Meet the Instructional Leadership Team

Mrs. Ateya Ball-Lacy, M.Ed

President & CEO, Ateya Productions

Ateya Ball-Lacy is a master educator turned producer who uses creativity and innovation to inspire students to tap into their innate genius and develop a passion for learning, leading and service. She has devoted her life to giving back through educating and inspiring youth, adult learners and educators. Ateya is a native Washingtonian, proud wife and mother, educator and fierce lover of the arts. She is the CEO of Ateya Productions LLC, an Edutainment Consulting Firm focused on the advancement of talented African-American students concentrating in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).
Ateya currently serves as an Assistant Principal within an urban school district. She is a proud graduate of Duke Ellington School of the Arts, where she studied dance. Ateya completed her undergraduate studies at the historic Howard University where she earned a BA Degree in English with a Minor in Secondary Education. Ateya is a proud supporter of HBCUs and is an active member of the Howard University Alumni Association. She later earned her Masters of Education Degree from St. Mary’s University, Minneapolis, MN and completed an Educational Leadership post master’s program at The George Washington University where she earned her Principal licensure. Throughout her more than 20 years of service in teaching and educational leadership, she has received several awards of recognition for her excellence in education and community outreach. She received the 2017 Community Service Award, 2018 Sister of Strength Award, 2019 Umoja Award and the 2022 Marcus Garvey Outstanding Community Service Award.
In addition to being a passionate educator, Ateya is also a passionate performing artist. Ateya is a longstanding member of the world-renowned Kankouran West African Dance Company, the oldest African dance company in the country, where she serves as a senior dancer. Ateya is the Creator and Executive Producer of Hood Smart: The Urban STEMulus Project, an innovative STEM focused game show that shines a light on brilliant, marginalized African-American youth. She is also the creator of the Illuminate Your Black Brilliance Awards Ceremony.
Ateya’s mission is to use TV and digital media to shift the focus from the very negative images we often see of African-American youth to highlighting their academic and creative genius. This passionate, innovative educator is devoted to providing African-American youth a national platform to observe, celebrate, and ultimately emulate the academic prowess of their peers before a national audience. Ateya is working hard to ensure that HoodSmart: The Urban STEMulus Project and the Illuminate Your Black Brilliance Awards Ceremony change the way this generation and generations to come experience education. This trailblazing educator is making moves in the world of education. She is determined to make SMART the NEW SWAG!

Dr. Michaela Thomas

Dr. Michaela Thomas is a native of St. Louis, MO. She earned her BA degree in Psychology and Black Studies from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She earned her MA Degree in Counseling from Lindenwood University. Dr. Thomas holds an Ed.S Degree in Educational Leadership from Webster University and a Ph.D in Higher Education Administration from St. Louis University. Dr. Thomas’ dissertation title was “Social Expectation and Colorism: Informing the Educational Divide and Influencing Life Chances of African-American Women”. Dr. Thomas is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and curator of @HappyNappyBrownGirl. Dr. Thomas currently serves as a middle school Counselor in an urban school district.

Mr. Jerome Lacy

Mr. Lacy earned his BS degree in Business Administration with a concentration in finance from Howard University. He has over 20 years combined experience, and an extensive background in Financial Analysis, Strategy Development, Business Process Improvement and Re-engineering, and Project Management, in which he is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). He has a strong and extensive background in the Financial Management arena, in which he has gained experience in the Private, Federal, and Non-Profit sectors, including experience with Big 4 and Fortune 500 companies. Through his career, he has developed, streamlined, and enhanced financial management functions to increase productivity, reduced performance time, assessed and identified process control weaknesses, and implemented corrective action plans to successfully mitigate risk.

Ms. Rhonda Crittendon

Ms. Rhonda Crittendon, M Ed is a graduate of Howard University with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts and received a master’s degree from American University in Elementary Education. Rhonda is a dedicated educator and mentor with more than 10 years of experience coordinating cross-district special education services. She is Insightful and an empathetic communicator, known for fostering positive rapport with all she encounters. She believes the key components to effective teaching are being engaging, thinking “out of the box”, having high expectations for all students regardless of academic level, and creating an instructional environment within the classroom that is inclusive for all students of diverse backgrounds and learning needs.