About Us

Policy Pathways, Inc. is a non-partisan 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt non-profit organization. Policy Pathways is committed to providing educational programming and developmental activities for youth and young adults who are interested in policy-related studies, public administration, and public service leadership.

Mission
The mission of Policy Pathways is to develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities of individuals that desire to excel in policy studies and public administration degree programs and those who seek leadership positions in the public and private sectors. It is through the provision of The Summer Academy for Policy Leadership and Public Service, courses, conferences, workshops, and other academically-oriented programming that Policy Pathways will train and develop high-achieving and high-potential students.

Vision
Our vision is a society with representative diversity among high-level policy decision-makers and enhanced empowerment among disenfranchised populations and communities.

History

Dr. D. Pulane Lucas had recognized the need for policy studies to be taught to youth in communities of color more than twenty years ago. She had witnessed gifted, talented, and high-potential youth and young adults grappling with the complex policy issues that were affecting their communities and wanted to establish an organization charged with developing future policy leaders. Dr. Lucas presented her vision to three faculty colleagues. Policy Pathways, Inc. was founded in April 2019. Its founding members are Dr. D. Pulane Lucas, Dr. Delta R. Bowers, Prof. Beverly B. Davis, and Dr. Cynthia R. Mayo.

Our Board of Directors has expanded to include a group of dynamic educators, policy leaders, philanthropists, elected officials, and business leaders who are committed to the mission and vision of Policy Pathways. Our goals are to (1) play a vital role along a continuum of educational and social support for an underserved segment of the high school and college population; and (2) address the underrepresentation of individuals from historically-marginalized populations in gifted education and public policy, public affairs, and public administration degree programs and public service leadership positions (Sabharwal and Geva-May, 2013; Garces, 2014; Naylor et al., 2015).

As the Founding President and CEO of Policy Pathways, Inc., Dr. D. Pulane Lucas merged her academic and research interests in public policy with her passion for youth leadership development and her commitment to equitable access to high quality policy education for all youth and young adults. Dr. Pulane is a Harvard Business School-trained administrator, educator, researcher, and policy analyst. Entrepreneurial and innovative in her approach to program and organizational development, she is skilled at designing, implementing, and overseeing multi-year academic programs, program evaluations, and curriculum assessment studies. With ample experience in interpreting legislation and policies and their impacts on individuals, organizations, and communities, she specializes in conducting policy research and presenting findings and their significance, especially in reference to underserved populations. She has proven to be a prolific writer of research and fund development proposals, books, case studies, articles, and reports.

Dr. Lucas is the founder of D. Pulane Lucas & Company, LLC, a public policy and research consulting firm. She is an Associate Professor (Adjunct) in the School of Business at Reynolds Community College, where she teaches business and economics courses.

Dr. Pulane holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy and Administration, with a concentration in Health Policy, from Virginia Commonwealth University’s L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs; a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School; and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. Dr. Lucas is the visionary behind the Harvard Divinity School’s renowned Summer Leadership Institute for faith-based community and economic development practitioners. She is a member of the 2019 Class of Leadership Metro Richmond, and the Commonwealth (VA) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated.

Ms. Beverly B. Davis has over forty years of college administrative experience in the Virginia Community College System. Ms. Davis is an Associate Professor at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, where she has served as Program Head for Business Administration, Management, Retail, Marketing, Accounting, Economics, and Real Estate programs.

As Chief Operating Officer of her family-owned business, Davis Brothers Construction Company, located in Richmond, Virginia, Ms. Davis engages in strategic development and planning; budgeting; business analysis; financial management; information management; resource and staff management; and marketing and advertising. Ms. Davis holds a Master of Education in Marketing from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Bachelor of Science in Business.

Ms. Andrea J. Nelson holds a Master of Arts in Professional Counseling. She has over thirty-five years of experience in college administration and financial services.

With more than 20 years of experience at the elementary, middle, and college levels, Ms. Nelson is equipped with a diverse breadth of knowledge and experience. She was the Director of the Women’s Support Center at Lewis and Clark Community College where she also taught two college courses, Career Development and College Orientation. Her passion for guiding and helping others was further utilized in the capacity of Academic Advisor and Program Coordinator for the Florida A&M UniversityFlorida State University College of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

For the past ten years, Ms. Nelson has been employed by the Department of Defense in Payroll and Financial Management.

Most recently Ms. Nelson graduated from Transform Coaching Academy as a certified Life Coach.

Dr. Javarro Russell is the Sr. Director for Admissions Testing at AAMC. In this role, he produces strategy for the research and development as well as administration of the MCAT and its preparation products. His goal is to increase access to educational products and services that allow students to demonstrate their academic knowledge and skill. Before joining the AAMC, Dr. Russell was the Sr. Strategy Director for Partnerships and Innovation in the Global Education and Workforce Division at ETS. In this role, he led the design of solutions that bridge the education and workforce sectors by focusing on the pain points of student and working learners who seek to develop and signal higher-order skills for post-secondary education and employment. He also consulted on measurement and assessment design issues in higher education. In addition, he assisted institutions in identifying solutions to assessing and measuring student learning outcomes on their campuses.

Prior to joining ETS, Dr. Russell was a Psychometrician for the National Board of Medical Examiners, where he led scoring activities for medical licensure, certification, and in-training exams. His responsibilities included consulting with medical education stakeholders on issues related to psychometrics, measurement, and assessment.

Dr. Russell has served as President of the Northeastern Educational Research Association. In addition, he has previously served as a board member and conference co-chair for the Northeastern Educational Research Association. He has served on committees within the Measurement and Research Methodology Division of the American Educational Research Association.

Dr. Russell holds a BA in Psychology and MA in Clinical Psychology from Norfolk State University and a Ph.D. in Assessment and Measurement from James Madison University.

Dr. Delta R. Bowers is an Associate Professor of Management and Marketing in the Sydney Lewis School of Business at Virginia Union University (VUU). She has served as the Interim Dean and has been instrumental in establishing relationships between VUU, Virginia Commonwealth University, and University of Virginia MBA Programs to create a pathway for VUU Students to enter MBA programs. Dr. Bowers is the visionary of the Ruth Coles Harris Leadership Institute along with the faculty in the Sydney Lewis School of Business, and Dr. Ruth Coles Harris. Dr. Bowers is a Senior Continuity of Operations/Government expert, leader, and manager with more than 25 years in technical and management consulting, financial analysis, budget analysis and control, auditing, legislative analysis, regulatory and compliance management, and administration.

Dr. Bowers facilitated partnerships between Wall Street firms. She is Founding President of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Richmond Metropolitan Area Chapter, President of the Chickahominy Bluffs Homeowners’ Association, President of the Northern Henrico Civic Association, Former Social Chair for the Executive Women’s Golf Association of Richmond, Virginia, and a recipient of the NAACP Community Service Award. Dr. Bowers holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics, a Master of General Administration in Financial Management, and a Doctorate of Management in Organizational Leadership.

Mr. Sid Bass was born and raised in Richmond, VA, After graduating from Collegiate School, he attended the University of Virginia and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. After four years of working in his family’s general contracting business, he returned to UVA’s Colgate Darden School of Business and earned an MBA in 1979. For the next 20 years, Sid continued to work in the construction industry. His positions varied between Project Manager, Lead Estimator, and Vice-President of a commercial general contractor. He obtained Class “A” contractor licenses in Virginia and North Carolina. Professor Bass joined Reynolds Community College initially as an Adjunct and have been full-time since 2001. He is currently the Program Head of Architectural and Engineering Technology.

Outside of college life, Sidney pursued an industry certification as a Certified Professional Estimator (CPE) with the American Society of Professional Estimators (ASPE). He has served as president of the Virginia chapter of ASPE (#82) for the last 18 months. He also is a member of the ASPE Education Committee that develops content and courses for those that would like to obtain a CPE certification or advance their job skills.

Sid’s biggest passion is volunteering is in the recovery community. As a person in long-term recovery since 2008, he has served on the Board of Directors for the Oxford Houses of Virginia State Association (VSA) for the last 12 years. Currently, he holds an Alumni seat on the Board and was the Chairman for two years from 2019 to 2021. Oxford House is a non-profit organization that started in 1975 providing housing and rehabilitative support for individuals with Substance Use Disorder (SUD). The VSA Board (35 members) supports 160 houses in Virginia serving 1,200 individuals. Nationally, Oxford House has 3,000+ houses serving 24,000+ individuals. The duration of a resident’s stay in an Oxford house is about 9 months thereby giving 40,000 people access to sober living each calendar year. Addiction knows no boundaries and our residents come from all walks of life. It is an enriching experience to support this multi-ethnic community.

Delegate Delores McQuinn was elected in 2009 to the Virginia House of Delegates to represent the 70th District, which includes parts of the City of Richmond, Henrico County, and Chesterfield County. She is an Associate Minister at New Bridge Baptist Church and serves as the Central Virginia Regional Chair for the Safe Virginia Initiative, which addresses the need for reasonable gun legislation. She founded the East End Teen Center and its Summer Writing Institute. The Summer Program focuses on improving the literacy and writing talents of middle school youth. Delegate McQuinn chairs the Richmond Slave Trail Commission and The African American Cultural Resources (AACR) Task Force. She is a member of numerous boards, organizations, and committees that focus on uplifting and improving the Commonwealth.

In 1992, she was elected to the Richmond City School Board, where she provided leadership and vision for the school district as Vice-chair. Her initiatives included the reopening of the East End Middle School (currently, Franklin Military School) and the implementation of an annual Back-To-School rally. Her efforts helped to improve students’ self-esteem and strengthen their academic achievement. Delegate McQuinn has served on the Richmond City Council (7th District). During her tenure, the District was transformed with renovations, new development, and emerging businesses. Her accolades include The YMCA’s Women of The Year, two African Diaspora World Tourism Awards, The Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities Humanitarian Award, and the Richmond African American History Month Award. She has studied at Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia Union University.

Dr. Patrick Graham is a native of Long Beach, New York, born to a mother from the rural fields of Verbena, Alabama, and a father from Levittown, New York; two of the most segregated places in America at the time. His mother instilled pride for his southern Black roots and notions of Black empowerment in his northern existence
during the 1970s and 80s. He describes himself as a cultural mix of buttery grits and hip-hop. Along with formal education, his cultural appreciation gave him confidence in his Blackness, affection, and belief in the possibilities of others. Today, he is a social and public sector leader with a deep faith in human asset-building in segregated communities with untapped talent. He believes the talent found in communities facing racial and class divides holds the secret to America's global competitiveness. This belief is part of his identity.

While he was the president and CEO of an Urban League affiliate in the Central Carolinas, he co-founded a bank that provided hundreds of African Americans and Latinx
families with low-interest rate home and small business loans. As he witnessed families that once struggled to pay rent and become homeowners, his soul rejoiced. He learned that people of all walks of life had common dreams to have their own. It also reaffirmed the role affordable housing must play in the future development of our cities and communities. Affordable housing should be part of any region’s economic development plan. It is one of the greatest lessons community developers can learn.

Over the years, he has led movements and organizations that assisted over 500,000 people with education, workforce development, housing, and entrepreneurship. This includes designing regional eviction prevention models, nationally certified workforce programs, a bank for non-banked and underbanked individuals, and justice and equity policy initiatives. However, Patrick would coin the term “Not at-risk, but at-opportunity” to describe young people facing racial and financial discrimination in the early 2000s. It was rewarding because it made people think differently about communities than traditional at-risk models. It defined people and possibilities in the form of assets instead of deficits. He found this most rewarding because systems change starts by changing our mentalities. He noticed many national and regional partners adopted the concept. It was like a movement.

Mr. Elbert M. Brinson is a well-respected educator with more than 50 years of teaching and educational leadership experience in Virginia and North Carolina. Mr. Brinson served as an elementary and middle school teacher in Henrico County Public Schools from 1977 to 2008. Over the course of a decade, he held supervisory positions in the Richmond Preparatory Christian Academy’s Douglass School, from which he recently retired as Dean. Mr. Brinson holds a Master of Education Degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Mr. Brinson holds leadership positions at church and in the community. He has been an active member of Fifth Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia, for more than forty years. He is a member of the Music Ministry, Education Ministry, and the Deacons’ Ministry. He also has served as part of a delegation comprising the Baptist General Convention Leadership team. Since 1991, Mr. Brinson has been a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, where he has held numerous leadership positions. He is currently an Area Six Director of the Eastern Region. His professional affiliations include the National Education Association, Virginia Education Association, Henrico County Education Association, and Phi Delta Kappa Education Association.

Administrative Staff

866.465.6671

info@policypathways.org

Administrative Offices: 2406 Chamberlayne Ave, Richmond, VA 23222 USA

Mailing Address: P. O. Box 29445, Richmond, VA 23242 USA

EIN #83-4593276

Monday - Friday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Website by web.com.

Navigation

About Us

History

Our Leadership

Board of Directors
Biographical Summaries

President

Vice President

Treasurer

Secretary

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Administrative Staff

Dr. D. Pulane Lucas

Chief Executive Officer

Elena Borja

Financial Manager

Keandra Davis

Capstone Project Research Assistant

Nazira Bolat

Policy Research and Fund Development Specialist

Sierra King

Intern and PoliTrek Lead Ambassador

Tien Hoang

Communications Specialist

Neha Jain

Administrative Assistant

About Us

History

Our Leadership

Board of Directors Biographical Summaries

President

Vice President

Treasurer

Secretary

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Administrative Staff

Dr. D. Pulane Lucas

Chief Executive Officer

Elena Borja

Financial Manager

Keandra Davis

Capstone Project Research Assistant

Nazira Bolat

Policy Research and Fund Development Specialist

Sierra King

Intern and PoliTrek Lead Ambassador

Tien Hoang

Communications Specialist

Neha Jain

Administrative Assistant

Board of Directors
Biographical Summaries