Meet the face
behind the posts

Charesha Barrett is the founder and president of CHARP Education Consulting (CHARPED), a nationally recognized diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I)
consulting and training firm. A transformational leader with more than 20 years of experience in providing training, curriculum development, and program
planning services. Characterized as a self-starter, and team player with strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills. An active listener that is
diplomatic and tactful with professionals of all levels. Passionate about empowering individuals to grow professionally. A reflective practitioner that is
committed to utilizing the best practices of diversity and inclusion to assist public and private organizations in creating more cohesive work environments.

After witnessing first-hand how educational disparities contribute to school-to-prison and cradle-to-career pipelines, Barrett was prompted to launch CHARPED in 2014. She chose the name CHARP to honor her late maternal grandparents.  Her grandmother named her and her grandfather often used the word "sharp". Barrett is on a mission to ensure that historically marginalized individuals are provided with a level playing field as it relates to social mobility. She illustrates her commitment to this cause through fostering collaborative partnerships with community organizations to design customized two-generational programming that simultaneously addresses the needs of both the children and the adults.

The foundation of Barrett’s experience was developed from her domestic and international roles in academic leadership, staff development, and program
planning. She is a former instructional coach, learning coordinator, and Social Studies teacher. In response to America’s demographic shift and increasingly
divisive political climate, Barrett decided to expand her activities to include diversity, equity, and inclusion. Through her roles as advisor, trainer, and
facilitator, Barrett consults with businesses, nonprofits, government agencies, and educational institutions on meeting their performance and DE&Igoals
through building and sustaining inclusive work environments for both their employees and clients.

 

This sought-after speaker has spoken nationally on
teacher leadership, implicit bias, racial equity, and cultural competency. In 2014, she participated in the Institute for Educational Leadership’s EducationPolicy Fellowship Program in which she established cross-sectoral relationships with mid-career professionals throughout the country. She gained valuable skills in educational policy and leadership building through its rigorous professional development. Barrett has been involved in national initiatives such as the U.S. Teach to Lead, and recently spoke on cultural competency at its Family Engagement Summit. Her company’s commitment to action, “Excelling Hispanics to Prosperity,” was accepted by the White House Initiative on the Educational Excellence of Hispanics. The subsequent year, she published her first chapter titled “Using Mentorship to Transition Black Males to Prosperity” in the “Closing the Education Achievement Gap for African-American Males” book. As a YWCA-trained social justice facilitator, she cultivates empathetic leadership for communities and businesses with intentional and productive dialogue.

Barrett addresses these pressing issues by having individuals negotiate their own social identities to establish common ground that values diverse
perspectives. Over the years, CHARPED, partnered with organizations like When We All Vote, Cleveland History Center, and the Cleveland Foundation to host
three community events that encouraged civic engagement and increased voter registration. Barrett is on a mission to unite our country by eliminating
barriers and building bridges.

Barrett graduated from The University of Akron with a B.S. in Education with a minor in History. She has an M.Ed. in Supervision, as well as an M.Ed. in Adult
Learning and Development, both from Cleveland State University. In addition, she has an Administrative Specialist License in Curriculum, Instruction &
Professional Development. She has her Advancing Diversity and Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University ILR and is an adjunct professor at Lake Erie
College.