Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW)

Dr. Charmaine Davis-Bey is a seasoned educator, public servant, and improvement science practitioner whose work centers the lived experiences of marginalized youth—particularly Black high school students—within Out-of-School Time (OST) learning environments. With over 12 years of experience in public education and youth development, she is deeply committed to using continuous improvement tools and methods to disrupt inequitable systems and foster culturally sustaining practices. Currently serving as Case Management Coordinator for the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW), Dr. Davis-Bey leads the pilot and implementation of the Office of School and District Improvement (OSDI) Case Management Model. This model applies a continuous improvement framework to provide coordinated, data-informed support to Ohio’s 22 highest-need school districts. The work involves cross-office collaboration, systems mapping, and the development of practical measurements to monitor district progress toward their school improvement goals. In her role at DEW, Dr. Davis-Bey leads a team of five case managers and facilitates regular improvement roundtables that bring together state support teams (SSTs), educational service centers (ESCs), and department leaders. These roundtables use structured protocols to identify implementation barriers, co-design solutions, and strengthen interdepartmental coherence. The model is guided by the department’s Priority Integration and Measurement (PIM) framework and OSDI logic model—tools Dr. Davis-Bey has helped to refine as part of her field-building efforts within the state. Her leadership is further informed by her experience at the Department, where she previously served as a 21st CCLC Regional Consultant from 2016 to 2023. In that role, she supported and monitored afterschool and OST programs across Northeast and Southwest Ohio, managing over $25 million in funding and helping grantees apply improvement strategies to strengthen student outcomes, program quality, and sustainability. As a 2019–2020 White-Riley-Peterson Policy Fellow, she authored a statewide policy project designed to expand high-quality high school OST programming in Ohio. This project not only deepened her engagement with systems-level change, but also positioned her to advocate for improvement-based funding priorities in future 21st CCLC grant competitions. Dr. Davis-Bey’s improvement research is grounded in her doctoral work at the University of Pittsburgh, where she earned her Ed.D. in Out-of-School Learning. Her dissertation, “It Takes a Village: A Mixed-Methods Study on Empowering Practices and Equitable Opportunities for Black High School Students in Ohio’s 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) Programs,” explores how OST professionals can use improvement science tools—such as root cause analysis, Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles, and equity-centered inquiry—to build more inclusive and impactful programming. Her research bridges the gap between policy and practice, offering real-world insights into the conditions that empower Black youth and help dismantle systemic barriers in OST spaces. In addition to her state-level leadership, Dr. Davis-Bey has committed to serve as the 2025–2026 Co-Chair of the Out-of-School Time (OST) Special Interest Group (SIG) within AERA. Through this national platform, she is working to expand the improvement science conversation to include the OST field more fully—advocating for policy, research, and practice that prioritize youth voice, racial equity, and community-based innovation. She is also President of the Sigma Public Education and Research (SPEAR) Foundation, a nonprofit organization that advances culturally affirming programs for girls and young women of color, including its National Shoe Drive Initiative (NSDI), LADES program and Corine J. Green Partnership Program (CJGPP). As part her leadership, Dr. Davis-Bey uses intentional SMART goal setting and metrics development, guided by a logic model and aligned with Priority Integration and Measurement (PIM) practices, to ensure continuous improvement in program planning, delivery, and impact assessment as part of the Foundation’s annual strategic planning process. In recent years, Dr. Davis-Bey has also been a frequent presenter at state and national conferences, offering workshops on “Boosting OST Impact with Improvement Science” for practitioners and leaders across the education sector. These sessions provide hands-on guidance in using PDSA cycles, equity audits, and practical measurement tools to examine program quality, foster continuous learning, and align implementation with community priorities. Dr. Davis-Bey’s areas of expertise include improvement science and equity in OST, culturally responsive leadership, program development, and grant oversight. She is particularly skilled at using improvement methods to guide collaborative planning across multi-stakeholder teams—whether within large state agencies, school districts, or nonprofit networks. Her background also includes practical measurement for continuous improvement, with a focus on collecting, analyzing, and acting on qualitative and quantitative data related to student experience, program effectiveness, and community partnerships. Her connection to improvement science is not just professional but deeply personal. As someone whose own educational and leadership journey was shaped by OST programs, Dr. Davis-Bey is passionate about lifting up the work of OST professionals—often underrecognized but central to the learning ecosystem. She views improvement science as a critical tool for building capacity, reimagining systems, and shifting power to communities most impacted by inequity. Dr. Davis-Bey holds a B.A. in Communications from Xavier University of Ohio and an M.Ed. in Educational Psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She is a life member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. and an active member of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), the Black Doctoral Network (BDN), and the National Afterschool Association (NAA). Outside of her professional life, she enjoys traveling, cheering on her beloved Cleveland Browns, and spending time with her fiancé, Orlando O. Grant, a fellow civic leader and National Board Member of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc., and her bonus daughter, Brianna. Through her work, research, and leadership, Dr. Charmaine Davis-Bey continues to build the field of improvement science—ensuring it reflects, uplifts, and serves the voices and visions of those most often left at the margins. Whether in a Department-wide strategy session or a community-based program, she brings a deep belief in the transformative power of OST and the tools of continuous improvement to every table she joins.