THE BOARD
GOVERNING BOARD
DR. DAMARIS-LOIS YAMOAH LANG
Board Official | President
Dr. Damaris-Lois Yamoah Lang is the Founding President of P-CoC Inc | Parenting Children of Color. She serves as Executive Director of Operations. Dr. Lang’s field of study in Neurobiology of Parental Care and amongst other things, drove her to establish P-CoC Inc | Parenting Children of Color. She hopes to address societal triggers impacting the neurobiology of racial and color inequity behaviors at its core, bringing elements that reinforce racism and colorism to the surface and advocating for a solution-oriented problem-solving approach to foster an equitable co-existence for all. Dr. Lang is currently the Academic Dean for STEMS [Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics Statistics] at Alliance University. She has served in higher education for the past twenty years, mainly within CUNY, where she obtained her professional rank as a Full Professor of Biology. Dr. Lang maintains her professional membership and affiliations with CUNY Academy as Awards Director. She served as the first Vice Executive Director of the CUNY Academy for five years. At her CUNY-home college, she was the Science Program Director. Dr. Lang is also an elected official serving as a Board of Trustee in the Hastings-on-Hudson Union Free School District. Dr. Lang attended medical school to earn a medical sciences degree and has two master's and doctoral degrees. She also obtained an Executive Education on Public Leadership in three certification areas: Creating Public Value, Leading Successful Programs: Using Evidence to Assess Effectiveness, and Creating Collaborative Solutions from Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government. One of Dr. Lang's mantras, what we have, we did receive (1 Corinthians 4:7), drives her to extend herself to others.
dlang@p-coc.org
|914 281 1129
MR. ERIC RODRIGUEZ
Board Official | Interim Vice President
Mr. Eric Rodriguez serves as the interim Vice President and Vice Executive Director of Operations of P-CoC Inc. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Master’s degree from Columbia University. Before pursuing his Masters, Eric graduated from Hamilton College where he was a part of the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) which is a program dedicated to providing holistic support to students who demonstrate academic potential but come from underserved communities. Through the support of the program Eric was able to graduate as an English major and Anthropology minor. After graduation, Eric worked in the legal field for five years before deciding to pursue a career in social work which he felt would be more in line with his ideological approach and social justice orientation. For the better part of a decade, Eric has dedicated himself to giving back to the program which supported him through his work with College Discovery program at CUNY. Additionally, Eric has worked directly with individuals and families, and taught theories and interventions (Direct Practice) at schools of Social Work in The New York City area. During this time, Eric also served on the Executive Board for a Non-Profit organization, which was created to support underserved children to obtain resources in order to participate in athletic programs. He believes strongly in individual empowerment and the shared responsibility of disrupting systems which perpetuate inequities.
|914 281 1619
MS. KARINA VILLALONA
Board Official | Secretary
Karina Villalona is a mother of three, and she was born and raised in Washington Heights. She received a Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education from Pace University, working as an early childhood teacher in NYC and Los Angeles before returning to graduate school. Karina earned a Master's Degree in Bilingual School Psychology from California State University- Los Angeles and worked in that capacity for 20 years. Karina recently obtained her school district leadership certification from Bank Street College and currently works as Assistant Director of Special Education in a large Westchester School District. Karina is committed to being of service to her community and school district. She enjoys working collaboratively with families, students, and teachers in pursuing equitable outcomes for all. Her most rewarding work has been supporting families in obtaining mental health and academic support and helping students and families become strong advocates for themselves. Karina serves as the Secretary of P-CoC Inc and Communications Director of the Executive Operational branch of the organization.
|914 500 8735
DR. RONETTE SHAW
Board Official | Treasurer
Dr. Shaw is an Educator with a doctorate, a master's degree, and an FNP (Certified Family Nurse Practitioner) with approximately 20 years of experience in medical-surgical acute care settings. She has also worked in primary care medicine, cardiovascular management, geriatric medicine, women's health disaster preparation, patient management, and safety for the past decade. In addition, Dr. Shaw serves as a nursing educator with the City University of New York, supporting students and working closely on curricular development, consultation, and supporting accreditation for health care organizations. As a mother of two small children, she joined P-CoC to support equity and advocacy for children of color. The mission of P-CoC, directed toward unlearning hate and self-hate, has value to what parents should model for their children. Dr. Shaw is a team player with a remarkable professional and personal skill set. Dr. Shaw's doctoral work focused on team teaching at the graduate level. Dr. Shaw serves on several committees. The Senate Scholarships and Awards Committee (SSAC) is one such committee where she serves as the Vice-chair, advocating for financial support for students in need and students who have obtained academic excellence in their educational achievements. Dr. Shaw is currently a governing board officer serving as the treasurer, and in an executive operational capacity, she is the organization's budget director.
|914 500 8702
EXECUTIVE OPERATIONAL DIRECTORS
DR. DAMARIS-LOIS
LANG
Executive Director
MS. KARINA
VILLALONA
Communications Director
DR. RONETTE
SHAW
Budget Director
MR. ERIC
RODRIGUEZ
Interim Vice Executive Director
OUTSIDE
EX OFFICIO
Legal Counsel as needed
MR. TESFA
STEWART
Advisory Chairperson
Advisers may submit queries to the board at board@p-coc.org
ADVISORY BOARD, COUNCIL & CONSULTANTS
To learn more and join the team?
Send an email to administration@p-coc.org