Staff
Meet the team at Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina below.
Darrell Allison
President
As president of Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina, Darrell Allison continues to lead strategic efforts to redefine the meaning of public education. To him, it means every parent, regardless of income or zip code, should have the ability to choose the educational model that best meets the needs of their children. Adhering to this premise, along with Darrell’s…
Daniel Hudspeth
Chief Operating Officer
Daniel Hudspeth comes to PEFNC after working in management and operations for Imagine Schools, a national charter school company. Daniel joined the company as a school administrator and then as a business manager, overseeing all financial transactions for an urban charter school in Washington D.C. At PEFNC, Daniel runs the organization’s day-to-day operations. A native of Florida, Daniel is a…
Stan Chambers
Media Relations Director
Stan Chambers has always wanted to tell stories, and throughout his 10-year career as an award-winning professional journalist, he has written thousands of newspaper articles about people at their best and worst moments. When Stan joined PEFNC in February 2011 to oversee communications efforts, he quickly found that emotions are also powerful when it comes to parents wanting the best…
Katie Trout
Project Manager
Katie Trout brings media and communications experience to PEFNC, along with the desire to see North Carolina parents, not the system, decide how and where their children should be educated. After graduating from Gardner-Webb University with a Bachelor of Arts in English, Katie gained media and research experience through her time as a Research Assistant at WBT 1110AM in Charlotte,…
Karen Duquette
Policy Director
As the Policy Director, Karen Duquette manages PEFNC’s parental school choice legislative outreach and policy priorities. She helps develop and build relationships with grassroots and school leaders, elected officials and educational advocacy groups across the state. Karen works with these groups with the goal of bringing the best quality educational options to all children in North Carolina. Karen brings with…
Camesha Jones
Director of Outreach and Strategic Initiatives
Camesha Jones, Director of Outreach and Strategic Initiatives, is a native of Wilmington, North Carolina. Camesha brings her unique legal and educational background to PEFNC after working in higher education at Duke University School of Law. Prior to attending law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Camesha taught seventh grade in Brunswick County Public schools. Her teaching experiences…
Kwan Graham
Parent Liaison Coordinator
Kwan Graham has an extensive background serving parents and advocating for the educational needs of children. She has worked diligently across the state to empower parents to become better advocates for their child’s educational needs and oversees Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina’s Parent Liaison Initiative (PLI). As Parent Liaison Coordinator, she assists five statewide parent liaisons in facilitating…
Caren Howley
Director of Strategy and Development
Caren Howley brings significant strategic and nonprofit management experience to PEFNC. Caren served as the Executive Director of The Endowment for Inner-City Education from 2003 – 2010, where she managed a $7 million operating budget which supported 8,400 non-public school tuition scholarships for low-income students. She also has eight years of experience in the investment banking sector. At PEFNC, Caren…