Recently appointed USA Funds’ Senior Director, Stephanie D. Nellons-Paige spearheads Metro Engagement and Relations in the Division of National Engagement and Philanthropy. USA Funds’ mission statement is “Completion with a purpose,” and she shares a key role in establishing partnerships to advance their mission in metropolitan areas. Actively serving with USA Funds on this mission aligns concisely with her heart, as she completely endorses building purposeful paths for America’s students to complete college, have rewarding careers and live successful lives. She recently developed a multi-million dollar key education transition grant portfolio with community-based organizations and employer partnerships. Inaugural in its status for USA Funds, this portfolio will provide youth in at-risk situations, as well as youth who are disconnected, with work-based learning solutions with several empowerment tenets, including college and career readiness and college mentoring and coaching. This portfolio will directly impact the economic vitality of the youth and the cities in which they reside.
As co-founder and President of Nellons Paige Group, Inc. and having served as a senior executive with several Fortune 500 companies, she has used her enterprising practical application and business development skillset as a catalyst to help major corporations generate over $500MM in revenue and residuals in the areas of transportation, food services and facilities maintenance. These services have greatly improved the daily lives of millions of students around the country.
Committed to student success, she serves on the board of Ancora Education, which is the governing board for Arizona Automotive Institute, Platt College and South-Texas Vocational Technical Institute. She was recently appointed to the Can! Academy Education Foundation board of directors.
Fiercely dedicated to social and civic involvement, she is an active volunteer at the Roderick Paige Elementary School, conducting the life skill etiquette curriculum program for students, fondly known as eClub. She is a member of the Houston Lemonade Day Board of Directors, The Links, Incorporated, and she is a Diamond Life Member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She was appointed by the national president of Delta to serve on the sorority’s Strategic Partnership Task Force and was also appointed by the national president of The Links to serve on their Catalyzing Community Committee. Her personal time, knowledge and resources are used to mentor her Young People’s Party aka YPP, a group of young women and men around the country. Her motivational and empowerment initiatives have also catapulted her into the realm of serving as a keynote and commencement speaker.
A proud Baltimore native, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Urban Studies and Master of Science degree in Transportation Management from Morgan State University. She is one of 13 children from a less than privileged socio-economic status, but she has a bountiful amount of love from both God and family. She is a member of Brentwood Baptist Church, and she is married to her best friend, the Honorable Rod Paige, U.S. Secretary of Education (2001-2005). With all her accomplishments, the role which she boasts about the most is being the proud mother of daughter, Danielle Rachel Robinson, a Spelman College graduate, who is a rising corporate executive and her fellow Link sister and soror.
Stephanie D. Nellons-Paige
Senior Director
Metro Engagement & Relations
USA Funds
