Dr. Nkolika E. Onye  (she/her/nke ya)  
Chief of Equity and Belonging

As a former Teacher, Instructional Coach, Principal, and Central Office Administrator, it is indeed an honor to serve students and their families in this newly developed role. We must create a culture in which everyone, but specifically, our young people, feels a deep sense of belonging.

Our mission is to increase equitable access for students, so they may achieve a high quality and competitive education. We will advocate for young people and their families, and emphasize the importance of diversity in promoting the learning and development that leads to successful college completion and/or competitive high wage careers.

We envision a school system where:

• Diversity, equity, and inclusion are recognized as core institutional values that drive decision-making, resource allocation, and the development of all policies and practices in the district.
• Diverse students, staff, and faculty are recruited, supported, and retained.
• Collaborative internal and external partnerships support the emerging needs of students, staff, faculty, and the communities in which we live and work.
• We are engaging and elevating youth voice, family voice and addressing harm with Black, Indigenous and People of Color staff, families and youth.
• There is a culture of staff who are leading professional learning for colleagues and who are influencers in positive ways to innovate and disrupt.
• The entire school community is committed to disrupt and dismantle inequities, lead for racial and social justice and uplift anti-racist social emotional learning so that young people are seen, heard and thrive without harm.

The goals for this year are to deepen knowledge, learn strategies and skills that support culturally responsive teaching, and enhance dispositions to engage and apply content about race, gender, identity, ethnicity, ability status, multilingualism, and equity for all staff in their respective roles. Our strategic priorities are to increase representational diversity, improve climate and culture, and to build, support and align internal and external partnerships. This is a learning year for all of us. We will be calling on parents and others in the community to share their expertise, ideas, and suggestions as we continue to build capacity and expand. We look forward to leading and learning together.

Treda Collier-Dickenman  (she/her/hers)  
Chief Equity and Belonging Advisor

Treda Collier Dickenman is a veteran school educator, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practitioner, and administrator; having held positions at public, magnet, and private, among other organizations, for over thirty years. Her roles have ranged from College Advising, Admissions, Student Affairs, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Multicultural Affairs, Club advisor to social justice clubs, Family and Community Engagement, Athletics Coach, and Educational/Career Planning. 

Collier Dickenman is also a gifted public speaker, advocate for young people, mentor to younger professionals, visionary leader, and organizer. A former Division I athlete at the University of Hartford, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. She received a Master of Liberal Studies from Wesleyan University and Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School, and conducted academic research focused on cultural identity. While at Yale, she enjoyed coursework at Yale School of Management and assisted a Yale Leadership and Community Development professor with planning, design, and implementation of organizational behavior graduate courses taught. 

Treda values her work with leaders, young people, educators, schools, and organizations; helping to sharpen the skills that all need to thrive, and become more empathetic, socially/culturally responsible, relevant, authentic, and well-rounded individuals. Through the combined efforts of adult/student circles, and DEI trainings, Treda leads DEI trainings throughout Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, China, etc. 

Aarav Sundaresh  (he/him/his)  
Director of Equity & Belonging

Aarav Sundaresh is an educational leader dedicated to activating youth voice and advocating for equity and justice. He earned his BA in Visual Arts from Brown University, and his MAT from RISD, where he was a Presidential Scholar. An art teacher in Providence Schools for over 13 years, Aarav centered his practice on student experience, restorative justice, and cultural responsiveness. Outside the classroom, Aarav co-chaired the Providence Teachers Union's Racial Justice Committee and has worked with schools, counselors, teachers, and other support staff in and beyond PPSD on topics related to gender diversity & equity and supporting LGBTQ+ students. Aarav is a Providence resident and has served on the Board of Directors at New Urban Arts and the Advisory Committee for The Rhode Island Foundation's Equity Action Fund.

Dr. Carian Diaz  (she/her/ella)   
Title IX/EEO Officer

Carian is the Title IX & EEO Officer at PPSD. Carian is responsible for conducting and/or managing investigations of possible violations of the district’s Title IX and EEO policies for students and all PPSD employees. Carian earned both her BA and MA from UMass Boston in Sociology and her Ed.D from the University of New England in Educational Leadership. Carian has over seven years of experience in Title IX and EEO as an investigator in the field of higher education. Carian has facilitated and hosted numerous workshops and presentations on topics of dating and domestic violence, healthy relationships, and equity and belonging.  

Carian was born in Puerto Rico and was raised in Orlando, Florida. She currently lives in Providence with her husband and dog Okra. In her spare time, she loves to go on hikes with Okra and spend time with her two nieces. 

Denezia Fahie  (she/her/hers)  
Equity & Belonging Program Coordinator

Denezia Fahie is an alumna of Brandeis University (22’) where she completed a dual degree in Education studies and African and African American Studies and a minor in Social Justice, Social Policy. During her time at Brandeis, she co-founded the universities’ first peer health education program known as Bridge To Wellness, which serves the full student body and seeks to connect students with university resources relevant to their needs. Denezia while at Brandeis also conducted educational research with the Race, Equity and Education Lab (REEL) that examined the impacts of COVID-19 on Boston Public School students and families. In addition to her ongoing research with REEL, she taught with Breakthrough Birmingham Alabama, where she served as a teaching fellow for rising secondary students. She supported local youth in the African American and Latino Scholars program while working with Waltham High School. She later worked supporting the Boston Public Schools Office of Equity with their LGBTQ Student Support Services. Denezia is currently attending Brown University where she studies Urban Education Policy and works at Massachusetts high school supporting students in credit recovery and academic skill building.