We support APS Board Members — and hold them accountable.
EiE supports Board member candidates who commit to advancing youth-centered policies.
We do deep organizing in and with communities to develop education-focused voters.
And we hold Board members accountable to working toward equity for all of Atlanta’s children.
In 2021, EinE endorsed these courageous candidates for the Atlanta Board of Education.
Now, we’re making sure they stay true to their commitments to equity.
District 1
Katie Howard
Katie is a native Atlantan, a graduate of the former Grady (now Midtown) High School, and a resident of Grant Park since 2006. Katie’s career is defined by her commitment to public service and urban areas. For the last two decades, Katie has served metro Atlanta in the Fulton County Commissioner’s office, the City of Atlanta Municipal Clerk’s Office, and the Atlanta City Council. Katie has also volunteered within the Jackson Cluster for the past decade. She is a member of St. Paul United Methodist Church. Katie and her husband live with their twin girls as well as their dog and cat.
District 2
Aretta Baldon
Aretta has a proven track record of working to give every child the tools and encouragement he or she needs to succeed, from her time at Imhotep Academy as a Soccer Coach, Assistant Cheerleading Coach and Girl Scout Leader to her current role as a member of Atlanta Thrive and President of the KIPP Atlanta Collegiate Parent Teacher Organization. A proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and a graduate of Spelman College, Aretta has over 20 years of corporate management experience and now owns Shades of Light photography. Aretta lives in the Washington Park neighborhood with her amazing daughter, and fellow photographer, Ariel.
District 5
Erika Mitchell
Erika currently serves on the Atlanta Board of Education’s Policy Review Committee, Equity Taskforce, Audit Committee and the Board of Director for the Atlanta BeltLine. In her first term, she developed the first electronic newsletter for her district, established community partnerships and she also wrote the school district’s first Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking, Trauma Informed Practices, Restorative Justice Practice policies. A graduate of Alabama State University, Mitchell earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Computer Information Systems yielding her the knowledge and opportunity to work for major global brands such as Coca Cola, Cbeyond, and Kodak as an Information Technology specialist.
District 6
Eshé Collins
Eshé is Vice Chair of the Atlanta Board of Education. She also serves as Georgia State University’s project director for Jumpstart, an early education, nonprofit organization that delivers a high-quality curriculum to preschool children in low-income neighborhoods. In this role, she trains adults to teach and lead in their communities; works closely with parents to improve family involvement; and more importantly, inspires children to learn through the love of literacy. Eshé earned a B.A. degree in psychology from Spelman College; M.S. in urban teacher leadership from Georgia State University; and J.D., cum laude, from North Carolina Central University School of Law. She holds Georgia educator certifications in early childhood education and educational leadership, and a license to practice law in the state of Georgia.
Seat 9 At-Large
Jason Esteves
Jason currently serves as Board Chair and an at-large representative on the Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education. Jason began his career as an APS teacher educator, and later joined the board during one of the most critical transitions in the district’s recent history. Today, Jason serves as Vice President of the Legal Department at Equifax Inc., where he leads the handling of sensitive disputes and incidents, and investigations. Jason and his wife, Ariel, have two children, Jaeden and Zoe, and reside in northwest Atlanta.
