Leadership Lab Presenters

Dr. Anthony Outler

Access & Opportunity Coordinator, DeKalb County School District and Adjunct Professor, Morehouse College

  • Dr. Anthony Outler is a passionate change agent and social justice educator committed to the education, inspiration, and empowerment of youth, as well as those who serve them. With over 18 years of experience in education, curriculum design, and professional development, Dr. Outler brings a wealth of knowledge to his work, which is rooted in both his formal education and his grassroots activism.

    Dr. Outler holds a BS in Middle Childhood Education, an MSE in Urban Teacher Leadership, an MS in Educational Leadership, and a PhD in Educational Policy Studies from Georgia State University. His professional endeavors are deeply aligned with his activism, focusing on using culturally responsive and emancipatory educational practices to empower youth to transform their communities. His research interests include culturally responsive pedagogy and identity, with a core belief that the purpose of education is to help youth identify, resist, and ultimately dismantle oppressive systems and institutions in order to build a more just world.

    Currently, Dr. Outler serves as the Access and Opportunity Coordinator for the DeKalb County School District and is also an adjunct professor at Morehouse College, where he teaches a course on advocacy in urban schools. In addition, as the Lead Trainer and Co-Founder of Epic Empowerment Consulting, Dr. Outler travels across the country, helping educators become more effective change agents in the lives of the youth they serve.

Dr. Brian K. Perkins

Associate Professor of Practice in Education Leadership & Director of the Summer Principals Academy, New Orleans, Teachers College, Columbia University

  • Dr. Brian K. Perkins is the Director of the Summer Principals Academy offered by Teachers College Columbia University in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was previously the director of the Urban Education Leadership Program at Teachers College where he was responsible for designing and gaining accreditation of the doctoral program with a new conceptual framework. He is the former Chair and Professor of Education Law and Policy at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Connecticut.

    He has served as a consultant to schools and districts throughout the U.S., Brazil, Israel, Indonesia, Thailand, the People’s Republic of China, India, Venezuela and the Republic of South Africa. Dr. Perkins has previously served as a visiting professor at the University of Pretoria in South Africa for more than a decade. Dr. Perkins received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry from Grambling State University, a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the Yale University School of Medicine and his Doctor of Education Degree from Columbia University Teachers College.

Dr. Femi Skanes

Cahn Fellow 2016
Founder and CEO, Leadership EDGE, LLC
Chicago, IL

  • Dr. Femi Skanes was a member of the fourteenth Cahn Fellows cohort in 2016 as Principal of Al Raby School for Community and Environment in Chicago, IL.

    Dr. Skanes is now the Founder and CEO of Leadership Edge, LLC. Leadership Edge offers a variety of educational services for educators, students, and parents. Their model seeks to understand the need of the individual client before offering solutions for success. Their motto is “We listen. We learn. We launch.”

    In August 2022, Femi was featured in The Beverly Review on the benefits of a new art- and music-therapy program for special-education students: Former principal at MPHS leading growth of program.

    Femi has also published a book for school leaders. Now available on Amazon: Encouragement for the School Leader’s Soul: A devotional for school leaders.

Audrey Sofianos

Cahn Fellow 2019
Principal, Morningside Elementary School, Atlanta Public Schools
Atlanta, GA

  • Audrey Sofianos has been a proud principal in Atlanta Public Schools since 2007. She was recruited to Atlanta from her principal role in MSD Lawrence Township in Indianapolis, Indiana to first serve Sutton Middle School and now currently Morningside Elementary. Audrey is a champion for children, providing as many educational and enriching opportunities as possible during and after the school day. She attended Indiana University to attain her B.S. in Elementary Education and Butler University for her M.S. in Educational Administration, participating in the Experiential Program for Preparing School Principals (EPPSP), an innovative, hands-on and experience-based program that prepares leaders for the complex challenges facing today’s school principals. During her tenure at Morningside, the school has achieved national and state awards including National Blue Ribbon, U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Recognition, and multiple State of GA “Platinum Awards for Highest Performing” and “Beat the Odds” designation.

Luis Torres

Cahn Fellow 2019
Principal, P.S. 055 Benjamin Franklin, New York City Department of Education
The Bronx, NY

  • Luis Torres, a Bronx native has served the borough his entire life. He earned an Associate's degree from Hostos CC, a Master's Degree from Mercy College, an Advanced Degree from Hunter College and a Bachelor's Degree from The City College. He was one of the first Latinos to complete the NYC Leadership Academy; a training program for administrators. Mastering subjects including educational administration, technology, and child psychology, his approach to learning blends modern theory with revolutionary thinking. He started whole child education 18 years ago, shifted to community school work, and now is focused on "whole community education."

    His trailblazing work as Principal of P.S. 55 over the past 14 years earned him several accolades, including Outstanding Young Educator ASCD (2011), NY Daily News Hometown Hero (2013), NAACP Educator of the Year (2014), and NYLPRW Educator of the Year (2018). Recently he was awarded the Hostos Trailblazer award. In 2019, he was featured in a TEDX Talk about the importance of arts education. He also proudly served in the United States Navy for ten years.

    In 2022, Luis was named the Unionist of the Year by the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators. Luis also made history by becoming the first Puerto Rican man to become the president of The New York City Elementary School Principal Association.

    In January of 2023, Luis' book The Six Priorities: How to Find the Resources your School Community Needs was released.