Staff

Dr. Brian K. Perkins is the Director of the Summer Principals Academy Master’s Degree Program offered by Teachers College Columbia University in New Orleans and New York City. He was previously the director of the doctoral program in Urban Education Leadership at Teachers College. He is the former Chair and Professor of Education Law and Policy at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Connecticut. As Chair, Dr. Perkins successfully led his department through the accreditation and licensure of the university’s first doctoral program and was the university’s youngest full, tenured professor in its 112-year history. Dr. Perkins is a distinguished Yale alumnus and was named a Timothy Dwight Fellow in 2004. During his studies at Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Perkins was named Wilbur G.H. Downs International Health Fellow. He was a member of a research unit at the Yale University School of Medicine at the Child Study Center. Dr. Perkins was an instructor in the Yale University Department of
Chemistry and was awarded the distinguished teaching award for instruction in Inorganic Chemistry Problems. Dr. Perkins also served as the Director of Education Programs within the Yale University School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics.

He has served as a consultant to corporations, non-profits, NGOs, schools and universities throughout the U.S., Brazil, Israel, Indonesia, Thailand, the People’s Republic of China, India, Venezuela, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the Republic of South Africa. Dr. Perkins has previously served as a visiting professor at the University of Pretoria in South Africa for more than a decade. Dr. Perkins is the host of his own radio show, The Perkins Platform, which is a monthly online forum on education leadership topics with thousands of listeners.

Dr. Perkins was the President of the New Haven (CT) Board of Education where he served for 11 years. He also served for four years on the Board of Directors of the National School Boards Association. Dr. Perkins served two terms as national chair for CUBE: Council of Urban Boards of Education and was the chair for the National Black Caucus of School Board Members. Dr. Perkins was also the national chair of the Leadership for Healthy Communities initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Dr. Perkins has served as an executive leadership consultant to Escola SESC en Ensino Médio in Rio de Janeiro and provided consulting services to the Municipal Secretariat of Education in Rio de Janeiro. He also served as a leadership development consultant to Escola Eleva, an innovative for-profit school in Rio.

Dr. Perkins is the author of several published articles and book chapters and serves as the Principal Investigator and Author of Where We Learn (2006), Where We Teach (2007) and What We Think (2008) – the largest studies on urban school climate in the history of public education. Dr. Perkins led a groundbreaking study and improvement initiative of school climate in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His instrument, the American School Climate Inventory, has been developed into an iPad, iPhone and Android device application and boasts worldwide distribution. He is the developer of Privilege Beads, a copy-written diversity exercise, for use with students and adults in a variety of settings.

Dr. Perkins received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry from Grambling State University, a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the Yale University School of Medicine and his Doctor of Education Degree from Columbia University Teachers College. He has a graduate certificate in executive coaching from the Columbia Business School. Dr. Perkins is a nationally certified principal mentor by the National Association of Elementary School Principals. He is certified administrator of the Neethling Brain Inventory, the Intercultural Development Inventory, the Leadership Practices Inventory, the DiSC profile and a Gallup-certified Strengths-based Leadership Coach.

Colette Young, Assistant Director and Adjunct Faculty for the Summer Principals’ Academy (SPA) Program at Columbia University, Teachers College (TC). She also teaches in Columbia’s Department of Music and Music Education at TC. Prior to her current positions, Young has years of experience in teaching, designing, and developing Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) curricula for middle school through college/graduate level students. In her current role as Assistant Director, she has been tasked with further developing and overseeing the SPA program, which engages the finest academically talented, compassionate, and diverse trailblazers of education. Her research areas of interest include: developing leadership methodologies and how to foster it, STEAM education, design thinking, voice development and instruction. 

Prior to joining Columbia University TC full time, Colette was the Dean of Students and Athletics Director at Columbia Secondary School (CSS), a competitive and diverse STEM school, grades 6-12, in partnership with Columbia University. Her development and implementation of curriculum, policies, and procedures reaped effective and equitable systems that vastly improved students’ learning and social skills, and greatly boosted confidence. Her engagement of outside partnerships, design and implementation of workshops that assist and advise faculty and parents in their vital roles in school and at home, continues to grow and nurture CSS students and families. She also founded the Executive Function Program (EFP), to equip students with planning, organizational, time management, and motivational skills. Conceived as a summer program targeting specific students, the program morphed into a school-wide year-long program involving direct family and staff participation (including roles (paraprofessionals, secretaries, and extra-curricular staff). An avid grant writer, Young also obtained numerous and lucrative corporate grants through EFP, providing students and families in need with computers and at-home academic support and parental tutorials, providing a model that other schools, private clients, and businesses now incorporate.

Recently retired from Columbia University’s Varsity Cheerleading team, Young returns as the team’s Assistant Cheerleading Coach, while also actively performing as an operatic, Broadway musical vocal soloist (with The Apollo Orchestra), and engagements at the White House and Camp David, and performing concerts and lectures at the Kennedy Center after winning the VSA International Performing Artist Competition sponsored by the late Ambassador Jean Kennedy-Smith. She also enjoys sharing her musical craft teaching students at Columbia through the Music Department.

A diverse native Hawaiian individual, Colette is committed to education and equality in learning for all. Her creativity in recruiting and leading the best educators with innovative curriculum, budget development and management of SPA, with her fresh and vital Aloha spirit exemplify her passion and commitment to SPA's philosophy of creating and living within, and preserving a smarter, healthier, more compassionate, and equitable world for all through education.

Shelby Jarvis is the Program Coordinator for the Summer Principals Academy. She earned her B.A. in Adolescence Education: Social Studies and History from the State University of New York College at Cortland. In her previous positions, Shelby worked with middle and high school youth and developed numerous academic and college readiness programs. She also has experience in program management and developing partner relationships. Her interests include improving youth development programs for underserved youth and reading a good book during her spare time. Shelby hopes to bring her organization skills and teamwork attributes to the SPA program team.