Awais Sufi
President and Chief Executive Officer
Awais Sufi serves as Chief Executive Officer of SchoolSmartKC, having spent one year in the design of this effort as Entrepreneur in Residence at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Prior to his work in Kansas City, Awais served as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Programs at the International Youth Foundation (IYF). At IYF, Awais led the organization’s development efforts for public-private partnerships between development agencies, the private sector and philanthropy to promote greater opportunity for disadvantaged youth in over 50 countries worldwide.
Before his tenure at IYF, Awais served as the startup Managing Director of the Education for Employment Foundation, which uses business validated training and education to provide economic opportunity to young people across the Middle East. Prior to this work, he served as a corporate and securities attorney at Arnold & Porter, a Washington, D.C. law firm, and as Law Clerk to the Honorable Judge John Sprizzo of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Raised in Topeka, Kansas, Awais is a graduate of the University Of Texas School Of Law and the University of Chicago.
Noah Devine
Director of Educational Investments
Noah Devine is the Director of Educational Investments at SchoolSmartKC, where he leads the analytic efforts, strategy, planning, due diligence, support and monitoring efforts for expanding and fortifying quality school options for students in the Kansas City Public School System. Prior to joining SSKC, Noah was an independent consultant with local districts, state agencies, philanthropies and schools to improve the access and quality of educational options for students, including with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Before that, Noah worked for the Louisiana Department of Education as the director of Accountability Policy where he led data, analytics and stakeholder engagement to drive policy and decision-making across teacher, leader, school and district evaluation and accountability systems. Noah Devine holds a B.S. in political science from the Truman State University, an M.S. in political science from the University of Missouri, and an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Cokethea Hill
Director of Community and Family Engagement
Cokethea Hill is Director of Community and Family Engagement at SchoolSmartKC, where she leads efforts to build robust, parent-school-community partnerships linked to student achievement and better access to information on local schools. Prior to her work with SchoolSmartKC, Cokethea was Vice President for Diversity and Special Initiatives at United Way of Greater Kansas City, focusing on building partnerships and growing philanthropic support in communities of color. Previously, she served as Community Development Specialist for the Mid America Regional Council’s Green Impact Zone and College Coach for the Kauffman Scholars program. Cokethea brings to SchoolSmartKC extensive grassroots experience in community organizing and development, a passion for equity and education, and an ability to build partnerships across political, civic, and business communities. She has served as a school board member for Kansas City Public Schools and as a councilmember for the City of Kansas City. Cokethea is pursuing her Doctorate in Education from the University of Kansas, earned a Masters in Psychology from Avila University, and holds a Bachelors from the University of Central Missouri.
Angelique Nedved
Director of School Quality
As Director of School Quality at SchoolSmartKC, Angelique Nedved leads in depth reviews of schools for investment and the structuring of investment support to ensure quality schooling for local youth. She also drives SchoolSmartKC’s broader efforts to coordinate leadership, instruction and other supports needed for all schools in our local system to thrive. Angelique brings comprehensive experience in school improvement and organizational change focused on the adoption of modern and engaging learning environments. Her recent work in Lawrence Public Schools has earned her national recognition as one of the country’s Top 30 Technologists, Transformers and Trailblazers in 2016. Prior to joining SchoolSmartKC, Angelique served in the public education sector teaching grades kindergarten through high school, including five years as a building principal. She joined district level administration in Lawrence as Director of Instruction and Curriculum before accepting the position of Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning. Angelique earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Kansas, and holds a Masters in Education Administration and a Bachelors in Secondary and Elementary Education from Fort Hays State University.
