Kandice Sumner, Ph.D., has spent her life living, researching, and advancing the purpose and promise of METCO. A Weston/METCO alumna, lifelong educator, researcher, and nonprofit leader, she now serves as President & CEO of METCO, Inc., bringing both lived experience and decades of educational and organizational leadership to shepherding the nation’s longest-running voluntary school desegregation program into its next 60 years.

Born and raised in Boston, Kandice is the granddaughter of a civil rights activist and organizing parent of Operation Exodus, the community-led movement that laid the groundwork for METCO. As a METCO student herself, she experienced firsthand both the transformative opportunities and complexities of school desegregation. Her story and perspective are featured in the documentaries Far From Home (2005) and Code Switching (2019), as well as her widely viewed TED Talk, How America’s Public Schools Keep Kids in Poverty.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Spelman College, Kandice began her career as a Boston Public Schools teacher and has since served as a teacher, administrator, instructional leader, doctoral professor, consultant, and nonprofit executive across urban and suburban educational communities. Her leadership has centered on culturally responsive practice, restorative justice, antiracism, student achievement, organizational development, and building authentic relationships across diverse communities. She co-founded and served as Co-Executive Director of Educators for AntiRacism, supporting educators in creating more equitable and inclusive learning environments.

Kandice earned her Ph.D. in Urban Educational Policy Studies from the University of Massachusetts Boston. Her dissertation, Native Daughter: A Lived Experience of Desegregation, examines the lived experience of school desegregation and elevates the importance of social-emotional well-being, mental health, and racial identity development for Black students navigating predominantly white institutions.

As President & CEO, Kandice’s journey comes full circle. Her leadership is grounded in honoring METCO’s civil rights legacy while ensuring that the voices and lived experiences of students, families, and alumni shape its future. As METCO enters its next 60 years, she is committed to expanding opportunity, strengthening community, and ensuring students can access the extraordinary educational, cultural, professional, and community resources available in their own backyard and beyond.