Hershawna Frison serves as Program Associate for Weave: The Social Fabric Project. She brings technical expertise as an equity researcher, educator, storyteller, and most importantly, an advocate. Hershawna is an eternal optimist and a firm believer that “out-of-the-box” thinkers who value equity are the true rock stars of the world. Prior to her role at the Aspen Institute, she served as Senior Education Analyst at Education First, leading research efforts for projects supporting organizations in reimagining student learning experiences through strategic policy and practices. She also has worked as an Education Specialist for Foundations, Inc. where she served as a content design specialist in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education’s You for Youth (Y4Y) online professional development portal. As a Public Policy Associate with Trying Together, she led the SW Pennsylvania region during the launch of a statewide Pre-K for PA coalition. She received her B.B.A. and B.A. in Business Management and Psychology from Texas State University, her M.B.A. in International Business from St. Edwards University, and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Education from the University of Pittsburgh.
A proud Texan at heart, Hershawna’s family is the cornerstone of her life. She stems from a background of educators and advocates and has an amazing family support system in Texas and Philly that fuel her daily. Hershawna is always having fun – dancing, traveling, and exploring new adventures whenever possible. One of her favorite quotes is “Be a Rainbow in Someone Else’s Cloud” – Maya Angelou. She strives to be a rainbow for students in helping to create quality and empowering learning experiences every day.