Dr. Charles D. Moody, Founding Member

On November 20, 1970, while completing a dissertation examining school systems led by black superintendents, Dr. Charles D. Moody, Sr. invited several African American superintendents to a meeting at the O’Hare Marriott Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. The purpose of the meeting was to share concerns, develop a resource pool, and to form an organization of black school superintendents. Representing the Metropolitan Applied Research Center (MARC), the organization that helped to fund the early meetings, were Hylan Lewis, Director of the Fellowship Program and Dixie Moon, Executive Administrator.

Dr. Moody says, “When one is in a struggle or battle, he looks around to see if he is alone. This human characteristic was one of the underlying factors in the formation of the National Alliance of Black School Superintendents.” Fifteen superintendents agreed that forming an organization was a viable idea. Before that meeting was over on November 22, plans were made to meet again in August 1971 in Miami Beach, Florida. It was during the Miami meeting that the superintendents formally organized the National Alliance of Black School Superintendents (NABSS) – Dr. Russell Jackson was elected President.

In 1972, the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare Office of Special Concern’s Office of African American Affairs, awarded NABSS a grant to conduct an in-depth research study of 40 school districts headed by African American superintendents. Dr. Meharry Lewis was the principal investigator for the grant. The study resulted in the development of a set of educational objectives for school districts enrolling predominantly African American students.

On April 19, 1973, during the presidency of Ulysses Byas, NABSS voted to include administrators and other educational personnel in the organization and changed the organization’s name to the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE). Commissions that linked members with common and related job functions were formed. On November 23, 1973, in Detroit, Michigan, NABSE was formally launched with 284 charter members.

Dr. Moody chaired the University of Michigan, Division of Educational Specialists from 1973-77. He was the university’s first vice provost for minority affairs at U-M. He served in this post until 1993, when he became executive director of South African Initiatives. He also directed the Project for Fair Administration of Student Discipline from 1975-80 and the Center for Sex Equity in Schools from 1981-87.

NABSE officially opened its first national office in Washington, D.C. on January 20, 1979. Dorothy Moore, on loan from the Detroit Public Schools, served as the first executive director. William Saunders was both office manager and executive director from 1983-1993.

Today, NABSE has more than 6,000 members and 125 affiliates across the United States. Dr. Moody is honored as a distinguished graduate of Central State University and Northwestern University. Today, NABSE affiliates throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Caribbean perpetuate NABSE’s legacy. NABSE continues to be the premier organization advocating on behalf of African American education. Dr. Moody passed away in March 2019.

As your TABSE Historian, I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Moody, while he was the head of the Center for Sex Equity in the early 1980's, even before my NABSE association. Dr. Moody had an excellent ability to remember names and always made certain that he was attentive in conversations with individuals at NABSE conferences or elsewhere.

Upcoming events: Wednesday, Nov 30 - Saturday, Dec 3, 2022, NABSE 50th Annual Conference @ Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, outside of D.C.

Dr. Usamah Rodgers

The search for the new Desoto ISD superintendent is officially over. The school district announced Dr. Usamah Rodgers as the lone finalist for the superintendent position following a special meeting. “The Board’s hiring of Dr. Rodgers ensures that our kids’ needs are at the forefront of the district’s focus given her extensive work in shaping and preparing students for college and career readiness," said DeSoto ISD Board President DeAndrea Fleming. "Dr. Rodgers has demonstrated her ability to do this work at a high level throughout her proven tenure as a teacher, campus leader, and central office administrator.”

After receiving her bachelor's degree in Education from Missouri State University, Dr. Rodgers later went on to pursue a master's and doctorate of education leadership and administration from UT Austin. Prior to the new position, Dr. Rodgers was a teacher and worked her way up through multiple executive leadership roles receiving several awards for her contributions to education. More recently, Dr. Rodgers served as the Deputy Chief of Strategic Initiatives in Dallas ISD, the 14th largest school district in the U.S. with more than 150,000 students. Desoto ISD began its search following former superintendent D'Andre Weaver's resignation in Nov. of 2021.

Dr. Anthony Mays

The Austin school board selected the district's chief officer of schools, Dr. Anthony Mays to be the next interim superintendent. Dr. Mays currently leads the district's school leadership team, oversees the associate superintendents of secondary and elementary schools and the assistant superintendent for student support services, according to the district's website. He has been the chief officer of schools since October 2020.

After an hours long private discussion, seven trustees voted in favor of appointing Dr. Mays as the new interim superintendent. He will be the district's first Black male interim superintendent, trustee Yasmin Wagner said during the meeting. Congratulations to Dr. Mays and we are confident that his leadership will impact the continued success of Austin ISD.

The TABSE Executive Board met for a training meeting on Saturday, June 4, 2022, at the TABSE/HAABSE office in Houston, Texas. Responsibilities of each office were discussed, along with leadership techniques, parliamentary procedures and operating suggestions for the year. Ms Linda Griffin, from the Dallas area led the training segment, and was very informative in her presentation to Board members. Following training, discussion regarding calendar and budget planning for 2022-2023 occurred. The meeting was valuable for newly elected officers and returning officers for 2022.