Team — Emerging Scholars

Executive Director
Formerly the Director of Development and Marketing for Emerging Scholars, Ruth became the executive director upon the retirement of founding executive director, Alvarez LeCesne. A native of northern Virginia, Ruth was a member of the development staff at Flint Hill School (FHS), an ES founding school. She then served as the director of admission, marketing, and financial aid for seven years at FHS and was co-chair of ES's first admission committee. She is a graduate and member of Leadership Fairfax. She has a BA degree from Duke University and a Masters in Business Administration from George Mason University.

Ruth@emergingscholarsprogram.org

Director of Scholars Academy & Advancement
A former student of A Better Chance (ABC), Maurice "Coach Mo" Plaines has been involved with independent schools for more than 30 years. After completing his BA in Secondary Education at Brooklyn College, he interned at Friends Seminary and Fieldston Ethical Culture Schools while pursuing his masters. He spent 12 years as the universally loved and respected Athletic Director for St. Patrick's Episcopal Day School, and also volunteered for fundraising events and other programming at local schools including Landon, Holton-Arms, Georgetown Day, Washington Episcopal and Green Acres. His extensive work with the National Association of Independent Schools People of Color Conference has provided him with an extraordinary network of like-minded educators. Coach Mo's ability to work with students of all ages and backgrounds, in addition to educational professionals and families, makes him an ideal member of the ES faculty. Proficient in Spanish and lax!

Mo@emergingscholarsprogram.org

Admission and Outplacement Coordinator
Theodra has over twenty years of experience working with the independent school admission process, with five spent as the Associate Director of Lower and Middle School Admission at Sidwell Friends School. With more than twenty years of experience working with public and private school students from preschool through high school, Theodra’s roles have ranged from school-wide diversity coordinator, physical education teacher and athletic department head, varsity volleyball coach, health instructor, NAACP parent representative, and parent advocate. Theodra has also worked in schools with special needs students and with nonprofit organizations for underprivileged children. She consults with a unique variety of schools and programs across the Washington, DC area, providing program-wide support in classroom design, accessibility, and best practices. She holds a BS from Florida A&M University, A Certification in Independent Educational Consulting from UCIrvine, she a Certified Educational Planner and was featured in articles about DC-area Educational Consultants in the Washingtonian Magazine and in Washington Business Journal. Theodra is also a Professional Member of IECA. Watch this video to learn how IECA members help families with the independent school search.

Office Manager & Parent Liaison
Erica was born and raised in the DMV area. She brings with her over 10 years of experience in supporting senior-level managers. Previously, she worked with the LAYC's (Latin American Youth Center) youth opportunity program, where she was selected by staff to participate in the Transformational Education conference in Los Angeles, California. As the mother of a Cohort 12 scholar, Erica was already an ardent proponent of the ES mission. Furthermore, Erica's passion is to help others accomplish far more than what they ever thought was possible. "As a mother of two, I understand the importance of helping children reach their highest potential academically at a young age, preparing them to become strong confident leaders. When she's not in the office answering your calls and responding to your emails, you can find her playing defense on the soccer field!

Erica@emergingscholarsprogram.org

Marketing & Development Manager
Megan graduated from Saint Joseph’s University, in Philadelphia with a B.S. in Sociology. She then went on to pursue her Masters in International Relations at Regent’s University in London with a concentration on Human Rights, studying refugees and their powerful stories. As a long-time supporter of ES, Megan is grateful to be a part of the process of helping better our scholars bright futures.

Megan@emergingscholarsprogram.org

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