Brandi Sims Desjolais

Brandi Sims Desjolais, Ed.D, is a prominent leader in educational and maternal health initiatives, currently serving as the Co-Founder and Director of the Black Maternal Health Center of Excellence at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science since May 2021. Previously, Brandi worked as a Program Officer at First 5 LA from June 2017 to May 2021, and led the Teacher Residency Program Design at KIPP LA Schools in 2014-2015. Experience at the NYC Department of Education from 2011 to September 2014 included roles such as Director of Organizational Services, Education Pioneers Fellow, and Deputy Chief of Staff in the Division of Talent, Labor & Innovation. Prior to that, Brandi was the Operations Manager at The Broad Center for the Management of School Systems, where responsibilities included managing The Broad Superintendents Academy and The Broad Residency. Brandi holds a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from UCLA and a B.A. in Law, Communications, and Philosophy from Howard University.