Board Members

Sara Elaqad, Chair

Appointed to the Board April 2019; reappointed October 2019; reappointed July 2023, appointed Board Chair July 2023; current term expires June 30, 2027

Sara Elaqad serves as Executive Director of Minds Matter Cleveland – the local chapter of the national nonprofit organization that connects motivated high school students from low-income households with the resources, tools, and people they need to succeed in college. The organization provides mentoring services, writing classes, test preparation, application assistance, financial aid advisement, and summer immersion programs, and boasts a 100% college acceptance rate. She also served three years as President for the organization’s National Chapter Leadership Council. Elaqad’s work earned her recognition in Crain’s 2019 40 Under 40 class, Crain’s 2020 Notable Immigrant Leaders, and Crain’s 2023 Notables in Education Leadership.

Elaqad also serves on the Board of Directors of the Council of the Great City Schools. She is a member of the Executive Committee and the Task Force on Bilingual Learners. She serves on the Board of Directors of Say Yes Cleveland.

Elaqad is a Cleveland resident and lives in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood. She holds two Bachelor of Arts degrees from The Ohio State University – one in French and another in International Relations and Diplomacy – and a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University’s School of Law.

Jerry Billups

Appointed to the Board December 4, 2024; current term expires June 30, 2027

Mr. Billups works as a juvenile detention alternative initiative coordinator for Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court. He is the parent of four children, one of whom is a CMSD graduate and three of whom are current CMSD students. From teaching neighborhood kids about gardening and growing produce to serving as a wrestling coach and volunteering at football games, Mr. Billups is deeply engaged with grassroots community service. He is also an active member of the Ward 16 Club. Mr. Billups is a graduate of John Marshall High School and earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Toledo. He is a life-long Clevelander and lives in the West Park neighborhood of Cleveland.

Robert Briggs, Esq.

Appointed to the Board July 2023; current term expires June 30, 2027

Mr. Briggs, a lawyer, currently serves as a Partner and Chairman Emeritus at Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs. Formerly CEO of Buckingham Law, Mr. Briggs has been significantly involved with various non-profits, foundations, civic institutions, and educational organizations. He co-founded the Fund for Our Economic Future in 2004, chaired the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation from 2010 to 2014, and served as Executive Director of the Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education from 2014 to 2016, among other notable civic engagements. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Duke University and a Juris Doctor from the Ohio State University. Mr. Briggs formerly served in the United States Air Force as a staff judge advocate and currently resides in Bratenahl.

Charlene Jones

Appointed to the Board April 9, 2024; reappointed October 2025; current term expires June 30, 2029

Ms. Jones is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Conversations For College Success Podcast.  She has over 20 years of experience in financial services, non-profit leadership, fund-raising, diversity, equity, and inclusion, consulting, and training and development. She has over 10 years of experience in higher education and workforce development.  She is a past President of the Cleveland Public Library board and the Junior League of Cleveland and has served on many other boards. Ms. Jones is a graduate of Collinwood High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and a Master of Business Administration from Cleveland State University.  She also completed executive programs with Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, Leadership America, and the Center for Creative Leadership.  She is retired and lives in Bratenahl.

Ivory Jones III

Appointed to the Board December 9, 2024; current term expires June 30, 2027

Ivory Jones III serves as Pastor of Grace Missionary Baptist Church. He is an executive board member and state officer for the National Baptist Convention, and is active in various clergy organizations, including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the NAACP. He is the parent of three adult children who attended the CMSD schools. Rev. Jones attended both the Cleveland and East Cleveland public schools and is a graduate of East Cleveland’s Shaw High School, and went on to study commercial arts and graphic design at Cuyahoga Community College and the Cleveland Institute of Art. He lives in the Union-Miles neighborhood of Cleveland.

Midori Lebrón

Appointed to the Board November 29, 2023; reappointed October 2025; current term expires June 30, 2029

Midori Lebrón is the Associate Vice President of New Student Strategy and Engagement at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C). With over 13 years of experience in higher education, she is accountable for new-student recruitment, enrollment conversion, and early persistence through the first 15 instructional days of a student’s initial semester. Her work remains focused on improving access to education for all students and ensuring a more equitable pathway to higher education. Prior to joining Tri-C, Midori spent 12 years in Academic Advising at Cleveland State University, where she served as the Director of First Year and Exploratory Advising, and later worked as the Associate Director of Strategic Recruitment at Kent State University.

Midori holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Anthropology from Baldwin Wallace University, a Master’s in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University, and a Master’s in Sociology from Cleveland State University. She is currently pursuing an Ed.D. in Interprofessional Leadership with a specialization in Leadership in Education at Kent State University.

Midori was named to the “Top 100 Latinos Cleveland Must Know” list for 2023. She lives in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood of Cleveland with her husband and family.

Caroline J. Peak

Appointed to the Board December 4, 2024; reappointed October 2025; current term expires June 30, 2029

Ms. Peak recently retired after 21 years as public service manager of the Collinwood Branch of the Cleveland Public Library. She previously worked as program coordinator for the Cleveland Summit on Education. Ms. Peak is a longtime School District volunteer serving on a number of committees including the Community Oversight Committee, the Bond Accountability Commission, the Superintendent’s Advisory Board and several PTAs and School Community Councils. She is the parent of three adult children who attended the CMSD schools. Ms. Peak holds an Associate Degree from Cuyahoga Community College, a Bachelor of Arts from Myers University and a Master of Library Science from Kent State University. She lives in the Collinwood neighborhood of Cleveland.