Our Team

  • Dr. Chanel Gaither

    Ms. Gaither is the Founder of Ascend Legacy Academy and Board Chair.

    Chanel is the founder of Gaither and Associates Consulting, Director of the Melanated Boys L.I.T Club, and the President and Founder of Minorities Achieving Collegiate Success (M.A.C.S). Chanel currently leads several international education exchange initiatives in Dubai, oversees a virtual college counseling program for students in Saudi Arabia and Dubai, and has partnerships with several businesses and universities in the UAE.

    Chanel developed and implemented the strategic plan for KIPP NJ/Newark Collegiate Academy and Marion P. Thomas Charter where she developed the college counseling programs from the ground up. Most recently, she has served as Assistant Dean of Admission for the University of Virginia. Chanel served as the Education Chair for the University of Virginia Alumni Association, Club of Delaware, and as the Club President for the University of Virginia Alumni Association, Club of New Jersey. Chanel has been recognized as a 2020 ASCD Emerging Leaders Scholar and is the President of the Delaware ASCD Affiliate. Chanel is also a member of the Association of International Educators and Leaders of Color and the Diversity Collaborative.

    In addition to a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and a Master's degree from the University of Delaware, Chanel holds a College Admissions Certificate from Harvard University and a New and Aspiring School Leaders Certificate from Harvard Graduate School of Education. Chanel is currently working on her Doctorate at the University of Delaware.

  • Eugene Young

    Eugene Young Jr. has stepped into his new role as director of the Delaware State Housing Authority. Young previously served as president and CEO of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League. He founded the grassroots organizing nonprofit Network Delaware and was an aide in the Delaware General Assembly and to former Newark mayor and current U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ).

  • Edwin Ferguson

    Trial Attorney at U.S. Department of Labor

  • Zaniyah Dock

    Azure Cloud and AI Consultant at Microsoft

  • Christina Parrish

    Christina is the Director of Contract Policy and Compliance at Virginia State University. She is responsible for all post-award functions of the University's procurement activities, as well as the review of all agreements that bind the University. Prior to this role, Christina served as the Policy and Compliance Specialist with the Virginia Information Technologies Agency. She has also served as a Legal Operations Analyst with the Virginia Department of Transportation, and as an Assistant Attorney General with the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia where she served as Agency Counsel to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and the Virginia Department of Aviation (DOAV).

    Christina has been an active participant in the bar. She has served on the Board of Governors for the Young Lawyers Conference of the Virginia State Bar and has also served as a member of the Executive Committee for the Virginia State Bar’s Conference of Local and Specialty Bar Associations. Christina has also served as the Secretary of the Old Dominion Bar Association and is a Past President of the Hill-Tucker Bar Association.