The Team
Mike Andrews
Michael “Mike” Andrews is first a husband and father; focused on rebranding the roles that Black fathers play in the household and the community. Mike received his Ed.D. in Education Policy and Leadership from the School of Education at American University and has worked hard to align his personal passions to his professional and educational pursuits. His dissertation, which he successfully defended in March of 2024, centered the underrepresented narratives of Black fathers in their children’s academic journeys. He started his career creating systems and programs to support first-generation, historically underserved, and college students in crisis. Mike transitioned from supporting students on college campuses to creating programs in school districts and the non-profit space to assist marginalized families and students navigate traditional and non-traditional educational spaces. Experiencing the education system as a father heightened Mike’s awareness of how inequity is ingrained into every level, from kindergarten through post-graduate education.
Mike’s professional and personal goals are to acknowledge and work against the mindset of tradition in education while creating spaces to center creativity, liberation, & empowerment. Mike’s and his family live in Cary, NC, and spend most of their time on the sidelines of a baseball, softball, or soccer field.
Kyle Evans
Kyle Evans is energized when educational systems are designed to appreciate the potential within individuals. After teaching middle school for nearly a decade, she has continued to work alongside educators, students, and families.
An experienced coach, curriculum writer, content developer, program designer, and professional development facilitator, Kyle brings varied expertise to her work. At Flamboyan, she reimagined and designed the sustainable school-wide family engagement model and coached school and district leaders to build sustainable programs.
Kyle leads Coaction Collective’s approach to coaching leaders at the school, district, and organizational levels—connecting visions, ideas, people, and strategies. Kyle lives in DC with her husband, two kids, and a dog.
Megan Lucas
Megan Lucas believes in the power of community; her life’s work focuses on improving children's outcomes. As a kindergarten and first-grade teacher in the DC area, Megan built deep partnerships with her students’ families through strategies like home visits and Academic Parent Teacher Team (APTT) meetings. Her final year of teaching is featured in the book Natural Allies: Hope and Possibility in Teacher-Family Partnerships by Dr. Soo Hong. After six years in the classroom, Megan helped the Flamboyan Foundation to catalyze family engagement practices nationally through coaching, program design, and product development.
As a Founding Partner at Coaction Collective, Megan contributes her expertise as a family engagement practitioner, her resource development and project management skills, and her solutions orientation to elevate marginalized voices. Megan resides in NYC with her husband and two kids.
Justin Stephens
Justin Stephens is a teacher at heart and understands our education system from many perspectives. His life experience – from withdrawing from high school at 17 to serving as a foster parent to being a classroom teacher – has helped shape his understanding of families' critical role in advocating for children. Justin spent nearly a decade with Baltimore City Schools as a middle school teacher, instructional coach, and administrator.
Before co-founding Coaction Collective, Justin served as Director of Strategic Consulting with Leading Educators and later as Senior Director of Leadership Development and Capacity Building with the Flamboyan Foundation. Justin has an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Maryland’s Minority and Urban Education Program and a B.A. in Middle Grades Education from Northern Kentucky University. He also holds Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the Workplace and Inclusive & Ethical Leadership certificates from the University of South Florida. When he’s not on the road with his CoCo colleagues, Justin and his husband split their time between Washington, D.C., and Miami, FL.
Diana Suarez
Diana Suarez is an optimist at heart. Her work is grounded in the belief that if we look squarely at our past and co-design for our future, all children and families will thrive. Diana started her career as a small business owner and has found ways to channel her entrepreneurialism ever since.
As a Founding Partner at Coaction Collective, Diana supports the team to design partnerships that meet the needs of clients and communities. Before founding Coaction Collective, Diana led the national expansion and training strategies at the Flamboyan Foundation. Diana has been a leadership coach and program designer in urban and rural communities nationwide. Her passion for family and community engagement was born from her work as a first and second-grade teacher in DC Public Schools.
Now Diana splits time between Washington, DC, and West Virginia with her husband and dogs. She is an incredibly lucky stepmother and auntie to a crew of hilarious and loving people who make life full and special.
