Meet our Board Members
To contact the board, please use the [email protected] email address. Personal emails are no longer listed publically here, as it has posed cybersecurity risks to our board. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Ayianna Bailey, Board Chair
Ayianna Bailey is a dedicated education professional with years of experience working in nonprofit and tutoring spaces. Before that, Yaya was a kindergarten teacher in Clark County, Nevada through Teach for America. She has called Las Vegas home for more than 7 years and is proud to support students and families in receiving an excellent education.
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Chantae Readye, Board SecretaryChantae Readye has been an educator in the Clark County School District since 2006. It has been her passion and privilege to work with students from some of the most vulnerable populations and to watch them succeed. Originally from San Diego, CA, she grew up in a low income, single parent household where she was taught the importance of a good education as a means to open doors and to improve her life. With the support of her mother and many mentors along the way, Chantae got her undergraduate degree at the University of California, Los Angeles where she double majored in Economics and Sociology in 2006. Although she intended to go into marketing after college, after attending a Teach For America informational session her senior year, she applied and joined the 2006 Las Vegas Valley corps and became an elementary teacher for CCSD. As a teacher Chantae had the opportunity to teach kindergarten, second, third, and fifth grades and earned a Master’s of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). She was an active leader on her school campus and involved with the school community and was able to use her experiences growing up to help connect with her students. This led to the realization that education was her passion and that she desired to be a school leader to expand her impact in the pursuit of sustained change. Chantae decided to become an administrator and pursued her second Master’s in Urban Leadership Development from UNLV in 2017. Chantae was appointed as an Assistant Principal in September of 2019 and has continued to work within low income communities in Las Vegas to empower students to use education as a means to unlock opportunities.
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Kelsey Stegall, Board Vice Chair
Kelsey E. Stegall advises and defends corporate clients in a variety of labor and employment matters as an attorney in Littler Mendelson’s Las Vegas office. Prior to joining Littler, Kelsey clerked for two years for the Honorable Chief Judge Gloria M. Navarro of the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada. In law school, Kelsey served as vice president of UNLV’s exclusive moot court team, the Society of Advocates, and as notes editor of the Gaming Law Journal.
Kelsey moved from the southwest valley to Downtown Las Vegas in early 2017, and she has been an active resident ever since. Due to the disparity that is apparent in the Downtown Las Vegas community, Kelsey has made it a part of her personal mission to become more involved in equity within this community, particularly involving education.
Kelsey moved from the southwest valley to Downtown Las Vegas in early 2017, and she has been an active resident ever since. Due to the disparity that is apparent in the Downtown Las Vegas community, Kelsey has made it a part of her personal mission to become more involved in equity within this community, particularly involving education.
Kelly Pearsall, Board Treasurer
Kelly Pearsall is an experienced financial professional. She is currently the Chief Financial Officer of Communities In Schools of Nevada. She has many years of experience in stewarding the financial health of both non-profit and for-profit organizations and brings a unique expertise to the BBA Board of Directors.
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Dr. Jay MaharjanJay Maharjan is an author, policy advisor and community leader. He is a strong advocate for equity in education. He credits his values for education to his parents who instilled in him that education is the ultimate equalizer. As an immigrant from Nepal, the invaluable guidance he received from mentors and teachers who are diverse, inclusive, equitable, and accessible, has helped shape his own aspirations to make impact at the local, state and national level.
In 2012, the Obama White House invited him to lead the Nevada region for Startup America Partnership, which was one of six initiatives highlighted in the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness report. The goal of the initiative was to revive the US economy following the 2008 financial crisis – by helping launch and accelerate 100,000 startup and early-stage companies. The Nevada region – Startup Nevada – focused on empowering minoritized and women led startup organizations. The following year, the US State Department initiative UP Global, with reach in 135 countries bringing together 210,000 participants, appointed him as its first ambassador. His areas of policy work and research interest include the role of learning, K-12 funding model, accountability and economics of public funds, equity in education, Development, Global Health, Humanitarianism, and Refugees. He received his master’s degree in Public policy and leadership and Doctorate in Education from the University of Southern California. He was the recipient of the 2017 Outstanding Alumni Award from his undergraduate alma mater Pittsburg State University, where he received his engineering degree in 1997. |
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Julia QuintanillaJulia Quintanilla earned her BA at Colgate University in 2010 and was a Fulbright grant recipient and had the opportunity to teach English in Mexico City. Julia received her Master of Arts in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education while teaching in Brooklyn as a Teach For America NYC corps member. Later, Julia was a founding Kindergarten teacher in Denver and eventually made her way to Las Vegas, NV which she has called home since 2019. Julia began consulting in the education sector in 2020 and was inspired to transition out of the classroom and support education initiatives in new capacities. She now works in talent and selection processes for a c-suite staffing company. She is passionate about workplace sustainability, planning special events, sunshine, and spending time with her four-legged co-worker, Oreo. In her spare time, she volunteers at the Las Vegan Food Pantry.
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PATRICK HUNT
Patrick Hunt joined the BBA Board in 2023. He is a lawyer and philanthropist. His expertise and thoughtful legal mind are excellent additions to the BBA team.