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 running trails with her wife and two dogs.
Yoruba Butler (she/her)
Strategy Director for Postsecondary Access
Clifton Strengths: Achiever, Learner, Input, Developer, Strategic
Yoruba serves in the capacity of the Strategy Director for Postsecondary Access with Alabama Possible. In this capacity she leads the Alabama Goes to College campaign and its initiatives, supports stewardship of relationships with postsecondary stakeholders, including Alabama State Department of Education, Alabama Community College System, Alabama Commission on Higher Education, K-12 educators, college and university administrators and postsecondary access providers. Most recently, Yoruba was with Miles College for almost 11 years where she served in the capacity of director of student success and retention, first year enrichment, and was the program manager for the intelligence community center of academic excellence. Read more…
Jadyn Steave
SELI Fellow
Jadyn Steave is from Fairburn, GA, and is a J.D. Candidate at Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law with plans to practice education and family law. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a minor in English from Alabama Agricultural & Mechanical University. She is a 2023 Southern Education Foundation Fellow, with a passion for educational justice on every level, and believes education is a human right.