Zhané Garlington

Zhané Garlington is the Founder and Executive Director of Empower Youth, a nonprofit she launched in 2025 to empower youth through holistic, equity-driven educational programming in Title I schools. Building on years of pro-bono college and career advising, Zhané created the organization to provide culturally responsive, community-rooted support that nurtures both academic and social-emotional growth. She holds a Master’s in Educational Leadership from Dominican University of California (2025) and a Bachelor’s in Media Studies and Mass Communication from UC Berkeley (2021).

Zhané currently serves as an Admissions Specialist at Rivet School, supporting adult learners in accelerated degree programs to close equity gaps in higher education. She previously held roles as Assistant Dean of Admissions and Assistant Director of Enrollment, where she re-enrolled stop-out students, increased retention, and implemented data-driven strategies to improve student outcomes. She also conducted admissions analysis and advising for multiple education clients.

Since 2021, Zhané has worked in Solano County schools as an Educator and Expanded Learning Manager, designing and delivering culturally responsive lessons and professional development. Her programs integrate experiential learning and trauma-informed practices, achieving measurable improvements in student engagement and mastery. She has led program implementation across 15 districts and 70+ schools, reducing program escalations by 30% through coaching and operational leadership.

An active parent and community advocate, Zhané began her career volunteering through Mount Calvary Baptist Church and later served as an Outreach Intern for UC Berkeley’s Ethnic Studies Department, organizing college tours and workshops while coaching high school volleyball. Her research experience includes leading a culminating project on sustainable communal food hubs and interning for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and C-SPAN, producing policy briefs on education, incarceration, and equity. She has also served as a Demography and Aging Researcher, Library Fellow, and Food First Undergraduate Fellow at UC Berkeley, supporting a Student Parent Food Donations Program and serving as an election inspector in Solano and Alameda Counties.

Zhané’s work bridges research, policy, and practice to create equitable, community-rooted solutions in education and public systems.