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IEL Announces Chike Aguh and Maribel Duran as New Board Directors

Headshots: Chike Aguh and Maribel Duran

IEL Announces Chike Aguh and Maribel Duran as New Board Directors

IEL is pleased to announce appointment of two new board directors, Chike Aguh and Maribel Duran.

“Chike and Maribel add strength and energy to our vibrant and diverse board. I am so pleased and honored that they have agreed to serve as IEL board members,” noted Karen Mapp, chair of the IEL board.

Chike Aguh, CEO of EveryoneOn, focuses on closing the digital divide so that families, young people, and community members can learn, access resources, and thrive. Prior to his current role, he was education policy official for Mayor Bloomberg, a second grade teacher and Teach For America corps member, a Fulbright Scholar in Thailand, and a director of corporate Strategy at the Advisory Board Company. He has been honored as a Harvard Presidential Public Service Fellow, Wharton Howard E. Mitchell Fellow, and Harvard Graduate School of Education Intellectual Contribution/Tribute Award winner.

“I am so honored to join the IEL Board and help steer into an even greater catalyst for education equity, social justice, and economic competitiveness in America. With the leadership of Johan Uvin and my fellow board members, the future is bright for IEL and all of America’s learners,” said Aguh.

Maribel Duran is the assistant director for strategy and operations with the Education & Society Program at the Aspen Institute. Most recently, Maribel served as chief of staff for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and as a member of the White House Council on Women and Girls Federal Taskforce and the Education Department’s Diversity and Inclusion Working Group. Previously, Duran served eight years in the Obama Administration at the U.S. Department of Education. She served as chief of staff for the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. In 2009, she joined former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan as special assistant in the Office of the Secretary. She serves as a trustee for Southern New Hampshire University and in 2018 was recognized by the Leader Center for Excellence as a “40 Under 40” leader.

“I am thrilled to join such a remarkable and distinguished board and look forward to working alongside my fellow board members, Johan, and IEL to help ensure continued access to opportunity—from the classroom to the workplace and equity in education. IEL can and will play a critical role in cultivating diverse leaders across the national and educational spectrum, provide the support and tools they need to succeed, and carve out an inclusive and culturally competent pathway to ultimately improve outcomes for our country’s youth, particularly low-income students and students of color,” remarked Duran.

Johan E. Uvin, president of IEL, stated about the appointment of the two new board directors, “I am delighted about Chike’s and Maribel’s appointments to the IEL board and am confident that their fresh perspectives and contributions will benefit our organization greatly. I am particularly excited about the contributions they will make in setting strategic direction for a renewed IEL.”