Allison Shillingford is dedicated to empowering underserved New York City students to take control of their educational futures. As the founder and Executive Director of Navigate the Maze to Achievement, Inc. (Navigate), she has created a nonprofit that opens doors for high-achieving Black and Latino middle school students, positioning them for success in NYC’s top high schools and beyond. Since 2016, Navigate has prepared students for the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT), helping to address the underrepresentation of these students in NYC’s elite high schools.

With over two decades of experience in education, Ms. Shillingford’s expertise spans program planning, community engagement, and financial management, among other areas. Her journey began by guiding parents through the complex admissions processes for private schools in NYC—a path inspired by her commitment to finding the best options for her own children. Her drive to level the playing field grew when she saw the stark underrepresentation of Black and Latino students in specialized high schools, leading her to establish Navigate.

A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Ms. Shillingford also holds an M.A. in oral history from Columbia University, where she focused on race and education in central Brooklyn.