MSP Board Members 

Michael Williams (President)

Mr. Michael Williams is a social studies teacher and community activist who returned to teach and work in the county and school district in which he grew up. He currently teaches Social Studies at Rockville High School, but has also taught at John F. Kennedy High School as well as Walter Johnson High School. The 2016 Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Teacher of the Year, graduated with a Bachelors in Political Science from Howard University, a Masters in History from Northwestern University, and a Masters in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University.
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Williams is the Co-Founder of the Minority Scholars Program (MSP), a student-driven initiative that focuses on eradicating the opportunity gap and empowering students to analyze and disrupt racial inequities and systems of oppression within the school system and across the county. He is a Fulbright Distinguished Teacher award winner and the 2014 recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award. Williams possesses a love for sports, music, history, literature, culture and justice.

Kenneth M. Smith ​

Office Kenneth M. Smith is a National Board Certified Teacher and Montgomery County’s Washington Post Teacher of the Year for 2018. He is a Social Studies teacher and teaches Advanced Placement African American Studies,  Introduction to Sociology, and a course he designed for the county called Hip Hop History and Culture. He is also a strong advocate for building the capacity for teachers to lead outside of the classroom. MSP Board Member 2020-present. 

Debra Delavan (She/Her/Hers)

Social Studies Classroom Teacher at James Hubert Blake High School in Silver Spring. MSP Board Member 2020 - present.

​Dr. Delavan earned her Ph.D. in Teaching, Learning, and Policy Leadership from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2023 with her dissertation titled, “The Minority Scholars Program Through the Lens of Positive Youth Development and Sociopolitical Development.”  

Vilma Najera ​

Vilma C. Najera is currently the new principal at Watkins Mill High School in Montgomery County Maryland. She is also one of the County Coordinators for the Minority Scholars Program (MSP) and is cofounder of PODER Educators in MCPS. It was in 2009, while Vilma was working at Clarksburg High School, she was introduced to Mr. Michael Williams, founder of the Minority Scholars Program and began her work with the Minority Scholars Program. 

Corinne M. Goldsmith

Molecular Biologist at National Institutes of Health. Earned her Degree in Microbiology from Howard University in Washington, DC. Aide and coordinator for MSP sponsors and students from 2015 - 2020. MSP Board Member 2021-present.​

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Maria Salmeron

Maria Salmeron Melendez, Ed.M. joined the Minority Scholars Program in 2013. Compelled by her experience at the “March to Close the Achievement Gap” as a sophomore at Bethesda Chevy-Chase High School, Maria became eager to contribute to the student-led movement. Hailing from Honduras and proudly identifying as Afro-Latina, Maria's upbringing in Latin America and Montgomery County, MD, profoundly influences her dedication to educational opportunity and cultural competency in the classroom.

​Rooted in her strong education policy background, Maria has held various roles across different education-oriented non-profits and the federal government. She holds a master's degree in education policy and analysis from the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) and double bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Government & Law from Lafayette College, where she was a Posse Scholar.
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Nicolás Ballón (He/Him/His) 
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​Nico Ballón joined the Minority Scholars Program as a ninth grader in 2013 at Walter Johnson High School. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and his Master’s Degree in Public Administration from American University. Today, he works in political communication. MSP Board Member 2021 - present.

Isabel Moreno

​​Isabel is currently an engagement manager at McKinsey & Company in New York. At McKinsey, she is focused on scaling climate tech companies and advising global private equity funds on their climate tech investing. Prior to McKinsey, she worked at Accenture in the strategy practice where she focused on digital strategy and data analytics. Isabel has a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University with a major in accounting and minors in managing for sustainability and French. She also has a Masters in Analytics and Management from London Business School. She is passionate about leveraging her private sector business strategy and operational experience in nonprofit organizations.