jeannea earned her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health and Counseling from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. Jeannea strongly believes that it is important to be equipped with the essential tools and knowledge to properly support the students, families, and communities impacted by Communities In Schools of the Dallas Region, Inc. (CISDR).

Jeannea has been employed with CISDR since August 2007, most recently assuming the position of Chief Programs Officer. In the past, Jeannea has served in the role of Senior Regional Director, Director of Community Engagement, and high school Site Coordinator. In her early years with the organization, Jeannea provided direct services to students in the Dallas Independent School District, Mesquite Independent School District, and Lancaster Independent School District. Upon her promotion to Senior Regional Director, Jeannea successfully collaborated intimately with internal and external stakeholders. Moreover, this role afforded Jeannea the opportunity to provide direct support, leadership, and supervision to Site Coordinators.

Beyond having direct experience in the field, Jeannea has also served in the role of College/Career Alumni Manager as well as the Special Initiatives Coordinator with CISDR. Serving in the role of College/Career Alumni Manager, Jeannea coordinated and participated in recruiting fairs to further heighten the awareness of resources available to students and families while advocating the importance of a post-secondary education. As the Special Initiatives Coordinator, Jeannea was directly responsible for the oversight and implementation of all grants awarded to CISDR. Additionally, during this role, Jeannea supervised and managed bi-monthly budgets, quarterly budgets as well as the completion of grant reports.

As the Director of Community Engagement, Jeannea was instrumental in developing and managing a comprehensive system to recognize, mentor and evaluate program volunteers. Moreover, this role presented her with opportunities to revamp and develop the agency’s volunteer handbook, application process, recruitment flyers and the volunteer strategic plan. In this role, Jeannea also embraced the many opportunities to meet and engage with personnel from many school districts regarding the benefits of the CISDR service model.

Jeannea believes one of her greatest strengths is perseverance. As an individual, she possesses the drive and grit to achieve success in all aspects of her work and life. Jeannea and her husband Christopher are the proud parents of two children. Jeannea is one of the longest tenured CISDR employees, displaying her loyalty, resilience, and willingness to learn different skills and adapt to new roles.

Kristin Kelley joined the staff of Communities In Schools of the Dallas Region in August 2021. She considers herself a leader who is positive, adaptable and relationship-oriented, always looking to collaborate with others to best serve the community and those supported through non-profit services. Kristin has been part of the Dallas fundraising community for 12+ years, raising funds in both the education and human services spaces. Prior to funds development, Kristin had a successful sales career, managing territories of retail establishments in ten states. When travel began to take its toll, Kristin transitioned into the non-profit world, understanding that donors who believe in a mission are the organization’s greatest asset, as their expertise, council and funding allow for each supported individual to reach their greatest potential.

Kristin has raised more than $15M in her career, through annual appeals, grant writing, corporate and foundation relations, special events and major gifts. She has also overseen marketing, communications, PR and digital media strategies to provide consistent messaging and storytelling for organizations. Her most recent role was at the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas, serving for nearly five years as the lead in strategic fundraising efforts and all institutional funding sources of the organization. With a passion for education programs geared toward underrepresented youth, plus experience in strategic, results-oriented funds development planning, Communities In Schools of the Dallas Region is a natural fit for Kristin.

Her greatest strength is in creating collaborative partnerships with donors, businesses, other non-profits and groups looking to make investments into their local community. She has led non-profit cohorts at the local and national level, focused on funds development planning and execution, to support educational initiatives and mentorship programs. She has led consulting projects with groups locally, regionally and nationally on creating funds development activities and is asked to speak on a number of occasions to groups on how to build sustainable funds development plans.

Outside of work, Kristin is dedicated to her community though volunteer projects she is passionate about. As a current Dallas CASA Advocate, Kristin manages cases to support children in the CPS system. She has served through boards and committees with the Dallas Regional Chamber, Cause Studio, her alumni sorority chapter and Methodist church. An avid traveler and outdoor enthusiast, Kristin resides in East Dallas with her rescue pup, Beckley.

Anthonia Ibe is an accomplished and skilled financial professional with experience in both the private and public sectors. She thrives in high-volume organizations, excelling as a leader in her many roles. Anthonia specializes in developing streamlined processes to optimize efficiency for both nonprofit and for-profit entities, as well as simultaneously developing and training her team members. As the Chief Financial Officer at Communities In Schools of the Dallas Region (CISDR), Anthonia manages millions of dollars in revenue every year which must be meticulously monitored for the sake of effectiveness and transparency. She collaborates seamlessly with all departments, especially advancement, with whom she develops dozens of budgets every year for funding proposals of all kinds and assisting in the fundraising process. Anthonia is a strong, capable, and steady presence as the head of the finance department, and has the unique ability to simultaneously teach and explain her methods.

Before joining CISDR, Anthonia enjoyed success in many positions in North Texas. She began her career in Dallas as an accounting consultant for CoVision, subsequently moving up to become a senior accountant for National Spirit Group and an accounting manager for FirstPlus Financial. She quickly moved through the ranks of accounting, and transitioned to the nonprofit sector when she accepted a position as a controller with Dallas Summer Musicals (DSM), working there for almost 12 years. At DSM, Anthonia streamlined processes, increased revenue, established policies and procedures, and trained multiple staff members. After leaving DSM, Anthonia held various positions as accounting manager, controller, and chief financial officer, making her rounds in the Dallas nonprofit sector with the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation, and Imagination Station. In 2017, Anthonia joined Fortune Partners Management where she oversaw the entire accounting department as chief financial officer, ensuring tax law, regulatory, and general compliance across the company. Her experience in so many types of organizations has made Anthonia a better employee, accountant, controller, and leader.

Anthonia is a certified public accountant (CPA), bringing another level of knowledge to her professional positions. As a CPA, she is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Texas Society of CPAs, and the Dallas CPA Society. She holds an undergraduate degree from Valparaiso University in Indiana, and a Master’s of Business Administration from Amberton University in Dallas. Since 2008, Anthonia has been a member of the International Business Academy at Newman Smith High School advisory board in Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD. She resides in Carrollton, and prides herself on her ability to lead diverse teams of people while maintaining the highest standards of performance.

Libby (Elizabeth) Bennett joined Communities in Schools of the Dallas Region as the Chief Human Resources Officer in June 2023. Libby grew up in Dallas and graduated from Trinity University in San Antonio with a degree in Psychology and is SPHR certified.

Libby’s HR career has spanned more than 20 years across various agencies and industries in both the US and internationally. Joining CIS has been a sort of homecoming for Libby who started her career with the HR team at the Houston Independent School District. Later she would join KIPP Houston where her work intersected with KIPP DFW and KIPP San Antonio to help create greater efficiencies and structure across the states’ KIPP districts. Libby is so grateful for the educational opportunities and powerful influences she has had in her life. She believes that every child should have those same opportunities, and is very excited to be able to use her skills and experiences to be a part of a mission-driven organization working to fulfill those needs.

Throughout her career, Libby has focused on building relationships and working together to foster an environment based on respect, trust, and communication. She believes in leadership by example, collaboration, and not asking anyone to do anything that she would not be willing to do herself.

Libby lives in Downtown Dallas with her partner, Donald. Her favorite things include spending as much time as she can with her large family, her friends, traveling, music, and new experiences.

Summer Rose, Psy.D is a licensed psychologist in the state of Texas and currently serves as Chief Clinical Officer for Communities In Schools of the Dallas Region. Her work includes expanding and developing the clinical department in order to better serve the mental health needs of K-12 students in the area.

She has a private practice that is currently providing telehealth services to individuals across the lifespan. She was previously on staff at Momentous Institute, a Dallas area non-profit that provides therapeutic services to children and families, for the past ten years. While there, she provided therapy, was the Assessment Coordinator, served as the primary supervisor for the Early Childhood Assessment Team, and she provided training to community partners on topics such as the impact of trauma and poverty on well-being. Dr. Rose also led the efforts to expand Momentous’ clinical services to the Southern sector of Dallas. This included providing services in the Bonton community through a partnership with Bonton Farms (an urban farm in a food desert) and Dallas Housing Authority. Dr. Rose was a featured speaker for TedXPleasant Grove in 2020, highlighting this area of her work. She is passionate about increasing equitable service delivery to overlooked populations and treating communities with the respect and dignity they deserve.

Dr. Rose has trained in a variety of settings including an inpatient hospital, outpatient clinics, community mental health centers, and schools. She has been a guest speaker on NPR and KERA on topics related to the trauma of racism and racial violence in the media. She was a member of the inaugural cohort of Black Women in Nonprofit Leadership, sponsored by Dallas Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation. Most recently, she was selected for the Dallas Public Voices Fellowship, sponsored by The Boone Family Foundation. Her professional interests include the intersection of trauma and race, dismantling systemic racism and systems of oppression, childhood trauma, child protective service/foster family issues, culture/diversity, and family therapy. She personally enjoys cooking, being married to a career educator and being the mother of two wonderful children.

Corinne serves as the Chief of Research, Data, & Analytics for CIS Dallas.  Within this role, she oversees the data team while working to build a research and analytics strategy that informs and advances the implementation of the organization’s strategic plan.

Originally from East Hampton, NY, Corinne holds both a B.S. and M.A. in Psychology and began her career in mental health counseling within child welfare and public education settings. As her work progressed to include program oversight and continuous improvement, she returned to school to obtain her M.Ed. in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment from the University of Illinois, Chicago.

In previous roles, Corinne helped build the first Research & Evaluation department at Catholic Charities Fort Worth and grew it into a team that designed, tested, replicated, and shared gold-standard interventions. She most recently served as Deputy Director at Bachman Lake Together where she oversaw the development and implementation of their strategic plan and integrated the functions of the team with one another.

Corinne is a life-long learner who is driven by a passion to leverage data to generate meaningful insights that continuously improve equitable education opportunities for all. Corinne is a pragmatic optimist who enjoys reading, trying (and failing) to garden, and spending time with her family.