Meet the EEC team!

Since 2001, Educational Equity Consultants has worked with approximately 3,000 district leaders and school faculties through the Leadership & Racism Program (formerly call the Teaching and Leading as Social Justice Advocacy Program).

The Leadership & Racism Program (LRP) explores how our own attitudes about race and racism might be limiting students’ capability to achieve.  Through a process of challenging introspection and reflection, educators learn to identify behaviors and policies that adversely affect how students see themselves and their potential to succeed in school.  Most importantly, participants develop ways to alter or eliminate those behaviors, and build positive strategies for their schools and districts to adopt.

EEC Mission Statement

Educational Equity Consultants (EEC) creates a safe environment for people of color and whites to heal from the hurts of racism.  EEC builds the capacity of individuals, schools and other organizations to address racism in ways that enable ALL people to reclaim their inherent intelligence and nobility.

Tony Neal

Tony Neal is currently President/CEO of Educational Equity Consultants and Executive Director of the Center for Educational Equity (eec4justice.com).

At a young age, Tony saw the value in quality education and was interested in balancing the scales of opportunity and justice and eradicating the roadblocks to equity and equality. He has made a career in helping people and communities utilize education, push past ignorance and open their minds and hearts to a higher level of learning.

Tony served as Director of Southern Illinois University East St. Louis Charter High School for 11 years. During his tenure, the charter school was recognized as a Distinguished School by the Illinois State Charter School Board. In addition to his current full time position, Tony is adjunct professor at Webster University, where he teaches in the Media Communications department. He has served as faculty and trainer for numerous Dismantling Racism Institutes of the National Conference for Community and Justice and has trained for the Anti-Defamation League’s, A World of Difference, and for the Coro Midwestern Leadership Center.

In 1991, Tony received a United States Court Appointment to the Educational Monitoring Advisory Committee, St. Louis Desegregation Program. Tony has presented at the International Principals’ Conference in London, England and Toronto, Canada. He has also spoken and/or conducted training for more than 500 agencies, companies, organizations and school districts, including ones in South Africa and Ghana.

Tony holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Morehouse College and a Master’s Degree from Washington University. He is a 2000 graduate of the FOCUS St. Louis Leadership program, a 2003 graduate of the Harvard University Urban Principals’ Institute, a 2006 graduate of the Vanderbilt University/ Peabody College Summer Fellows program, and a 2007 graduate of the National School Leaders Network Facilitator’s training at Wellesley College.

Tony is President of the Royal Vagabond, Inc. Foundation. This organization has awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships over the last seven years to area graduating seniors. Tony was Area Governor for Toastmasters International Area #119. He also serves on the board of directors for The Ethics Project, Vernare Learning Charter Academy, Fullerton Neighborhood Association, Cardinal Ritter College Prep CEO Entrepreneurship Program, Fullerton Neighborhood Association, The Sweet Potato Project, and the national board of Within Our Lifetime Project, an initiative whose goal is to eliminate racism within our lifetime. In June 2000, Tony was one of three fathers named St. Louis Post Dispatch Father of the Year. His story and picture appeared on the front page of the Father’s Day edition.

Tony is a distinguished member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He has received the following accolades:

  • Recipient of the 2020 Courageous Organization Award given by Black Educators Symposium
  • NCCJ Leadership Award
  • 2014 Andrew Young Outstanding Leadership Award, presented by The Ethics Project at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and awarded by Andrew Young
  • Urban League College Resource Center Service Award
  • Black Child Development Service Award
  • Spirit of Excellence Award, presented by Parkway School District
  • Outstanding Service Award, presented by Royal Vagabonds, Inc.
  • Toastmaster’s First and Second place awards in the Area and Division Public Speaking contest
  • Morehouse College, St. Louis, MO, 2016 Alumni of the Year Award
  • Inducted into the University City Hall of Fame

Most recently, Tony co-authored the book, Becoming a Social Justice Leader: Using Head, Heart, and Hands to Dismantle Oppression.

On February 20, 2017, Tony was featured in the National PBS special, “The Talk: Race in America.”

Phil Hunsberger

Phil Hunsberger was formerly the Executive Director of the Metro East Consortium for Child Advocacy (MECCA), which is a partnership of six Illinois School Districts that include East St. Louis, Cahokia, Madison, Dupo, Venice and Brooklyn.  MECCA provides professional development for these districts in the areas of literacy, school leadership, mentoring, and social justice advocacy for teaching and leading.  He also served as the Coordinator an Illinois State Board of Education RESPRO Region V grant.  This initiative provides professional development for schools not reaching their adequately yearly progress (AYP) in a sixteen county area of southern Illinois.  From 1971 until the 1998 assignment, Phil served as a teacher, principal and central office administrator in the Sterling Unit #5 School District.  He received his Bachelor of Science in Education and his Master in Science in Educational Administration from Northern Illinois University.  His doctorate in Educational Leadership was from National-Louis University, Wheaton Campus.  In 1994, the National Association of Elementary School Principals selected Phil as the National Distinguished Principal from Illinois.  Most recently Phil served on the faculty for the National Conference for Community and Justice:  Dismantling Racism from 2002-2006.  He is the Director of the International Network of Principals’ Centers and has presented for school districts and leadership centers in the Chicago, Denver, New Orleans, Atlanta, Rochester, New York, Little Rock and Columbus, Ohio area.

EEC Senior Associates

  • Billie Mayo
  • Mary Ferguson
  • Deb Holmes
  • Russell Vanecek
  • Leon Sharpe
  • Reggie Williams
  • Alice Miller
  • Sarah Riss
  • David Faulkner
  • Sherita Love
  • Jamie Young
  • Deborah Bohlmann
  • Linda Holliday
  • John E. Thomas
  • Denisha Johnson