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.

Tracy Nichols is the Chief Human Resources Officer at Communities In Schools of the Dallas Region (CISDR). She is responsible for performing the coordination of HR policies and programs with emphasis on the record maintenance and benefits, ensuring that the organization is in full compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Additionally, Tracy ensures employees experience a safe and welcoming work environment, on-boards new staff, and acts as the first person of contact when an employee has questions about policies or procedures.

Tracy was born in Texas and earned a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from Huston-Tillotson University, a historically black college/university in Austin, and a Master’s degree in Human Resources Development from Webster University. Early in her career, Tracy worked various administrative and human resources jobs in Dallas, most notably in the office of Texas Governor George W. Bush. As she fully made the transition to human resources professional, Tracy spent three years as the Staff and Employment Development Specialist at Huston-Tillotson University.

Following her work in employee development, Tracy held analyst positions for the City of Austin, worked as the HR Manager at Workers Assistance Program, and was the Director of Human Resources at the Better Business Bureau. In 2015, Tracy made the move to the nonprofit sector with Any Baby Can, then returned to her alma mater Huston-Tillotson University to serve at the Director of Human Resources and Title IX Coordinator. Finally, Tracy migrated north to Dallas in 2018 to work at CISDR, joining a diverse and passionate team of executive leaders. Since then, Tracy has overseen major changes in leadership, policies, and staffing, helping to grow CISDR and reach more children in need. She is a certified quality auditor and holds a professional human resources certification.

Throughout her varied professional career, Tracy has served in the government, for-profit, and nonprofit sectors, demonstrating incredible versatility and knowledge. One thing that has remained consistent for Tracy was her commitment to employees. In every position, Tracy has ensured compliance with human resources best practices, coordinated staff events, aligned corporate culture, evaluated staff development, and mentored her coworkers in their careers. Tracy is warm, welcoming, and approachable, making her an excellent Chief HRO. She has excellent communication skills, an incredibly broad understanding of human resources, and is highly organized.

While in Austin, Tracy volunteered for many organizations including the YWCA, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the American Cancer Society, and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Tracy is a self-proclaimed night owl, and when she isn’t working late at the office, enjoys spending time with her husband and adult daughter.

Jeannette Papadopoulos serves as the Chief Operating Officer for Communities in Schools of the Dallas Region (CISDR). Jeannette oversees the program at existing campuses, as well as the growth of CISDR in DFW school districts. Key capabilities include experience in strategy, client management, and opportunity to cultivate new partnerships. She has demonstrated the ability to collaborate with senior level education leaders including school administrators, superintendents, office administrators, executive directors, principals, and college leaders.

Jeannette’s collaborative work provides students with advanced opportunity to change the trajectory of their life through counseling, mentoring, internships and opportunities to break barriers. For her first year at CISDR, Jeannette managed and supervised a team of four Regional Directors, four Clinical staff and eighty-six site coordinators across 10 school districts in 6 Dallas-area counties.

Jeannette has always demonstrated a keen interest in education and children. She began her tenure with Dallas ISD as a bilingual teacher before moving on to leadership roles on the administration side of public education, serving as an Associate Principal, Assistant Principal, and PTECH Director for the district, among other positions. She has served as a mentor and source of support for her colleagues and the students she serves. Many of her key strengths and recognitions include building strong foundational relationships, leading teams that improve student performance and connecting education to industry. As Chief Operating Officer, Jeannette has reinvigorated the C3 Partnership at CISDR, fostering crucial relationships with community partners to better serve high-need students.

Jeannette’s impact on CISDR and the community is tangible, expanding program services from 86 to approximately 120 campuses across North Texas within one year for the 2021-2022 school year. These new campuses include two school districts who have never before been partners with CISDR, representing hundreds more children who will have access to life saving interventions and over $850,000 in additional revenue. Maintaining strong relationships with district leadership has been key to this success.

More than anything, Jeannette has the spirit of an entrepreneur and the heart of a public servant. In the community, Jeannette is an active volunteer and gives freely of her time and expertise. Jeannette serves on the board of DFW Hispanic 100, a local network of Latina leaders. She has owned and operated several private businesses on her personal time and in her free time enjoys spending time being a mother to two lovely daughters and a wife to her high school sweetheart.