Building Pathways to Prosperity in Alabama

(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.

(she/her)

Deputy Director

Clifton Strengths: Connectedness, Learner, Relator, Arranger, Belief

Manisha is the Deputy Director at Alabama Possible and directs its poverty education and educational attainment programs. Since joining the organization in 2020, she has led strategic initiatives to expand educational attainment, strengthen community partnerships, and advance policies that improve opportunities for Alabamians. Manisha played a key role in launching the Alabama College Attainment Network, supporting 65+ partner organizations and building Regional College Attainment Networks across the state. She oversees the organization’s daily operations and strategic communications plan.

(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. 

(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.

(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.