APS Office of Partnerships Welcomes Two Team Members

Upenda Dubose is celebrating her ninth year with Atlanta Public Schools and is excited about her new position as partnerships manager within the Office of Partnerships and Development. She brings a wealth of diverse experiences from both the corporate and education sectors. Most recently, Dubose served as project manager for Michael R. Hollis Innovation Academy- the first Pre K- eighth grade public school in APS. She was responsible for managing projects, including opening the new school and year-one logistics. She also developed a robust partnerships program that engaged stakeholders and supported the school’s strategic plan. During her three-year tenure at Hollis, Dubose was either directly responsible for or supported fundraising for over $16 million in monetary and in-kind donations to the school. She is a proud graduate of Alabama A&M University, where she received a bachelor’s degree in finance. She also holds a master’s degree in education from Central Michigan University and an educational specialist degree in curriculum and instruction from Nova Southeastern University.

Joi Hunter is excited to join APS as the new development coordinator after working with Voices for Georgia’s Children (Voices) and her own consulting firm. She is a results-oriented, non-profit professional with proven experience in outreach, grants management, fundraising and project management. Before joining Voices as the first fundraising and communications director, Hunter served as director of National Development Strategy with OneGoal, a college access organization. During her time, she worked to ensure strong, effective stakeholder engagement (organization-wide) to reach a revenue goal of over $20 million. Previously, Joi worked for the KIPP Foundation, Teach for America and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Born and raised in Atlanta, Hunter is a proud graduate of Frederick Douglass High School. She also graduated from Howard University, where she received her bachelor of arts degrees in English and philosophy. She also completed a year of studying philosophy at Syracuse University and returned to Howard University to earn her master’s degree in philosophy. 

The Partnerships team looks forward to serving you and working with you this school year. Please reach out to Joi and Upenda for support!