The Executive Board
Robyn W. Carlin
Robyn W. Carlin is a retired Master Teacher with the Geaux Teach Secondary Education Program at Louisiana State University. She was a secondary mathematics educator for more than 30 years. Robyn has taught in the Washington, DC East Baton Rouge Parish, and Iberville Parish school systems. For more than 20 years, she has facilitated mathematics progessional development for grades K-12 teachers both nationally and internationally. She has a passion for mathematics education ad teacher professional development. She has mathematics degrees from Southern University and Louisiana State University and has completed additional graduate work in mathematics education at Howard University and Georgetown university. Robyn is a former Louisiana High School Teacher of the Year and Southwest Educational Development Laboratory fellow. She is a past recipient of numerous educational grants, including the Michael Jordan Fundamentals Grant and the Dow Chemical Educators Grant. Roby is an active member of the Louisiana Association of Teachers of mathematics, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and the Benjamin Banneker Association. She is currently an advisor for Neufeld Learning Systems, Inc. and a educational consultant for Catapult Learning. She additionally serves on the board of Vital Resource Solutions, Inc. Robyn is married to Winton B. Carlin, Jr. She has one daughter, Nicole, and five grandchildren. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Baker-Zachary Alumnae Chapter. Robyn currently resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
LAVAHI
LAVAHI is a teaching-artist on a mission to better society from the inside out. Through her music, scholarship, and performance, LAVAHI is building a platform to nourish the heart and mind, empathize our human experiences, and vibe together. As a daughter of Jazz, the culture heavily informs her ideology and influences her sound. Acrobatic scatting, compelling chords, and the art of improvisation evoke that classic traditional aesthetic and set her contemporary sound apart from the norm of mainstream Neo-Soul, Hip Hop, and R&B. And with her satisfying blend of analog and digital sounds, LAVAHI shows that the lineage of Black sound is not linear but ever folding and stretching. LAVAHI has been actively developing her artistry via performing, songwriting, and recording since 2010. In the process, she has worked with a range of artists and produced noteworthy collaborative projects. Her list of credits includes "Hold On," the widely successful second single release from jazz vocalist Lori Williams's 2018 studio album Out of the Box. The song features the legendary Tom Browne and had been topping the UK Soul charts since its release. LAVAHI also produces, plays flute, and arranges. She has added her unique sound to projects by a range of national and international artists in genres varying from rap to film scores to alternative. LAVAHI loves the studio and feels most natural when recording independently at home; but her true second home is the stage. She has been featured at venues such as Blues Alley, Bethesda Blues and Jazz, Kat's Cafe, Porter-Sanford III, St. James Live!, City Winery, and more. As a scholar, LAVAHI curates an experience to critically read environment, self, and society through pop pedagogy, blending popular culture and trending topics with theoretical, historical, and philosophical foundations. Her latest publication will be featured in The Lemonade Reader: Beyoncé, Black Feminism, and Spirituality, an edited collection by Dr. Kinitra Brooks and Dr. Kameelah L. Martin. LAVAHI is also developing a series entitled "Call and Response," which invites artists to perform and use their art to engage in critical conversations with a mixed audience of the public and the academy. Whether through performance in music, in writing, or in academic spaces, LAVAHI allows her own vulnerability to cultivate the vibe and create a safe space, internally and externally, for those sharing the experience with her. LAVAHI is currently working on her long-awaited solo project From Afar. Lavahi and Replay and Rewind Records sincerely appreciate your constant support as she works on producing this special piece. Lavahi.me
Nicole W. Johnson
Nicole Williams Johnson is a 5th grade Math Teacher at Copper Mill Elementary in Zachary, Louisiana. She has been teaching for a total of 8 years serving both with the Iberville Parish school system and the Zachary Community Schools System. She has an Elementary Education degree from the University of Phoenix. Nicole is a former Administrative Supervisor for the Louisiana Board of Review which handles unemployment insurance appeals. Nicole is married to Jarvis K. Johnson, Sr. She has four sons, Marcus, Jordan, Tyler and Jarvis, Jr., one daughter Sydney and one granddaughter Mackenzie. She is a member of OES-Sisters of Light# 1026 and is currently the treasurer. Nicole currently resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Marsha W. Coleman
Marsha Wesley Coleman, Director of Learning and Development, FSA, Power + Systems Trainer - Marsha designs educational programs for employees in FSA (Friends Services Alliance) member organizations and works with leadership teams to assess and diagnose issues impacting organizational performance and designing aligned strategies to improve performance at individual, group and organizational system levels. She is a Master Trainer of When Cultures Meet and a Certified Power + Systems Trainer for the Organization Workshop along with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and other individual and group assessment instruments. Marsha teaches a variety of classes as a professor in the Organizational Development and Leadership Masters Program at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM).
Kandace Clifton
Kandace Clifton is a native of Alachua, Florida and a graduate of Hampton University. Kandace currently works as a Data Management Expert, with a focus on content optimization, A+ and brand page enhancement and asset cataloging. Kandace’s expertise lies in creating and updating online databases and graphic design. She also works as a Freelance Graphic Designer and is an aspiring Fashion Archivist. Her specialty is in print work and she’s branching out into fashion, brand logos, and clothing mockups. Kandace is planning to develop an archive focused on the Black Church. Currently, she is working to expand her freelance business and creative network.
Tracey Cutler
Passionate, stirring, reflective, soulful…these words and many others describe the music of Tracey Cutler. Born and raised in Washington, DC, Tracey is a highly respected and requested saxophonist and educator. Tracey’s start in the District of Columbia Public Schools on clarinet has evolved into a musical path as a multi-instrumentalist, clinician, producer, arranger, and educator/administrator. Tracey is a graduate of the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), under the tutelage of Calvin Jones. After serving as the Creative and Performing Arts Coordinator at the Benjamin D. Foulois Creative and Performing Arts Academy in the Prince George’s County, Maryland School System, Tracey Cutler has returned to his alma mater, University of the District of Columbia, to serves as Assistant Professor: Instrumental Music and Applied Woodwinds. Tracey has shared the stage with many jazz, gospel, and R&B artists in the music industry including Stanley Turrentine, Jackie McLean, Yolanda Adams, Lalah Hathaway, Johnnie Gill, Spyro Gyra, Peabo Bryson, Pieces Of A Dream, The BlackByrds, Tom Browne, Jean Carne, and the late great Phyllis Hyman. Tracey’s discography includes recordings with internationally recognized vocalist Lori Williams (The Island, Don’t Ask My Neighbors, Body & Soul, My Funny Valentine), and with the Washington DC-based group Collaboration. Tracey Cutler’s solo CD, “The Path” - a collection of jazz grooves based on the people and places of his life - is available on all streaming platforms. www.TraceyCutler.com