Dr. Cassandra Herring

Dr. Cassandra Herring is the president, chief executive officer, and founder of Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity (BranchED). BranchED has the distinction of being the only national nonprofit organization in the nation that has a sole mission to strengthen, grow, and maximize the impact of educator preparation at minority serving institutions. Dr. Herring’s passion for equity-driven education reform is firmly rooted in the belief that diversity and excellence are inextricably linked. Dr. Herring has more than 20 years of experience in education, and her career spans all levels of education. She has worked in early childhood settings through higher  education and has led several state education policy initiatives. Before founding BranchED, Dr. Herring served as Dean of the School of Education and Human  Development at Hampton University for nearly 10 years. She earned her Doctor of Philosophy degree in Educational Policy from Georgia State University, and Master of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Herring is the 2023 recipient of the Edward C. Pomeroy Award for Outstanding Service to the Field of Educator Preparation and the 2023 Gloria Ladson Billings Academic Achievement Award for distinguished service to HBCU colleges of Education.