Shannon Butler-Mokoro, MSW, Ph.D. is currently the Special Assistant to the Dean in the School of Education and Social Policy. She has worked in higher education for over 20 years as a student affairs professional and social work educator. Her areas of research and interest include helping to build culturally humble and proficient organizations, social welfare history, the history of higher education, faith-based social work. She is a social work educator and conducts workshops and trainings for various schools and nonprofits around the issues of diversity, equity, access, and inclusion.

Shannon has served on the Board of ACCL since 2019.

Susanne Curry lives in Chelmsford with her husband and daughter. She graduated from Clark University with a B.A. in Government/International Relations. She currently works as an office manager and administrative assistant at PointRight, which is a healthcare data analytics company in Cambridge. Previously she worked at The International Institute of New England in the Boston, Lowell, and Manchester Offices. For four years she was a case manager with refugees in NH, assisting them with all aspects of resettlement. Susanne loves theater, music, and dance and is working on The Lowell Dance Project to establish a dance collaborative here. She is a member of Congregation Shalom in Chelmsford and sings with them in a band called Shpiel. She is excited to work with The African Community Center of Lowell as a member of the Board since 2020. She hopes to bring her enthusiasm, administrative skills, and experience working with diverse groups to further the mission of the Center.

Jessica Sutherland-Ryan grew up outside Boston, MA. She graduated from Northeastern University with a B.S. in Finance and Accounting. For over twenty years, she has worked in Finance, Accounting and Human Resources with a wide range of companies and clients. She hopes to share her skills and experiences as a member of the Board. She currently works as the Payroll and Human Resources Administrator at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell. Jessica enjoys music, history, art, learning about different cultures and doing these things with her family.

Born in Kenya, Elizabeth started her music / art career in the 80’s during her primary school days and through high school and college in Nairobi / Kenya. She was an active member of her school and church choirs. She also chaired both drama and journalism clubs throughout her high school and was often featured at the famous “Kenya national theatre” with her poetry.

A graduate of business studies, Elizabeth is multilingual and has excellent communication and administrative skills. She has served in leadership positions and volunteered in various faith based organizations in the worship, women and children’s ministries respectively.

Latifah Phillips, Chief Equity and Engagement Officer in Lowell Public Schools, has held district and state-level education leadership positions in Pennsylvania, New Mexico and Washington. She began her professional career working at the California Trade Office in Mexico City, Mexico, and later taught in public schools in Takasaki, Gunma, Japan for three years before returning to teach elementary and middle school in the US.

Most recently, Ms. Phillips served as the State Director of Native Education in Washington State, providing technical assistance and educational support to Tribal and public schools serving over 60,000 Native students and 29 federally recognized Tribes. She has also served as Assistant Secretary of Indian Education for the New Mexico Public Education Department, Chief of Staff for Santa Fe Public Schools and Executive Director of Non-instructional Professional Development and Performance Management in the School District of Philadelphia. Ms. Phillips holds a Master of Education degree in Secondary Education from the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley, and a Master of Arts degree in International Education Development with a focus on language and literacy from Columbia University, Teachers College.

As a first-generation college graduate, Ms. Phillips believes that education is one of the greatest equalizing factors in society. She speaks Spanish and Japanese and is driven by a personal mission of helping to create educational opportunities for all children which will enable them to successfully explore and pursue their life options. She is honored to serve the children and families of Lowell Public Schools