In late April, Lynette Sumpter, St. Mark’s Dean of Academics and Director of the School’s new Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, took part in the 5th Annual National Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA) Conference in Cambridge, MA. She spoke as part of an Alumni Panel regarding equity in education.
The NPEA is a membership association for organizations, programs, and institutions, including colleges and universities, that are committed to educational access for underrepresented students. As an alumnus of the Wight Foundation, an NPEA member,Ms. Sumpter was asked to speak on an alumni panel designed for alumni to share their educational experiences and offer insight into the challenges and opportunities regarding equity in education. The Wight Foundation is an organization that “provides opportunities for talented young men and women to achieve academic excellence in a college preparatory boarding school environment.”
“I am very proud to be an alumnus of the Wight program and of the Taft School, my home away from home for four years,” remarked Sumpter. “I was fortunate to have wonderful adult and student mentors in my formative years that encouraged and supported me in my academic pursuits. St. Mark’s students, in this way, are so very fortunate as well and will later look back on their experiences. Their future successes depend on great mentorship. The topic of mentorship was quite central to the panel conversation. Being part of the panel and hearing our stories reinvigorated my commitment to equity and excellence in education, a guiding principle in my approach as the Dean of Academics. There is much work to be done nationally on the topic of quality education for all and it was great to be part of a gathering of people so committed to this worthy cause.”
“Lynette Sumpter is an outstanding educational leader at St. Mark’s,” says Head of School John C. Warren ’74. “Her vision and instincts are informed by her experiences as a student at Taft, and I am so proud that she added her voice to this important NPEA Conference. Lynette’s commitment to equity and excellence noticeably impact the quality of the education we provide to all 350 of our students.”