Governing Board of Directors
Ruqayyah AbdullahBoard Chair
Orazio MancarellaTreasurer
Reginald ChappleBoard Member
Desiré CrumbVice Chair
LaTasha NixBoard Member
Prince ClevelandBoard Member
Ruqayyah is an Agile Discipline Leader at BBVA USA where she brings innovative expertise and adaptive best practices to lead the organization’s agile transformation. A certified project management professional, Ruqayyah has lead initiatives in all phases of the project delivery life cycle for more than a decade. Her diverse experiences coupled with her ability to manage complex projects have resulted in substantial cost savings and on-time performance within budget using multiple frameworks and methodologies.
Prior to her role as Agile Discipline Leader, Ruqayyah served as a Regional Operational Manager, responsible for the operational efficiency, regulatory compliance, and business continuity for 15 branch locations at a national financial institution. In this role Ruqayyah was recognized by her peers and received the “Best by Any Measure” award.
Additionally, Ruqayyah has served in supply chain and senior sourcing roles at the bank where she was recognized as the #1 Top Sourcing Manager for two-consecutive years.
Community oriented and service focused, Ruqayyah has served as a volunteer and Board Member for Cahaba Valley Healthcare and a past Jr. Board member of the YMCA. Ruqayyah is an active member of the Jefferson County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc.
A product of the Birmingham City School System, Ruqayyah graduated from the University of Alabama-Birmingham and obtained her Executive MBA from the University of Alabama. She is the proud mother of 2 loving and active children, Yusuf (son) and Sahirah (daughter).
Driven, methodical, faithful and passionate all describe Orazio Mancarella, a VP and HR Solutions Developer at BBVA. Also a Major in the U.S. Army Reserve, Orazio Mancarella received the Bronze Star for his work with the U.S. Department of State to stabilize the Iraqi banking industry while deployed.
Mancarella extends his personal and professional talents and resources to many organizations including Omega Psi Phi fraternity, INROADS and the United Way where as a loan executive he raised over $1.3 million. Orazio was named to the Alabama Leadership Initiative Class III, and has established the Jennica Kimberly Endowed Scholarship at the University of Alabama in memory of his late wife.
Orazio is a native of Mobile, AL with a B.S. in Finance and an MBA from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. Dedicated and committed to family and community, Orazio currently resides in Hoover with his three energetic children; son Oliver and daughters Haley and Sophia.
Reginald has over two decades disciplined in Corporate Finance and Systems integration. Reginald currently works with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) financial integrations, which include Oracle, SAP, Microsoft, and several other enterprise solution software systems. Additionally, he completed his Undergraduate degree from Huntingdon College and in 2017 completed his Executive MBA at the University of North Alabama and Juris Doctorate degree from The Birmingham School of Law in 2020.
Reginald enjoys service work which includes working with local food pantries. Reginald has a large family and enjoys spending time with his family and friends.
Desire’ Taylor Crumb currently serves as the Senior Director of Program Management at Santander USA. A strategy and planning professional, she manages a diverse cross-functional group while leading the execution of transformational projects. She is skilled at connecting business strategy with data and talent to achieve quality execution. In partnership with executive management, Crumb leads her high-performing teams to design and implement strategies and solutions that enable the organization to continuously drive higher levels of performance, productivity, and internal customer satisfaction.
Crumb began her banking career 25 years ago as a data processing analyst and has held many leadership positions throughout her career. Crumb gained recent experience at BBVA USA, the global organizations’ U.S. enterprise and one of its largest country units outside of Europe. Her roles encompassed managing complex and dynamic environments in information technology and human resources. She
previously served as the Director of Strategy and Planning for Multi-Channel Delivery where she was responsible for the Mobile, Online, Call Center, and ATM banking project portfolio. Prior to this role, she served as the Director of Program Management, Sr. Project Manager, and Small Business Program Manager.
Crumb holds a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Management Information Systems from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL.
Crumb was included in the BBVA Top Talent and is a BBVA School of Management graduate. She also completed the University of Texas Executive Leadership Program, The McCombs School of Business. Crumb has earned a diploma from the International Coaching Federation Executive Coaching Certification Program and has obtained the following certifications from Cornell University: Diversity and Inclusion
Certification, Human Resources Transformation Certification, and Strategic Human Resources Leadership Certification.
Desire’ has a passion for youth growth and development and has leaned into that passion serving as a volunteer with Minor High School Band and the Birmingham City Schools Fine Arts program for many years. She is also a Big Sister in Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Birmingham Workplace Program, an organization dedicated to providing high school students with the critical skills needed to achieve their full career potential.
She was a member of the BBVA Employee Volunteer program, where she’s spent time volunteering with The Salvation Army, YWCA, Habitat for Humanity, and other community efforts to promote health and financial literacy. Crumb is a charter member of the BBVA Women Leadership group and a Momentum Upward Women’s Leadership Program alumna and served as the Executive Sponsor for the African American Employee Resource Group.
Desire’s deepest passions start at home. She’s married to James Crumb Jr. and they are proud parents of two beautiful daughters, Jazmin and Nadia. Desire’ enjoys spending time with family, traveling, and reading.
LaTasha Nix is an enthusiastic, result driven professional who has been highly successful
working with federal and state government, non-profit organizations, K-12 districts, and post-
secondary institutions. During her educational and professional path, she has developed skills
and familiarity with industry practices; innovative strategies for federal, state, and local
government; strengthened her skillset needed for leadership roles; and developed training in
sophisticated analytical techniques and methodologies. She can account for millions in grants
secured and managed throughout her 18 plus years of blended experience.
LaTasha is a member of the Council for Opportunity in Education, National Academic Advising
Association, Southeastern Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel, and Past
Member of American Society for Public Administrators. She is an active member of the
Birmingham Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and finds joy in
volunteering with youth initiatives.
A product of Birmingham City School system, LaTasha holds a Master of Public Administration
degree from Troy University and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Faulkner
University. She is the mother of an adult son as well as a young scholar who attends Legacy
Prep Charter. She enjoys writing poetry, exploring wineries and camping.
Prince is a native of Bessemer, Alabama and a product of the Bessemer City Schools. He is a
graduate of The University of Alabama where he received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of
Public Administration degrees. He is currently employed with EBSCO Information Services as a
Content Usage Analyst.
The opportunity to contribute to and serve his community drives Prince each day. He is active in
numerous community organizations such as The Delta Phi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha
Fraternity, Inc., UAB Minority Health and Health Equity Research Center Young Professionals
Board, The Blackburn Institute Advisory Board, The University of Alabama Community Affairs
Board of Advisors and the senior staff team of the American Legion Alabama Boys State
Program.
Prince resides in Inverness and is a member of New Hope Baptist Church. In his spare time, he
enjoys spending time with family and friends, watching documentaries, and cheering on the
Crimson Tide!
Interested in Joining Our School Board?
Imagine a canvas of possibilities where transformation meets education, where dreams are nurtured, and where Legacies are made. As we strive to provide the best educational experience for our students, we’re expanding our Board of Directors, and we’re looking for dynamic, dedicated individuals who are ready to make an impact!
Ready to embark on this exhilarating journey with us? Whether you’re a parent/family, educator, business leader, or community champion, your passion for education and commitment to making a difference are what we value most.
Board Meeting Information
Click below for the Board of Director’s Meeting Schedule, a link to the meetings portal which has agendas for each meeting, and a link to section of our website that contains financial data.