EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Alexa has volunteered with the foundation since her youth. Although she never personally knew her late grandmother, Alexa has a strong sense of familiarity as she enjoys memories shared by her mother, and is so proud to continue Juanita’s legacy.

Before becoming Executive Director, Alexa served on the board from 2017-2021. She has also been a dedicated mentor for several years.

In addition to her work with JJMSF, Alexa is currently a playwriting and marketing consultant. Her work appears in Smith and Kraus’ Best Women’s Stage Monologues of 2022 + Resistance is Fertile, a chapbook supporting reproductive rights. Previously, Alexa was featured in The New York Times for her performance in There’s Blood at the Wedding at LaMama Experimental Theatre Club, in 2018.

Alexa has also worked in a wide range of development, education, and arts administration roles. Favorite roles include Associate Producer + Outreach Coordinator of turning your body into a compass, a 360 livestream web story at CultureHub (where she now serves on the board), and Associate Fourth Grade Teacher at The Brearley School, her alma mater.

More at alexajuanitajordan.com.

CO-FOUNDER, ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER

Patricia James Jordan is the youngest of Juanita James’ two daughters. During her childhood, in the Melrose Housing Projects, Pat often helped her mother babysit or substituted for her in order to earn pocket money. She attended elementary and junior high schools in the Bronx; the Bronx High School of Science; Vassar College, (B.A. Psychology and Black Studies); City College CUNY, (MS Special Education); and Hofstra University, (PhD Clinical Psychology).

When she was in the first grade at P.S. 3, Pat decided that she wanted to be a teacher. Throughout her childhood, she enjoyed playing school and tutoring children in the projects. After teaching high school mathematics for 30 years, Pat is now an educational consultant and a clinical psychologist. During her rewarding career, she was named NYS Teacher of the Year, and she won the Disney Award for Outstanding Teaching in Mathematics. In addition, Dolly Parton presented Pat with the Chasing Rainbows Teaching Award, established by Dolly for teachers who have successfully chased their dreams. Most recently, Pat was inducted into the National Teachers’ Hall of Fame, and as a result she was invited to the White House to meet President Barack Obama.

Patricia has one daughter, Alexa Juanita.

CO-FOUNDER

Sandra James LaForey began her stellar secretarial and administrative career while she was a student at Central Commercial HS (now known as Norman Thomas HS) in Manhattan when her first employer, Langston Hughes, hired her to type his manuscripts. She spent her career as the personal secretary to a variety of prominent physicians and attorneys. Beyond her office duties, Sandy was a valuable resource to many people including several JJMSF scholars, who secured jobs, health care, and legal assistance as a result of Sandy’s networking and referrals.

Sandy has three children; Dana, Patricia-Maria, and Darinn. She is also the proud grandmother of Donna, Devyn, Dylan, Derynn, and Ashton.

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER

Jack grew up in the Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, where he lived in housing projects. He attended Thomas Jefferson HS, St. Francis College, and John Jay College. After his honorable discharge from the US Army, Jack joined the NYC Housing Police Department where he rose to the rank of detective, and he earned the department’s highest award: the Medal of Honor. His interest and arduous work in the NYC Housing Police Benevolent Association (PBA) resulted in his becoming the first African-American president of a uniformed police force in the country. He again made history when he was re-elected for an unprecedented five terms. Upon retiring Jack established a very successful placement agent business for institutional investments.

Jack has three daughters, Alexa Juanita, Crystal, and Jacquelynn. He has been a generous supporter of JJMSF since he met his wife, Patricia, in 1991.

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER

Kanika Brooks was born and raised in the South Bronx, USA. She moved with her mother to The J.P. Mitchel Housing Projects at the age of four. In 1994, Kanika entered the engineering program at A. Philip Randolph High School. By senior year, in addition to classes, after school activities, and a part time job, a common routine for Kanika was a stop to the school’s college office. While searching through the crates of scholarship applications and college program materials, Kanika came across an application for the Juanita James Memorial Scholarship Fund. She was awarded the scholarship in June of 1998. In September, Kanika began her studies at Columbia University in New York. In 1999, she was featured in Dr. Patricia Jordan’s New York Times article, “A Babysitter in the Bronx”. Kanika graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in math and statistics in 2022.

Kanika is now a Client Relationship Consultant at Ascensus. She previously served as Director of Retirement Plan Services at Kolinsky Wealth Management for 10 years. Additionally she was also a financial planner at Ernst and Young, and a middle school math teacher at Newark Academy in New Jersey before that.

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER

Dyon grew up in the Melrose and Jackson Housing Developments, and he attended the Melrose School, P.S. 29. After he was selected as the 1991 recipient of the Juanita James Memorial Scholarship, we realized that his grandmother and Juanita James lived in neighboring buildings and often sat outside on the bench, together. Also, his parents and aunts grew up with Juanita’s daughters, Pat and Sandra!

After graduating from the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - High School, Dyon attended Skidmore College (BS in Education and Psychology), and Lesley University (M.Ed). At the NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, Dyon earned his PhD in Urban Education and Leadership. His highly acclaimed dissertation is titled, “Low-Income Black and Latino Males Beating the Odds.”

Dr. Rozier is a reowned educator, speaker, and writer, but most notable among his stellar career achievements was his Assistant Principalship at P.S. 29, the school he attended in the Bronx. He became the highly respected and welcomed supervisor of the individuals who taught him!

Since 2019, Dr. Rozier has been the Principal of the Bronx Mathematics Preparatory Middle School.