HQSC Team

HQSC Manager- Etoy Ridgnal

Etoy Ridgnal is a parent of 2 Public School children with over 17 years experience as a Community, Political, Union Organizer, Teacher and Education Advocacy Leader. A graduate of Scripps College, she most recently served as the Chicago Director for Stand for Children, where she built a coalition of over 35 high level labor, community, business, faith-based and education leaders to pass Senate Bill 7. Hailed as the most significant piece of Education Policy in recent state history, SB 7 allowed school districts to make Performance Based Personnel Decisions in regards to Tenure, Lay-off, Hiring and Certification Processes in the state of Illinois, providing over 1 million students with the best, most effective teachers possible.

Prior to joining Stand for Children, Etoy co-authored a Charter Parent Advocacy Training Curriculum used by 40 Charters in New York City. As a lead staffer with Education Reform Now/ Democrats for Education Reform, she co-led the successful legislative campaign which doubled the number of charter schools from 200 to 460 in New York State, resulting in 700 million dollars for New York in the federal Race to the Top competition.

Her entry in the education reform world occurred after serving as the Queens Co-Field Director for Mayor Bloomberg’s successful 2009 re-election campaign. She has led numerous large-scale union organizing, political and issue advocacy campaigns as a staffer within SEIU, AFL-CIO, NYS Working Families Party and the United States Student Association. She has developed and facilitated over 10 leadership development training curriculums for youth, parents and community members across the country. Her passion for educational equity stems from her early childhood experiences within some of the lowest performing schools in Chicago and her desire to see that every child has an excellent education supported by their families and communities.

Parent Facilitator- Marketta Wiley

Marketta Wiley is a native Washingtonian and attended the DC Public School system her entire life. She is a proud graduate of HD Woodson High School. Marketta is a parent herself, and has a passion for working with families to help them provide the best education possible for their children. From 2008- 2011, she worked for the DC Public School system within the DCPS Parent & Family Resource Center where she was a Family Engagement Coordinator.

Parent Facilitator- Neal Ables

Neal Ables has taught in the primary and secondary levels and was a Dean of Student Affairs in the DC metropolitan area. Previously, he worked as a Family Engagement Coordinator and an Outreach Specialist, for DC Public Schools in the Office of Family & Public Engagement. During his tenure with DCPS, Neal was able to develop collaborative relationships with parents/guardians, school personnel, community leaders/activists and others. He also assisted in creating a knowledge base of available resources inside and outside the school system that support parents/guardians and families across the District.

Neal is a Washington DC native, graduated from Delaware State University and has over 15 years of experience meeting the needs of parents/guardians, students, and community leaders on multiple issues.