Shanita Burney

Shanita Burney serves as the Chief of the Office of Family and Public Engagement for the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). The Office of Family Engagement supports parents and families in developing strong home/school relationships, fosters business and community partnerships, and spearheads stakeholder engagement efforts, including the facilitation of focus groups, community taskforces, and other public meetings to inform district-level policies and initiatives. Prior to this role, Burney was responsible for leading the Community Engagement division within the office and before that, led the afterschool programs across DCPS in the Office of Out-of-School Time Programs. For 12 years, Burney led out-of-school time programs in DC's nonprofit sector, most notably with the DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation and Covenant House Washington. At these organizations, she worked to build and deliver an integrated and coordinated out-of-school time system that assured high-quality opportunities for DC students so that they would engage fully in their development and learning, and enter high school, college, and beyond. She received her B.A. in Psychology from Winthrop University, her M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Bowie State University, and an Executive Masters in Leadership from Georgetown University.