Meet Our Board Officers
Mack Crayton III, PhD. (President) - Dr. Crayton is a native of Shreveport, LA and earned his undergraduate degree from University of Louisiana at Monroe, Masters Degree from Tennessee State University and Doctoral Degree from the University of Connecticut at Storrs. Dr. Crayton is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He has more than twenty-five years of teaching experience, presently serving as Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator (Dept Chair) for Biology at Dillard University, and formerly on the faculty at Xavier University of Louisiana. Now CEO of Crayton’s Services, LLC., Dr. Crayton is a STEM Educational Consultant, Author, and Educational Motivational Speaker . Dr. Crayton assists CLASS scholars in the areas of Math, Science, and online homework resources.
Jai Reed (Vice President) - Pastor Jai Reed, is a native of New Orleans and is a graduate of Marion Abramson High School (New Orleans public school). He is the Pastor of New Beginnings (church) and also he a international gospel recording artist. Pastor Reed is Founder and CEO of the faith-based community advocacy organization, Helping Other People Endure (HOPE) Project. Pastor Reed is experienced with event planning, fundraising, marketing, Christian mentoring and counseling.
Melaney Batiste (Secretary) - Ms. Batiste is a native of Picayune, MS and holds an undergraduate degree in Speech Pathology, and a Masters Degree in Guidance Counseling, both from Xavier University of Louisiana. Ms. Batiste hold the honor of having served as a former Miss Xavier and she is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Ms. Batiste has over thirty years experience as a Speech Pathologist and is currently employed Total Community Action (TCA) as an Adult Education facilitator. Since 2015, Ms. Batiste has served as a tutor for CLASS assisting scholars in the areas of Language Arts, Reading and History.
Latrice Lowery (Treasurer) - Mrs. Latrice Lowery is a native of New Orleans and a graduate of Marion Abramson High School (New Orleans public school). She holds an undergraduate Degree in Business Administration, plus a Certification for Director in Child Care Management and Administration from Southern University at New Orleans. Currently, she is a Supervisor of Human Resources at Children's Hospital, Houston TX. Mrs. Lowery is a highly skilled Human Resources professional with ten years of experience in benefits administration, full cycle talent acquisition, employee relations, performance management, compensation analysis, payroll, tax and audit/compliance. She is married to Mr. Terry Lowery and they have three children.
Milton Batiste, III (Chairperson) - Mr. Milton Batiste is a native of Alexandria, LA and holds an undergraduate degree from University of Louisiana at Monroe and a Masters Degree from Grambling State University in Sports Management and Administration. Mr. Batiste is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. He serves as Director of Activities and Transportation at the Arc of New Orleans. Mr. Batiste also serves as a team coach with Arch's Special Olympics and in the past five years, he has secured over $500,000 in grant funding for the Arc.