Meet the Team
Students Deserve Staff
Our work is member-driven, especially by Students Deserve youth leaders. However, our staff team plays a major role in creating the containers and support systems for youth leaders to thrive. Our team is reflective of the communities we serve - who are directly impacted by systemic inequities based on race, class, gender, immigration status and more.
Schools & Community Organizer
Amir Casimir
Amir has been our Schools and Community Organizer since 2023. His noteworthy background includes serving as a former Students Deserve leader, where he played a key role in establishing a local chapter. In his current role, Amir contributes significantly to building our capacity and leadership, supporting sustainable growth in our base. He is dedicated to enhancing members' leadership skills and empowering them with the ability to organize effectively, making him a valuable asset to Students Deserve.
Development Director
Ashley Edwards
Ashley has been our Operations Manager since June of 2021. She brings a background in education and disability rights as well as fundraising for racial justice organizations to the work. She oversees our fundraising and donor relations functions, as well as managing the budget, different organizational expenses, and some communications functions.
Lead Organizer
Ian Kirksey
Ian has been the Lead Organizer since 2023. His suitability stems from his pivotal role in facilitating policy change, fostering cultural shifts, and driving investments that enhance the well-being of our community. As the Lead Organizer, Ian actively supports and supervises our team of organizers.
Executive Director
Joseph Williams
Joseph has been the Director of Students Deserve since 2019. He has been involved in movements for racial, social, economic, and educational justice for over a decade - including engaging in a hunger strike with the Living Wage Campaign at UVA in 2012, over 5 years of organizing in the labor movement, and 7+ years of organizing with Black Lives Matter - Los Angeles (BLMLA).
Parent Organizer
Jsané Tyler
Jsané has been a member of Students Deserve since 2008 and a part-time staffer since 2021. Jsané builds relationships with and helps empower parents throughout LAUSD to work alongside our youth leaders, educators and community partners to successfully push for making Black lives matter in Schools. In this role, Jsané identifies, trains and develops parents as leaders under the Students Deserve umbrella, and inspires, and motivates existing parents and other stakeholders to continue to fight for BIPOC children in education.
Student & Alumni Organizer
Marshé Doss
Marshé has been a member of Students Deserve since 2016, and a part-time employee since 2020. She graduated from Dorsey High School in the Crenshaw district where she was involved with Students Deserve for 3 years. There, she developed into an amazing speaker, advocate, organizer and leader. She wrote a book chapter about the fight to End Random Searches in the first “Black Lives Matter at School” book, spoke at the massive student/parent/teacher strike in 2019, and has been a consistent student leader in the movement.
Senior Field & Communications Organizer
Mau Trejo
Mau has been with Students Deserve since 2020. They have supported formerly incarcerated and system-impacted boys & men of color through academic counseling and political education to enact systems change. They have also done extensive organizing in the immigration justice field. Mau brings a wealth of expertise in youth organizing and development, and extensive experience in leadership, organizing and coalition-building in immigration, racial, and labor justice fields.
