Alabama Possible Team
Chandra Scott (she/her)
Executive Director
Clifton Strengths: Strategic, Achiever, Connectedness, Learner, Relator
Chandra is driven by the need to increase equitable postsecondary access and success in Alabama and to shift mindsets on how to eradicate poverty. Under her leadership, Alabama Possible convenes statewide and regional networks including the Alabama College Attainment Network, the Higher Education Alliance, Alabama Degrees When Due, 75,000 Degrees Talent Hub, and Bold Goals FAFSA Action Network. The organization leads the Alabama Goes to College Campaign as a strategy to increase FAFSA completion and postsecondary enrollment. Read more…
Manisha Mishra (she/her)
Deputy Director
Clifton Strengths: Connectedness, Learner, Relator, Arranger, Belief
Manisha is the Program Director at Alabama Possible and directs all of the poverty education and educational attainment programs. She is instrumental in the launch of Alabama College Attainment Network (Alabama Possible is the backbone agency for this private-public partnership collaboration) whose mission is to increase college and career readiness, access, and completion in Alabama, particularly among low-income students, first-generation college-going students, and students of color. She joins Alabama Possible following 15 years’ service at Miles College as the director of student activities, first-year enrichment program manager, and English instructor. Read more…
Mae Whiting (she/her)
Data and Research Director
Clifton Strengths: Developer, Achiever, Learner, Empathy, Relator
Mae advocates for equitable education outcomes by managing Alabama Possible’s data and research initiatives. Prior to joining the team, Mae received her master’s degree in Sociology of Education while serving on the Advisory Board at Teens Take Charge, a student-led movement working to ensure student voices are prioritized in educational policy decisions. She has held positions in advocacy, research, and policy roles seeking to address disparities in education and health outcomes across the South. She is interested in the way activism and community voice intersect with research and public policy. In her free time, Mae enjoys walking trails with her wife, son, and two dogs.
Ciomara Angel (she/her/ella)
Strategy Manager for Postsecondary Access
Clifton Strengths: Empathy, Developer, Consistency, Responsibility, Restorative
Ciomara Angel is the Strategy Manager for Postsecondary Access at Alabama Possible, where she leads the Alabama Goes to College Campaign to increase postsecondary enrollment and FAFSA completion across the state. Ciomara earned her bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2021. After graduation, she served as a career coach at the Hispanic and Immigrant Center of Alabama, where she helped first-generation, and immigrant Latinx students navigate the path to higher education. Her work included guiding students and families through the FAFSA process, addressing language barriers, and reassuring families that the application was safe to complete—alleviating fears and misinformation. The work led her and the team to be recipients of the 2023 National Association of Multicultural Education’s Rose Duhon-Sells Program Award for their partnership with the University of Montevallo with their “Breaking Barriers” event, which aimed to overcome the language barriers that families face when seeking information for their first-generation students.
Anondo Banerjee (he/him)
Strategy Director for Postsecondary Success
Clifton Strengths: Input, Connectedness, Intellection, Positivity, Learner
Anondo strongly believes that a postsecondary education is a necessary next step for our nation’s high school students to succeed. As such, he’s excited that his work as the Strategy Director for Postsecondary Success is primarily focusing on the Alabama College Attainment Network’s goal of increasing the number of Alabama students working towards a postsecondary credential. Anondo is coming to this work with a background in higher education, learning and development in the private sector, and working one-on-one with high school students on their college applications. In his free time, Anondo volunteers for local community organizations and enjoys playing Dungeons and Dragons with his friends.