Lateefah has been in the education field serving Boston-resident students for over 20 years. Originally from Washington D.C., Lateefah came to Boston as an undergraduate where she earned a B.A. from Boston University, M.Ed. from Lesley University, and a C.A.G.S. from Simmons College. She began her educational journey in inclusion and ELL classrooms as a first, third, and fourth-grade classroom teacher. She then became a literacy specialist at the upper elementary school level, before solidly placing her feet in roles of school leadership. She was an instructional coach for teachers before stepping into the principalship as an elementary principal.

Lateefah continues to serve Boston-resident students and families as a METCO Director. She previously served as the METCO Director of Lincoln Public Schools for nine years before moving on to the Westwood Public School District where she successfully expanded the program to include elementary students. Currently, she continues to support urban and suburban education as the inaugural Director of Equity, Integration, and Community Partnerships for Westwood Public Schools in 2022. In this new role, Lateefah has helped guide the district in conducting an equity audit, facilitated the creation of an equity landing page on the school district’s website, and had a hand in planning the district-wide professional development plan that centers on equitable teaching practices.

Lateefah has been instructing fellow educators in strategies for becoming a more equitable educator through IDEAS (Initiatives for Developing Equity and Achievement for Students) since 2019. She has served as the President of the METCO Directors Association (MDA) since 2021. Lateefah’s board work extends to being the treasurer of the Association Of Massachusetts School Leaders (AMSEL) and the secretary of Massachusetts Partnership for Diversity in Education (MPDE). Lateefah sits on the Board of Directors as Secretary of Times2 STEM Academy in Providence, R.I.

In her leisure time Lateefah enjoys reading nonfiction books, traveling with her family, and coaching cheerleading.