E’Tona, a Baltimore native, earned a Bachelor of Science degree from The Pennsylvania State University. During her time at Penn State, she was a varsity student-athlete on the Women’s Gymnastics Team and followed in her mother’s footsteps, becoming a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated. After graduating from college, E’Tona returned to Baltimore with a desire to be a beacon of light to others through acts of service. She pursued work in education, athletics, and research—teaching and empowering students with diverse learning abilities at Kennedy Krieger High School, inspiring and coaching gymnasts to build confidence and achieve maximum performance outcomes at several gymnastics clubs, and coordinating adult and pediatric research studies within the Multiple Sclerosis Center at Johns Hopkins. Prior to joining CollegeBound Foundation, E’Tona spent six years valuing the arts as a conduit to transformation and inspiration in the lives of students to improve achievement outcomes at Arts for Learning Maryland. In 2021, she was promoted to Director, After School Arts for Learning Academy (ASALA), where she took a people-centric approach to leadership and strove with a team of dedicated individuals to bridge the opportunity gap within the city of Baltimore through the organization’s free after-school program. Through mentorship and guidance from both leaders and peers at Arts for Learning Maryland, she developed an interest and passion for becoming a change agent for equity. E’Tona is proud to be joining an organization committed to advocacy by disrupting historically inequitable systems to connect future leaders with opportunities, and she is elated to help push the work forward!
eford@collegeboundfoundation.org