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"Hi, I’m Vernon. So great to meet you!"
ABOUT ME
As a first-generation college-student raised in a single-grandparent household, I have experienced first hand how education can open doors of opportunity. In my case, it has greatly impacted my life and the lives of my family, present and future. I also humbly recognize that systemic inequity in our country means that the same opportunities aren’t granted to everyone, particularly those who look like me and come from communities like mine. I have dedicated my professional life, and much of my personal life, to education as a tool for equity and social justice.
As a system-level leader in education, I commit to grounding myself in my beliefs, honoring the uniqueness of each school community’s needs and its leader’s vision, and leveraging system-wide the tried and true principles of data-informed instruction all in service of equitable student wellness and achievement. I envision myself effecting significant change by helping schools and educators achieve results for students on a large scale: creating opportunity for Black and Brown children, demonstrating what is truly possible in American education, and building proof points of excellence in education that others learn from worldwide.
Learn More About Vernon
Learn More About Our Company
Co-Written by Vernon!
"You have been so inspirational to watch as a leader. You have modeled humility and reflection, and that is so incredibly powerful. Because of your reflection, and iterating on your practice, the work we are doing today is going to have a tremendous impact on our schools and our students. Creating routines without this lens would have perpetuated the systems we are trying to dismantle. Thank you for leading us through this work."
- Leah Harris, Northside Community School, the Opportunity Trust
Meet Our Adim Team
Admin Team | Professional Assistant
Kayla Gabel is a skilled virtual assistant and creative strategist with a strong background in administrative support, digital marketing, and client services. With over six years of experience, she thrives in fast-paced environments where organization, communication, and innovation are key.
She brings a unique combination of experiences in real estate administration, law enforcement, and photography. Whether she’s managing client communications, scheduling, or social media strategy, Kayla applies precision, efficiency, and a sharp creative eye to every detail.
Kayla enjoys being part of the VJR Consulting team because of its mission-driven focus, collaborative culture, and dedication to supporting educators and communities. She values the opportunity to contribute to meaningful work that drives real impact.
Her professional goal is to continue growing in roles that support organizational excellence and creative outreach—building lasting partnerships and taking on new challenges in a purpose-driven environment.
📸 Fun Fact: Kayla is a passionate photographer who loves capturing life’s moments—and is always on the lookout for the next perfect shot!
Kayla Gabel
Professional Assistant
Admin Team | Sales Assistant
Tiffany Mellard is a performing artist, arts educator, and advocate who thrives at the intersection of creativity and education. With a strong foundation in arts leadership, she is passionate about empowering others through innovative programming and inclusive practices.
She brings a diverse range of professional experiences in arts education, nonprofit leadership, and project management. Her work is rooted in both creativity and strategic thinking, which she leverages to support VJR Consulting Firm’s mission and clients.
Tiffany enjoys being part of the VJR Consulting team because of its collaborative culture, commitment to excellence, and alignment with her values as an educator and leader.
Her professional aspiration is to become a leading arts education program director—designing initiatives that celebrate creativity, equity, and community engagement.
🎵 Fun Fact: Tiffany curates themed playlists and has built a collection of over 30 unique lists—each one a soundtrack to a different vibe or moment!
Tiffany Mellard
Sales Assistant
Meet Our Consultant Network
Nikki Bascombe | Learning Facilitator & Leadership Coach
Education changed the trajectory of Nikki Bascombe’s life and she is paying it forward by leading and inspiring the young boys and girls of Uncommon Schools NYC.
Nikki Bascombe is completing her third year as an Elementary Regional Superintendent of Instruction for Uncommon Schools NYC after serving as the Principal of Excellence Girls Charter School Elementary Academy for 7 years.
Nikki grew up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. She received her B.A. in Anthropology with a certificate in African-American Studies from Princeton University.
Nikki was a 2008 Teach for America Corps member and she joined Uncommon Schools as a first and second grade teacher and served as the Dean of Students at Leadership Prep Bedford Stuyvesant. She became an Uncommon Schools Instructional Fellow at Leadership Prep Ocean Hill where she learned best practices for leading a highly effective school. Nikki then served as the Principal at Excellence Girls Elementary Academy for 7 years and during the 2017-2018 school year she was the Senior Principal of both Excellence Boys and Excellence Girls Elementary Academies. Nikki now directly coaches 6 elementary principals and helps to manage the effectiveness of their schools as a Regional Superintendent in Brooklyn.
Nikki Bascombe
Learning Facilitator & Leadership Coach
Jesse Corburn | Learning Facilitator & Leadership Coach
Jesse Corburn is currently a doctoral candidate at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, as a member of the Doctor of Education Leadership (Ed.L.D.) Program’s Cohort 13. Most recently, Jesse served as a Regional Superintendent with Uncommon Schools from 2016-2023. In this role, Jesse provided weekly coaching to principals and instructional leaders across high schools in New York, Boston, Camden, and Newark, focusing on leadership to build and sustain schools defined by strong community and high achievement. Over this time, Jesse was also a lead designer and facilitator with Relay Graduate School of Education’s National Principal and Principal Supervisors Academy and was a member of Relay’s Leverage Leadership Institute’s (LLI) second cohort. Jesse has consulted with districts and trusts across the U.S. and U.K. in their quest for school improvement and has recently published a series of reports on School Leader Playbooks with partners at Relay.
Prior to his regional role, Jesse was the founding Principal of Uncommon Collegiate Charter High School (UCC) in Brooklyn, NY, which opened in 2012. During Jesse’s time as Principal, UCC’s student body earned a 75% AP Index by the time they graduated, exceeded the national SAT college-ready benchmark, and sustained a graduation rate of 100%. Prior to becoming a Principal, Jesse was a founding teacher at KIPP King Collegiate High School in San Lorenzo, California where he taught AP World History and then served as Assistant Principal from 2007-2011. Before this role, Jesse started his teaching career in Harlem, NY, teaching high school history and English as a Teach for America Corps Member from 2003-2007. Jesse holds a B.A. in Near Eastern Studies from Cornell University and an M.S. Secondary Education from Pace University.
Jesse Corburn
Learning Facilitator & Leadership Coach
Tameka Royal
Learning Facilitator & Leadership Coach
Tameka Royal | Learning Facilitator & Leadership Coach
With nearly a decade and a half of service in public school education, Tameka specializes in coaching and growing school and district leaders to be revolutionary change agents within their communities. Serving in the roles of teacher, curriculum specialist, vice principal, principal, and superintendent, Tameka’s impact has been felt most through spearheading remarkable student outcomes, facilitating radical educator development, and establishing and maintaining incredible school cultures.
While born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Tameka has served and called school communities in Atlanta, GA, Washington, DC, Harlem, NY, and Newark, NJ home. From school founding to school turnaround, she has led students and staff to transformational growth and proficiency. Tameka holds the New York State record for the highest proficiency gains from one school year to the next as a teacher and has consistently led schools where over 90% of her students scored in the approaching, proficient, and advanced proficient state test categories, including post-COVID. Serving schools of predominantly Black and Brown students, with over 90% of students qualifying for free or reduced-priced lunch, Tameka makes it her mission to ensure that a child’s zip code does not determine their destiny.
Tameka’s impact does not stop within school walls. She is also a revered adjunct professor with Relay Graduate School of Education – a groundbreaking graduate school of education with a proven track record of ensuring teachers and leaders have replicable pathways to increase their effectiveness; a content facilitator with Deloitte’s Courageous Principals programs – an award-winning, global school leadership development program that equips K-12 leaders, superintendents, principals, and assistant principals, with the necessary skills to become more effective school leaders; and a founding board member of the Spiked Wellness Foundation – a non-profit organization that provides physical, mental, and financial wellness initiatives for underserved groups ages 12-18 and their families to improve and develop their mental and physical health and self-esteem.
Tameka holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and a Master of Business Administration from Cornell University, an Advanced Professional Certificate in Advanced Education Leadership from Harvard University, and a Master of Arts in Education Leadership from Relay Graduate School of Education. Tameka is held ten toes down by her amazing husband, Ade, as they raise her identical twin nieces (Talia and Nadia) and son (Royal). They make it their mission to ensure that impact and excellence are exercised as verbs rather than nouns!
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Denarius Frazier | Learning Facilitator & Leadership Coach
Denarius Frazier is a Regional Superintendent of Instruction for Uncommon Schools in New York City, a Senior Advisor on the Teach Like a Champion (TLAC) Consulting & Partnerships Team, and the co-author of Reconnect: Building School Culture for Meaning, Purpose, and Belonging. Before becoming a Superintendent, he served as the Principal of an Uncommon High School for 4 years where he led his team and students to achieve some of the highest results in the school’s history. Denarius began his career in education in 2014 as a Teach for America Corps Member where he taught high school math. As a math teacher and thinker, he worked hard to foster a rigorous and joyful classroom, earned outstanding academic outcomes, taught multiple classes – from Algebra I to Calculus – and designed math curricula for several years. In 2022, he was named High School Principal of Year for his leadership and impact. He is on the cover of the international best-selling book Teach Like a Champion 3.0 and his work is highlighted in Leverage Leadership 2.0 and Driven by Data. Now featured in 30+ TLAC videos, Frazier’s classroom is used as a model and proof point of master teaching and high expectations in workshops across the world.
Denarius holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Morehouse College, a M.A. in Biotechnology from Columbia University, and a M.A. in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education.
Denarius Frazier
Learning Facilitator & Leadership Coach
Tera Carr
Learning Facilitator & Leadership Coach
Tera Carr | Learning Facilitator & Leadership Coach
Tera Carr is an experienced educational leader with a proven track record of improving instruction. As Regional Superintendent of Instruction at Roxbury Prep Charter School, her leadership has driven double-digit gains in middle and high school math. Previously, she served as Associate Commissioner of the Kaleidoscope Collective at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and as Director of Teacher Development and Pathways for Tulsa Public Schools. As principal of Hamilton Elementary, Tera led a 35% increase in student growth, earning Platinum Distinction in the Leverage Leadership Institute and becoming an approved Leverage Leadership Instructor. She has also served as an assistant principal, high school math teacher, and special education teacher.
For the past seven years, Tera has also served schools as an adjunct professor at Relay Graduate School of Education, coaching principals and principal managers on effective instructional strategies.
She holds an M.Ed. in School Administration from the University of Oklahoma.
