Dr. Ferguson has a doctoral degree in educational administration from the University of New Orleans and a juris doctorate from Loyola Law School.  Dr. Ferguson was the first female superintendent of the New Orleans public schools, where she had previously served in the positions of teacher, elementary principal and high school principal.  Subsequently, she served as the Superintendent of the St. John Public Schools, Assistant Superintendent of Research and Development in the Department of Education, Deputy Secretary in the Department of Labor, and Attorney to the Workforce Commission in the Office of the Governor.  Dr. Ferguson’s work has always been connected with improving education for at-risk children and youth.  She serves on several community and civic boards and is active in church affairs, currently serving as a state officer with the United Methodist Women.

Charles J. Hatfield is managing partner of Hatfield and Associates, LLC, a technology-based support company specializing in diverse information retrieval and data analysis for public opinion researchers, educators, planners, non-profits and social service agencies. For over 24 years, Hatfield  held various administrative positions, such as, Program Evaluator, Policy Planner and Director of Educational Accountability in the New Orleans Public School District. He holds a Level A Evaluator’s Certificate issued by the Louisiana State Department of Education.  He also has served as an adjunct professor in the Urban Education Department at Southern University in New Orleans.  He formerly served as Vice-President of the Warren Easton High School Charter Foundation, and as Board President of the Rivergate Development Corporation for the City of New Orleans.  Hatfield earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Louisiana State University in New Orleans (now UNO), a master’s degree in experimental psychology from Howard University in Washington, D.C., and fulfilled additional post-graduate studies at McMaster University in Canada.