Candice is an education leader with over 25 years of experience advancing equity and excellence in public education across Washington, D.C. Her commitment to this work is personal: raised east of the river in D.C. by two career educators, she spent over two hours a day commuting to and from a magnet program because her neighborhood school couldn't offer what she needed. That experience shaped a belief she still holds — that no child should have to leave their community to get an excellent education.

She began her career in 2001, teaching and then leading at charter schools in the city, and rose through leadership roles at Thurgood Marshall Academy, including director of student affairs, academic director of curriculum and instruction, and community affairs liaison. There, she strengthened staff retention, drove gains in student achievement, and helped first-generation college students achieve a 90%-plus university retention rate. In the years since, she has led school turnarounds that secured charter renewals and built the academic and operational systems for a regional network of public charter schools.

Candice currently serves as Interim Head of School at Creative Minds International Public Charter School (CMI), a PK–8 public charter school in Washington, D.C., where she continues the work at the center of her career: building schools that give historically underserved students and families access to the excellent education they deserve.

She served on the advisory council for NewSchools Venture Fund and is a member of the Pahara Institute and Education Leaders of Color, communities dedicated to supporting transformative education leaders and advancing equity-driven policy.

She holds an M.A. in Educational Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a B.A. in Mass Communication from Clark Atlanta University.