District A
Tim Beaty
Tim Beaty has worked in the labor movement for 40 years, most recently serving as the director of global strategies at the Teamsters. Over the course of his career, Beaty advised unions in over 40 countries, particularly in Latin America and Europe. The past two years, Beaty served as a substitute teacher in Alexandria City Public Schools. Beaty was first elected to the Alexandria City School Board during a special election in January, 2024. Beaty is active in the Alexandria Democratic Committee (ADC) including co-chair of the ADC Labor Caucus. Beaty is a former board chair of Fairtrade America. He also volunteers as a tutor at the Alexandria Tutoring Consortium and at Tenants and Workers United in Chirilagua. Beaty is fluent in Spanish and hopes to encourage greater engagement with Latino and other immigrant families in the Alexandria community. Beaty earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics at the University of Notre Dame. He grew up on the south side of Chicago with his family moving to Florida during his high school years. Beaty and his wife Liz have lived in Alexandria City for twelve years. He says their family is a blended one as each had three children, adding their kind of a “Brady Bunch.”
Ryan Reyna
Ryan Reyna is a principal at Education Strategy Group, a mission-based strategic consulting firm that works across the nation to expand economic mobility for all individuals by increasing educational attainment. He leads the firm's work to improve students' postsecondary transitions. Reyna previously served as director of the Office of Accountability and Data Management for the Delaware Department of Education and as a program director in the Education Division for the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices. Prior to having been elected to the Alexandria City School Board, Reyna served as Chair of the Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) for the School Board and served as a member of the Youth Career and Technical Education (CTE) & Employment Work Group, launched by ACT for Alexandria. As a parent and School Board member, he believes the school division is at the cusp of immense future opportunities. With ACPS’ transition to the career academies model in Alexandria City High School and as the school division addresses safety, redistricting and collective bargaining, Reyna maintains bold solutions are needed. Reyna is eager to listen and collaborate to positively shape the future of our schools and our city for generations to come. Reyna received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia and Master of Public Affairs from Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin. Reyna and his wife have lived in Alexandria since 2008 and have two girls that attend Alexandria City Public Schools. He is an avid runner who enjoys cooking and spending time outdoors with his girls.
Michelle Rief, Chair
Dr. Michelle Rief is an experienced college professor and education non-profit executive. She was first elected to the Alexandria City School Board in 2018. Prior to joining the Board, she held leadership positions in the Mount Vernon Community School PTA and the Alexandria PTA Council. Rief was born into a military family and attended public schools in Iowa, California and Florida. She was the first in her family to graduate from college, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from Florida State University and later a Ph.D. in African American Studies at Temple University. As a graduate student, she directed a non-profit prison education program that taught life skills to incarcerated individuals, many of whom had dropped out of school. She also served as a resident counselor for high school students attending A Better Chance and Upward Bound. Rief went on to become a professor at Borough of Manhattan Community College in New York, and later at Northern Virginia Community College teaching history and sociology courses. Rief and her husband have lived in Alexandria since 2006 and they have three children who attend Alexandria City Public Schools.
District B
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Kelly Carmichael Booz
Kelly Carmichael Booz directs the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) PreK-12 digital resources serving over 1.9 million educators on the AFT's Share My Lesson, the AFT's E-Learning professional development platform, and the production and dissemination of PreK-12 publication for the AFT's 1.7 million members. Originally from Minnesota, Ms. Booz officially settled in Alexandria, VA, in 2010. Ms. Booz previously served on the Alexandria City School Board from 2013-2015. In 2014, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe appointed her to serve on the Virginia Standards of Learning Innovation Committee to evaluate the Virginia accountability and assessment systems. In 2017, she was named to The Alexandria Chamber of Commerce 40 under 40. She serves on the Board of Directors for Virginia Civics, a nonprofit created to promote constitutional literacy, critical thinking and civic engagement, empowering the next generation of leaders in Virginia. Previously, Ms. Booz served as Director of Civic Education at James Madison’s Montpelier directing the Virginia We the People program and as Manager of Teacher Programs at Alexandria’s Close Up Foundation. Ms. Booz serves on the Kathy Wilson Foundation board, which seeks free universal developmental screening of Alexandria children five and under. She also serves on the Douglas MacArthur Elementary School Advisory Committee for the school rebuild. She has worked on the Alexandria City Parker-Gray Stadium Initiative to modernize the Stadium for Alexandria. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Women’s Studies at Carleton College in Minnesota. She then earned a Master of Education degree in Social Foundations of Education at the University of Virginia. Ms. Booz also graduated from the Political Leaders Program with the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia. Ms. Booz believes we are in the midst of a crucial moment for our children due to the impact of COVID-19 and that we must work to ensure long-term learning and social-emotional recovery. Ms. Booz and her husband Hendrick have two children in ACPS.
Alexander Crider Scioscia
Alexander Crider Scioscia is the non-partisan hearing clerk for the United States Senate Budget Committee. He served on the Alexandria City School Board Budget Advisory Committee (BAC). Scioscia grew up in Alexandria and attended George Mason Elementary School, George Washington Middle School and graduated in 2017 from Alexandria City High School (previously T.C. Williams High School). It was his experiences within Alexandria City Public Schools that helped him explore his passions, go on to college, and begin his career. He now wants to give back to the community that gave him a world-class education. As a School Board member he will work to ensure future generations of students succeed, the School Board operates efficiently and transparently and all staff feel supported and get the resources they need. Scioscia received his Bachelor of Arts from Lewis and Clark College with a double major in political science and German.
Ashley Simpson Baird
Dr. Ashley Simpson Baird is the founder and principal of Merit Research, Policy, and Evaluation, an educational research company that offers customized, equity-focused solutions to schools and education support organizations. She was an English as a Second Language and bilingual education teacher who left the classroom in 2011 to pursue a doctorate degree in order to have a greater impact in the field of education. Her professional work has continued to focus on English learners, but as a parent of a child with special needs, she also has personal experience in that area. Simpson Baird previously led the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) Family Outreach Committee at her children’s school and served as a Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) member to the Alexandria City School Board. She volunteered with Alexandria Community Alliance to help get food and supplies to families during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Puna, Potosí, Bolivia, after earning her college degree. During her college years, she volunteered as a big sister for justice-involved youth and worked at an alternative high school, developing an interest in the educational experiences of students for whom school was more challenging, as well as non-traditional, experiential modes of learning. Her interest in English learners began in a middle school class called Partners and Friends where half of the class was composed of students learning English and the other half included native English-speaking students; this allowed for language development and cultural exchange. She credits this class with revealing to her the often-challenging experiences of students learning English in a large public school. Simpson Baird earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pennsylvania State University in Letters, Arts, and Sciences and a dual Master of Arts and Teaching from the School for International Training in English as a Second Language and Spanish. She holds a Doctorate of Philosophy degree in Education from the University of Virginia. Born in Florida, Simpson Baird spent most of her life in Northern Virginia and has lived in Alexandria since 2015. She has three children enrolled in Alexandria City Public Schools. She enjoys running, biking, hiking and reading.
District C
District C
Abdulahi Abdalla
Abdulahi Abdalla serves as a member of the Alexandria City School Board Budget Advisory Committee (BAC). He firmly believes in supporting the school division’s teachers, increasing community engagement, particularly in Alexandria's West End, and enhancing student safety. Abdalla works for Accion in Washington, D.C. in database management and donor relations. He previously served as a housing coordinator for Dar Al Hijrah Refugee Services in Falls Church, Virginia. Abdalla also worked for the Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC) in Arlington, Virginia as a legal aid coordinator and employment specialist, assisting Afghan special immigrant visa holders and asylum seekers. As a volunteer, he is a member of the Community Service Board for the City of Alexandria. Abdalla was born in Arlington, Virginia, raised in Fairfax County and moved to Alexandria in 2021. His personal experience shaped his commitment to education and encouraged him to become a School Board member. He believes substance use is a growing challenge for today’s youth and he wants to ensure that focus is placed on both the physical and emotional well-being of Alexandria City Public Schools’ students. Abdalla is dedicated to addressing issues involving student safety and stressed the importance of expanding mental health resources for students. Abdalla earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Marymount University.
Christopher Harris, Vice Chair
Christopher Harris, a lifelong resident of Alexandria, Virginia, is serving his second term on the Alexandria City School Board, representing District C. Professionally, Harris is a Board Certified Safety Professional specializing in infrastructure safety and sustainable urban development. His commitment to community service is demonstrated through his leadership roles, including four years as president of the Alexandria Branch of the NAACP, chairing the Social Action Committee, and serving two terms on the Alexandria Human Rights Commission, with one year as vice-chair. Harris has also dedicated himself for seven years as a varsity football coach and substitute teacher at Alexandria City High School (formerly known as T.C. Williams High School). Academically, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and Economics from National Louis University. Growing up in Old Town Alexandria, Harris attended Jefferson-Houston, William Ramsay, George Washington, and T.C. Williams High School. He attributes his successful engineering career and business ventures in Alexandria to the solid educational foundation provided by Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS). As a parent, he has seen his three children graduate from ACPS and pursue higher education. Harris is dedicated to ensuring that all children have access to opportunities that empower them to determine their own futures and is committed to advocating for the needs and rights of all students. In his personal life, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Angela, and their dog, Trey. His interests include studying Stoic philosophy, reading, and traveling. He is an active member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated.
Donna Kenley
Dr. Donna Kenley served in the U.S. Army for 30 years and retired as a colonel. She has graduate-level experience as a college professor, educator and leader at military and civilian colleges and universities. She is also a Book Buddies tutor at Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School and recently served as a member of the School Board’s Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC). While in the Army, Kenley served in tactical, operational and strategic assignments to include strategic planning across service departments in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and on The Joint Staff. She supervised the Defense Attaché School; served as Associate Dean and Professor of the former Joint Military Intelligence College; taught at the Command and General Staff College; and commanded over 350 service members, managed staffs and directed programs with multi-million-dollar budgets to include 42 separate organizations. Kenley received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She also has a Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University. After obtaining her Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University in 2009, Kenley taught graduate courses at American Military University and George Mason University in National Security Policy, Intelligence, Research Methodology and Conflict Analysis. Active in community service, Kenley spearheads the Annual Cameron Station Community-Wide Thanksgiving project to benefit Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School families. She also volunteers at the National Museum of the U.S. Army and served as a Pet Therapy Team with People Animals Love and Fairfax Pets on Wheels. Kenley attributes her passion for education to her mother who was a reading tutor and served as president of the local parent-teacher association (PTA). Her mother’s example had a deep impact on shaping the course of her career. One of Kenley’s priorities is that “Every child needs to be able to read. Nothing is more important than that! The key to an equitable chance to achieve success is tutoring.” Kenley hopes that her tenure on the School Board inspires others to become Book Buddy tutors.