Staff

Alexis Small is the Founder of Small World Marketing Agency, as well as the Creator of The Judge Khalil Animated Series, Millennial Moms and 23 and Graduated. Specializing in Youth Entrepreneur Leadership and Social Media Consulting, Alexis coaches college-age youth on creating positive images for women and people of color through film, theatre and animation. With a B.A.in Journalism and Media Studies, Alexis’ work has been published in Ebony Magazine, HBCU Digest and HBCU Buzz. Her shows have aired on ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX. Her favorite quote and mantra is “It always feels impossible until it’s done” – Nelson Mandela

Antoinette Bowie-Smith grew up in South Los Angeles in a low-income neighborhood and knew early on that she wanted to be the first in her family to go to college and obtain a degree. After graduating high school and attending Loyola Marymount University, she had officially earned the title, first generation.

While it was a wonderful experience, getting the degree was no easy feat. There were many hidden “rules” that she did not know or understand. Being in love with college culture, the opportunities and cultural capital the experience provides, and wanting more students of color to not only have access but be informed on how to navigate the nuances of post-secondary education, she decided to go into college counseling. After obtaining her master’s degree in counseling psychology she expanded the college guidance curriculum to include social-emotional development. Antoinette’s passion for education and helping students pursue the dream of going to college led her to join the ETS staff as Program Coordinator to help support and further the mission.

Antoinette is currently married to her husband Darryle and has two children, a son, and a daughter. She enjoys traveling, shopping, family movie nights, and being at her kids’ sporting events.

Gina Lutcher is a newly retired principal who has been working as an educator for over 20 years, serving primarily the Inglewood and South Los Angeles communities. As a school leader, she had two goals; help students to recognize their potential and assist them in understanding their role in helping to create a positive community and ensure teachers are able to provide quality instruction rooted in the belief, all children can learn.

Ms. Lutcher is persuasive and capable of developing rapport and trust, as well as experienced in influencing the attitudes and ideas of others. This ability has allowed her to influence course offerings, curriculum implementation, instruction in the classroom, and extracurricular activity opportunities. As a result, each school site she has served has seen an increase in standardized test scores, access to college, increased graduation rates, and an increase in student sense of self-efficacy.

Her goal as an instructional leader was to ensure professional development sessions were data-driven,
and intentional and produced something tangible for teachers to have in their teacher toolkit. In her role as both a teacher and administrator, Gina Lutcher developed and executed professional development for staff on a variety of topics.

Gina Lutcher has extensive knowledge and experience in working within-multicultural, urban schools. She has always had a strong belief that neighborhood schools should not only serve as a place to educate the kids in the community, but it should also serve as a resource for families. One of her most valuable contributions to her school community has been her ability to work collaboratively with all stakeholders resulting in forged partnerships with a variety of organizations. As a result of these partnerships, families have been able to obtain health insurance, assistance with housing, bill assistance, and mental health resources. In addition, she has been able to secure funding for college tours, chemistry labs, and sports programming.

Gina Lutcher is passionate about providing college access to traditionally marginalized children and exposing students to Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Her values and beliefs in education have helped to build a strong culture of high expectations for all and provide her with purpose and a reason to continue educating students.